2022 R35 – Legislative Reform Initiative
- Year: 2022
- AVICC Number: R35
- UBCM Number: EB80
- Nanaimo RD
Whereas regional districts are limited in their legislative authority in comparison with municipalities in several key areas such as business licensing authority, subdivision approval, regulation of fireworks discharge, parking enforcement, tree management, and taxation and funding models;
And whereas the social, political and economic environments that local governments operate within continue to evolve in areas such as climate change, environmental stewardship and a recognition of the importance of First Nations’ participation in regional governance, and these realities should be reflected in updated legislation:
Therefore be it resolved that UBCM be urged to work with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and regional districts to further a legislative reform initiative for the purpose of comprehensively reviewing and modernizing the Local Government Act.
- Year: 2022
- AVICC Number: R35
- Sponsor: Nanaimo RD
- Resolution Type: Provincial
- Category: Regional Districts
- AVICC Decision: Endorsed
- AVICC Response link
- UBCM Number: EB80
- UBCM Decision: Endorsed
- Provincial Response:Ministry of Municipal Affairs The Ministry recognizes that regional districts like all governments face difficult challenges as they adapt to new social, political, and environmental realities in the 21st century, and that regional districts require effective, flexible, and up-to-date tools to fulfill their distinct roles and responsibilities within BCs local government system. While the challenges regional districts face are significant, UBCM and the province have a long history of working closely together develop and maintain a legislative and policy framework that empowers regional districts to proactively adapt and respond to their pressing challenges. The current framework has mostly worked well: regional districts continue to develop services to creatively meet community needs and accessed the innovative regulation-making authorities of the Local Government Act to empower regional districts that are ready to design a regulatory framework with targeted authorities e.g., business licensing, dangerous dogs, fireworks authority. The Ministry remains committed to working collaboratively with UBCM and regional districts to develop tools that ensure regional districts can respond to their evolving challenges. New tools or authorities need to be based on a clear analysis of the issues or problems that it is meant to address to be effective. Consensus is also needed on how to move forward before implemented on a system scale, and in some instances this collaborative work may lead to new legislation. Given the challenges associated with broad legislative changes, regional districts facing unique challenges may have an interest in working with the Ministry to explore the possibility of developing a regulation to implement solutions tailored to those challenges. The objective of the memorandum of understanding MOU on Local Government Financial Resiliency between the Province and Union of BC Municipalities is to ensure that both municipal governments and regional districts remain resilient in the face of economic changes. The Local Government Financial Review Working Group established under the MOU will establish a common frame of reference for understanding both the financial challenges that regional districts face and the range of potential options that could address those challenges. The Ministry anticipates working closely with UBCM, regional districts and other Ministries in the future to explore and, potentially, implement the Committees regional district-related findings.
- UBCM Response link
The AVICC acknowledges that we are grateful to live, work, and play on the traditional territories of theCoast Salish, Nuu-Chah-Nulth and Kwak-Waka’wakw Peoples