UBCM Conference to Challenge Province on Secrecy, Funding Cuts
Municipal leaders will press British Columbia on non-disclosure agreements and $775 million in cancelled housing funds at next week's annual meeting.
KEY POINTS
- UBCM conference runs Sept. 14–18 in Vancouver with three special resolutions
- Province accused of unprecedented NDA use blocking municipal-provincial communication
- $775 million Community Housing Fund cancelled in February budget without notice
- 89 communities affected; Parksville and Squamish lost ~$1 million each in sunk costs
- FireSmart wildfire prevention funding also flagged as depleted since January
The Union of B.C. Municipalities will introduce three special resolutions at its annual conference in Vancouver from September 14 to 18. The resolutions target what local leaders call a growing climate of secrecy and the withdrawal of critical funding streams.
UBCM president Cori Ramsay said the province has been using non-disclosure agreements in unprecedented ways. Municipal staff are being asked to sign NDAs before speaking with provincial officials about general topics, sometimes without knowing the subject matter.
“To cancel these midstream has left a lot of local governments in the lurch.”
The province cancelled the $775 million Community Housing Fund intake in its February budget without warning municipal leaders. Ramsay said 89 communities lost millions in sunk costs, with Parksville and Squamish each spending roughly $1 million on projects now in limbo.
FireSmart funding complaints emerged in January when municipalities including West Kelowna warned that wildfire prevention money was running out. Premier David Eby and B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay are scheduled to address the conference.
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