UBCM 2019
I have just returned from the 2019 UBCM (Union of BC Municipalities) Annual Convention. This is where the 190+ Local Governments take their issues and funding requests to the Provincial Government.
This year’s issues are 1/ Water System Filtration Costs and alternatives 2/ BC Ambulance Service Dispatch Protocol changes that only allow our fire department to respond to medical calls when the call is life threatening 3/ School or lack thereof in the North Westside 4/ Fintry Park signage, road parking and the safety issues around the bottom of the hill and turn off to the entrance of the Park Campsite road. Also listed here are the other opportunities that presents themselves and got some traction.
1/ Water systems – I have meet with top Ministry of Health personnel and explained the unaffordable costs associated with centralized filtration on both the Killiney Beach & Westshore water systems and the need to explore more affordable 21st Century solutions. I am hopeful that a conversation has opened that small water systems across Canada are unable to maintain asset viability …and continue to apply dated and inappropriate capital projects on communities with no ability to absorb these cost with their water service.
2/ BCAS Dispatch protocols have recently been changed and do not account for the lengthy delayed response that we see in the North Westside. I have requested that anytime an ambulance is responding to either North Westside or Wilsons Landing that the local fire department be dispatched simultaneously. I had conversations with everyone from the President of CUPE to Premier Horgan and BCEHS Officials; all spoke of a positive outcome for our request.
3/ I met with elected officials with proven results and others with proposals in development to establish schools for their small communities. During the course of the convention I had the opportunity to speak with Mike Roberts CEO of the BC School Trustees Association. We will be meeting again for BCSTA perspective and help in achieving our goal of a school for K-8. Riding a bus for hours a day, the conflict for parents with school district catchment and the multitude of problems that entails can only be solved with a school in the North Westside.
4/ I met with ADM Jennifer McGuire for Environment who spoke for BC Parks and she assured me that she would reach out to the District Manager to meet with me at the Park to address the signage, traffic safety issues and overflow parking outside the gate and along Fintry Delta road in the tall weeds.
5/ Ride Hail/Share – I attended a workshop and participated in the resolutions session where several discussions took place both Pre and Con for the implementation of this service. I was disappointed in the lack of Rural input to the formation of the legislation that will give authority to the regulation and enforcement needed to operate. For large part Rural has no or extremely limited Public Transit or Taxi service. Class 4 Licences will probable put licencing out of reach for the residents of my community. I took an interest in Ride Hail/Share as I thought it might provide transportation to Doctor appointments, gocieries, Rx, entertainment, etc. short of public transit yet more cost effective than a cab from town. I had an opportunity to speak one on one with Steven Haywood the Executive Lead for the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure who handles the Taxi Modernization and Ride-Hailing file and he has promised a larger role for the Rural areas as this legislation is developed and reviewed. I also had assurances given from Morva Rohani who is the Senior Public Policy Associate for Uber Canada and she assures me that should the Class 4 requirement for drivers be reduced to Class 5 that Uber would roll out their service Province wide rather that just the large metropolitan areas of the Lower Mainland and Victoria.
6/ Governance – I met with Todd Stone the current Opposition MLA for Urban Affairs and Ben Stewart our Local MLA to update them on the EA West desire for a governance study for service and jurisdictional issues in Brent Road area, fire, planning, water, jurisdictional to name a few in Trepanier and of course in the North Westside the cost of an autonomous self government to address the schooling, cost of water, roads, health care facility and many more issues not within the mandate of a regional district. They have requested further information that I will be providing.
During the course of the convention I had opportunities to speak with Government Officials with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing including Minister Robinson long enough to ask for a sit down meeting when in Kelowna, Deputy Minister Kaye Krishna who was receptive to further conversations about our study and Tara Faganello the ADM and the person two years ago that received the North Westside petition and request for a governance study with financial implications for self governance.
These and many more important issues were able to be debated, reviewed and in some cases resolved at this annual get together of Provincial and Local Government Officials.
MONDAY, September 23
Disrupting Money Laundering
Monday September 23, 2019 9:00 – 11:40 am
AGENDA
1. Introduction and Welcome Councillor Craig Hodge, City of Coquitlam
2. Comment :The Honourable Carole James Minister of Finance & Deputy Premier
3. Money Laundering and Real Estate
• Maureen Maloney, Professor, School of Public Policy, Simon Fraser University
• Trevor Hargreaves, Vice President, Government Relations, BC Real Estate Association
4. Q & A with Panel
5. Break
6. Comment :The Honourable David Eby, Q.C., Attorney General
7. Investigating Money Laundering
• Paul Dadwal, Superintendent, Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit
• Sam MacLeod, Assistant Deputy Minister and General Manager, Gaming Policy and
Enforcement Branch, Attorney General
• Francis G. Camilleri, Executive Director, Income Taxation Branch, Ministry of Finance
8. Q & A with Panel
9. Concluding Comments :Councillor Craig Hodge
TOOLS, FUNDING & RESOURCES FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
1:30 pm – 4:30 pm
This half-day session will provide opportunities for delegates to meet with representatives from over 25 agencies that provide tools, resources, funding or other supports that help local governments to increase capacity and undertake local planning, projects and development.
Using a marketplace format, delegates will be able to meet face-to-face with representatives of agencies that are of most benefit to their community and take away information and resources.
Participants will be provided with a directory of the contact people, purpose and resources of all the organizations that are at the session and will be encouraged to meet with numerous agencies by way of a session passport which, once completed, will be entered to win a prize.
Electoral Area Directors’ Meet and Greet 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Tuesday, September 24
Clinics: 7:30 am – 8:30 am Emergency Health Services: Developing Municipal
Agreements This session is presented on behalf of the Ministry of Health and BC’s Emergency Health Services (BCEHS). In response to recommendations from the BC Auditor General’s Access to Emergency Health Services Report, the Ministry and BCEHS are committed to working with local governments to ensure BC residents experience coordinated, high-quality and effective pre-hospital care and inter-facility transfer. Specific topics to be addressed are: medical oversight and accountability across agencies, data sharing and the Clinical Response Model (including consent agreements with local fire departments, and appropriate emergency notification for first responders). This session will serve as a foundation for future intergovernmental collaboration between the BCEHS and provincial/municipal governments on timely access to quality emergency health services in urban, rural, and remote regions across the province.
Electoral Area Directors’ Forum 9:00am – 12:00pm This is a forum for Electoral Area Directors to meet and discuss issues of concern to their areas and models of Local Government.
Director Ministry Meetings:
BC Emergency Health Services: This meeting is to discuss the implications of the recent changes to the ambulance dispatch that changed fire department protocols for responding to medical emergencies. The change sees NO fire department response unless immediate life threatening symptoms are present.
Ministry Health: 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm This meeting is with the Ministry of Health to discuss alternatives to the very costly centralized filtration plan from Interior Health that the RDCO is planning on implementing on both the Killiney Beach and Westshore Estates water systems
Provincial Policy Sessions: 3:15 pm – 4:45 pm Ride-Hailing: What can Local Governments Expect In fall of 2018, Government approved the new ride hailing and taxi modernization legislation. The regulations that will bring the legislation into force and enable ride hailing to come to BC are set to take effect soon. Staff from the Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure will present the new ride hailing framework at this clinic. There will also be opportunity to discuss changes to local government legislation and local governments’ powers as they pertain to vehicles for hire, including taxis and commercial ride hail vehicles.
Media:
The Province Jennifer Saltman Rural communities wonder whether ride-hailing will make it to them (and the interest level in rural communities,” she said. Wayne Carson, director for the Central Okanagan West Electoral Area, said cabs are)
CBC news British Columbia Yesterday • 1:59 PM Suburban, rural cities worry Class 4 licence rule will restrict ride-hailing service (that will help a rural community,” said Wayne Carson, area director for the Regional District of Central Okanagan, “[but] the Class 4 is)
Wednesday, September 25
Convention Opening Session 8:30 am – 9:00 am
Annual Meeting 9:00 am -10:25 am First Report of the Nominating Committee
Keynote Address: Peter Mansbridge 9:25 am – 10:25 am
UBCM Convention Finance & Sponsorship Review Survey 10:25 am – 10:45 am
Trade Show Open 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Director Opposition MLAs Meetings: Todd Stone & Ben Stewart Opposition MLAs re: Governance, Schools, Roads, BCEHS Dispatch Protocols for North Westside & Wilson Landing fire departments. Only got 15 minutes here had to talk fast.
Address by the Leader of the Green Party: Dr. Andrew Weaver 10:45 am – 11:00 am
Principal Policy Session: Resolutions 11:00 am – 11:55 am
11:55 am – 12:00 pm Nominations from the floor for Table Officer positions
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm Area Association Lunches
Address by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing: Honourable Selina Robinson 2:30 pm – 2:45 pm
Candidate speeches (as necessary) 2:45 pm – 5:00 pm Election of Table Officers (opens as necessary) Trade Show Reception 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Presentation of 2019 Energy & Climate Action Awards 4:15 pm – 4:30 pm
BC Government Reception 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China Reception 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
CUPE BC Reception 8:00 pm – 12:00 am
Thursday, September 26
Thursday, September 26
Clinics: 7:30 am – 8:15 am
Getting Older Adults Active and Connected
Libraries Support Resilient Communities
Modernizing BC’s Emergency Program Act (EPA)
Protective Services: Changing the Negotiating Landscape
Provincial Poverty and Homelessness Community Actions
Election of Table Officers 8:00 am – 9:00 am
Second Report of the Nominating Committee for Executive Positions
Address by the Leader of the Opposition: 8:35 am – 8:55am Mr. Andrew Wilkinson
Director Ministry Meetings: Had a good meeting with the Assistant Deputy Minister and brought up the signage, road safety and parking in and around the gate house area. I have been promised a follow up meeting on site at Fintry Park with someone able to address the concerns that I have received from the residents of the Delta and moved forward.
Resolutions Session Continues 8:55 am – 11:30 am
Trade Show Open 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Nominations from the Floor for Executive Positions 11:30 am – 11:35 am
Candidate speeches 11:35 am – 12:00 pm
Delegates’ Lunch 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Election of Remaining Executive Positions 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Workshops: 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Let’s not WASTE Time! Link to Presentation
Tackling the Housing Crisis through Leadership & Co-Creation CityStudio Vancouver: A Model for Civic Innovation and Experimentation
UBCM Reception 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
UBCM Annual Banquet 7:30 pm – 11:30 pm
Presentation of Long-Service Awards and Life Memberships
Friday, September 27
Election for Executive Positions continues 7:30 am – 8:30 am
Resolutions Session Continues 8:00 am – 10:45 am
Installation of President Elect 10:45 am – 11:00 am
Port of Vancouver Prize Draw
Address by the Premier: Premier John Horgan 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Adjourn 12:00 pm
