Latest news with #UnionofBCMunicipalities
Hamilton Spectator
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Port Moody to call on province to reform school planning in face of housing supply push
Port Moody council is calling on the province to overhaul how it plans and funds schools, warning that communities facing mandated housing growth are being left without the infrastructure to support new families. On June 10, council unanimously approved a motion to be submitted to the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention this September, urging the province align school construction timelines with population growth targets imposed under the Housing Supply Act and transit-oriented development legislation. 'This is not the first time I've brought up the challenges . . . not just for cities with SkyTrain stations, but even ones with small transit hubs,' said Coun. Callan Morrison, who authored the motion. 'The province rolled bills 44 and 47 out with really no consultation with local municipalities.' Morrison warned that cities like Port Moody, designated under the Housing Supply Act to meet ambitious housing targets, are being forced to grow without corresponding plans for essential services like schools, hospitals, and supportive housing. 'If they're going to force and mandate housing numbers upon our cities, they need to make sure they're providing all the provisions: health care as well as schools, by the time those are due,' he said. 'This motion is written to highlight just one of the challenges.' The motion, which will now head to UBCM for consideration, calls on the province to move away from its reactive, enrollment-based approach to school planning and instead fund new schools based on projected growth and legislated population targets. The current approach, council argued, creates long delays in school construction that leave students and families in overcrowded facilities or with long commutes to neighbouring communities. Coun. Kyla Knowles said council has raised these concerns repeatedly, including in meetings with two separate provincial education ministers. 'We are meeting regularly with our school district board – I can tell you, they are just as frustrated as we are,' she said. 'If we have to keep beating this drum every year, then so be it, because our students and our kids deserve the best.' Knowles also questioned provincial spending priorities, referencing recent reports about the growth of public sector employees, and noting the strain on local services. 'It's really hard when communities like ours are struggling to provide affordable housing, sufficient doctors, health care and schools.' Coun. Samantha Agtarap called for planning innovation, stating the old ways were 'no longer good enough.' She pointed out that delays often mean schools are full the day they open. 'There is an opportunity to move forward in such a way that we're not behind the eight ball always,' she said. Port Moody's resolution will be circulated to the ministries of education and municipal affairs, and joins what Morrison hopes will be a chorus of similar calls from other municipalities at this year's UBCM. 'I certainly hope that this is not the only version of this motion being put forward,' he said. 'It does affect so many.' Anticipating similar resolutions will be brought to UBCM by other B.C. municipalities, Agtarap suggested council find joint sponsors to add weight to the request. The motion reflects a growing frustration among Port Moody councillors regarding the province's long-term planning around school capacity. Many of the concerns were recently raised after the Coquitlam School District submitted its school site proposal for approval. After attempting to reject the proposal, council had to reverse course after the district warned of potential provincial intervention. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
CBC
10-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
B.C. government says more oversight coming for dysfunctional municipalities
The ongoing dysfunction in the City of Kamloops has gotten so bad that the B.C. government is considering major changes to the oversight of feuding city councils across the province. "I've come to the conclusion that this type of behaviour just cannot continue to go on … it is our goal to have something in place before the next election," said Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs Ravi Kahlon, responding to the latest back-and-forth accusations between Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson and the rest of city council. "The province is going to step in … so that we can ensure that local governments are serving the best interests of their people, and not having these continuously prolonged infighting situations." Since the 2022 local elections, a number of B.C. municipalities — including Kamloops, Harrison Hot Springs, Lions Bay, Sayward and Sechelt — have seen the mayor opposed by all or a majority of council, Accusations of inappropriate conduct toward staff, multiple lawsuits, mass departures of senior staff or external investigations have followed, along with code of conduct complaints and escalating legal fees to resolve the personal disputes. There is no way to recall local politicians in B.C., and there are only a few situations where mayors or councillors can be removed for legal reasons. The province removed the auditor general for municipalities in 2020, and so far has rejected the Union of B.C. Municipalities' requests to appoint a provincial integrity commissioner to resolve disputes. Kahlon said Kamloops was just one of many municipalities where dysfunction had sparked a change of heart, and implied that the strategy of hands-off dispute resolution could come to an end, though he said any legislation wouldn't take effect until local elections in October 2026. "It undermines our democracy, undermines people's belief in the work that we do to make their lives better," he said. "And it's unfortunate, but here we are and we have to take steps." Endless investigations in Kamloops Kahlon's comments to CBC News were prompted by the two latest reports into the feud between Hamer-Jackson and the rest of city hall. A February report to Kahlon from city council, which was made public this week, outlined code of conduct breaches, privacy breaches, investigations and lawsuits that have consumed much of city hall business and cost the city more than $1 million in legal fees. "This untenable situation has highlighted the limited ability of current legislation to address such scenarios, leaving municipalities with insufficient tools to protect their operations, staff, and taxpayers from the harmful and expensive actions of one rogue elected official," the letter argued. The second report, which was released last week, concerned Kamloops Coun. Bill Sarai secretly recording a heated argument with Hamer-Jackson in January 2023 and denying being the source of it after it became public. The investigation by legal firm Young Anderson found Sarai had breached council's code of conduct and his own oath of office. The report recommended council reprimand Sarai, but didn't endorse censuring or lowering his pay, and criticized Hamer-Jackson for not taking part in the investigation. A council meeting on Tuesday afternoon will consider the report. "We actually asked Mayor Hamer-Jackson to do very similar things, including a letter of apology, workplace training. He refused to do so … and that's going to be no different from Coun. Sarai," said deputy mayor Mike O'Reilly. "We are very hopeful that Coun. Sarai will listen to what the will of council is and will provide that letter of apology and take the training needed." Mayor says it's political deflection In an interview, Hamer-Jackson denied any issues with his leadership style, called multiple councillors liars, and maintained that he is the victim of a witch hunt. "The bottom line is they didn't want me to be the mayor, and they don't believe in the democratic process. And like I said, this is just another deflection," he said. "I got staff ... saying, 'Keep going, Mr. Mayor, keep going.' And the general consensus is they want to get rid of the councillors." Because of the province's timeline for action, the City of Kamloops will have to resolve its own disputes until next year's local elections, including an ongoing lawsuit by Hamer-Jackson against a fellow councillor, and another by the mayor's former lawyers to get him to pay his legal bills. But Kahlon made clear what he thought about the fighting and the legal bills. "I'm hoping that we can resolve these issues, but those are dollars that could have gone to infrastructure. Those are dollars that could have gone to important community services," he said.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
First Nations Leadership Council & Union of BC Municipalities call for withdrawal of Bill 15
xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) / VANCOUVER, BC, May 22, 2025 /CNW/ - The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) and its member organizations joined with the Union of BC Municipalities today to call on the Province to withdraw Bill 15 – the Infrastructure Projects Act. If passed into law, Bill 15 would give greater powers to Cabinet to expedite the approval of projects it deems to be "provincially significant". First Nations and local governments have expressed concern with the lack of consultation prior to the legislation being drafted. First Nations leaders have also highlighted the Province's failure to fulfill its constitutional, legislative, and environmental obligations and commitments, including those under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, the Interim Approach on the Alignment of Laws, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. First Nations Chiefs and leadership recently met with Premier Eby to express their collective opposition to Bill 15 which has the potential to greatly impact First Nations' inherent and Aboriginal rights, title, and jurisdiction. Local governments also met with Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma and have expressed concern that Bill 15 would provide Cabinet with extraordinary powers to override local regulations, including local government Official Community Plans, zoning bylaw amendments and subdivision approval processes. Bill 15 has passed second reading and moved to Committee last week, slated for completion of Committee and a third reading in the legislature next week before final vote. Quotes Councillor Trish Mandewo, President, Union of BC Municipalities:" The provisions in Bill 15 constitute an unnecessary over reach by the Province into local decision making. Local governments welcome provincial efforts to expedite project development, but not through transferring power from communities to Victoria. If the goal is to reduce the regulatory burden on major projects, local governments are more than willing to work with the province to improve the system – let's work together. It's time for the Province to withdraw Bill 15 and find a new path forward." Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President, Union of BC Indian Chiefs:"It is time for the Eby government to action their commitments to reconciliation and uphold their own laws and processes. Despite repeated earnest efforts to reason with Premier Eby, Minister Ma, and others within the Province, the Province continues to stubbornly advance Bills 14 and 15 regardless of the political and relational costs. First Nations are not opposed to responsible development, and we understand the need to expedite the approval and construction of hospitals, schools, and other critical infrastructure. But Bills 14 and 15 go well beyond that, and the process that led to their development flouted First Nations' basic human rights and the Province's own law, policy, and processes. There's only one way forward: the Province must withdraw the bills as currently drafted, and we must work on principled solutions to the myriad of crises we face together." Robert Phillips, Political Executive Member of the First Nations Summit: "We are at a serious crossroads in First Nations-Crown relations in BC. We have literally spent decades building principled frameworks and processes to lead us to reconciliation and shared prosperity in this province. The most recent is the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, passed unanimously by the Legislature in 2019, establishing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the framework for reconciliation. Instead of leaning into this framework and related process, the Province has decided to ignore it and attempt to empower itself with extraordinary control and discretion that are in direct contrast to reconciliation. This rollback of reconciliation will put us back decades and is an affront to First Nations and a disservice to all British Columbians." Regional Chief Terry Teegee, BC Assembly of First Nations:"We stand united in our call for the immediate withdrawal of Bill 15 – Infrastructure Projects Act. This legislation undermines our rights and title by granting the BC government unprecedented powers without proper consultation with First Nations. I strongly urge Premier Eby and the provincial government to immediately engage in respectful and meaningful dialogue instead of pushing this ill-conceived legislation through, which fundamentally threatens our sovereignty and governance and will negatively affect future generations." SOURCE First Nations Summit View original content to download multimedia: Sign in to access your portfolio
Cision Canada
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Cision Canada
First Nations Leadership Council & Union of BC Municipalities call for withdrawal of Bill 15
xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) / VANCOUVER, BC, May 22, 2025 /CNW/ - The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) and its member organizations joined with the Union of BC Municipalities today to call on the Province to withdraw Bill 15 – the Infrastructure Projects Act. If passed into law, Bill 15 would give greater powers to Cabinet to expedite the approval of projects it deems to be "provincially significant". First Nations and local governments have expressed concern with the lack of consultation prior to the legislation being drafted. First Nations leaders have also highlighted the Province's failure to fulfill its constitutional, legislative, and environmental obligations and commitments, including those under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, the Interim Approach on the Alignment of Laws, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. First Nations Chiefs and leadership recently met with Premier Eby to express their collective opposition to Bill 15 which has the potential to greatly impact First Nations' inherent and Aboriginal rights, title, and jurisdiction. Local governments also met with Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma and have expressed concern that Bill 15 would provide Cabinet with extraordinary powers to override local regulations, including local government Official Community Plans, zoning bylaw amendments and subdivision approval processes. Bill 15 has passed second reading and moved to Committee last week, slated for completion of Committee and a third reading in the legislature next week before final vote. Quotes Councillor Trish Mandewo, President, Union of BC Municipalities: " The provisions in Bill 15 constitute an unnecessary over reach by the Province into local decision making. Local governments welcome provincial efforts to expedite project development, but not through transferring power from communities to Victoria. If the goal is to reduce the regulatory burden on major projects, local governments are more than willing to work with the province to improve the system – let's work together. It's time for the Province to withdraw Bill 15 and find a new path forward." Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President, Union of BC Indian Chiefs: "It is time for the Eby government to action their commitments to reconciliation and uphold their own laws and processes. Despite repeated earnest efforts to reason with Premier Eby, Minister Ma, and others within the Province, the Province continues to stubbornly advance Bills 14 and 15 regardless of the political and relational costs. First Nations are not opposed to responsible development, and we understand the need to expedite the approval and construction of hospitals, schools, and other critical infrastructure. But Bills 14 and 15 go well beyond that, and the process that led to their development flouted First Nations' basic human rights and the Province's own law, policy, and processes. There's only one way forward: the Province must withdraw the bills as currently drafted, and we must work on principled solutions to the myriad of crises we face together." Robert Phillips, Political Executive Member of the First Nations Summit: "We are at a serious crossroads in First Nations-Crown relations in BC. We have literally spent decades building principled frameworks and processes to lead us to reconciliation and shared prosperity in this province. The most recent is the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, passed unanimously by the Legislature in 2019, establishing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the framework for reconciliation. Instead of leaning into this framework and related process, the Province has decided to ignore it and attempt to empower itself with extraordinary control and discretion that are in direct contrast to reconciliation. This rollback of reconciliation will put us back decades and is an affront to First Nations and a disservice to all British Columbians." Regional Chief Terry Teegee, BC Assembly of First Nations: "We stand united in our call for the immediate withdrawal of Bill 15 – Infrastructure Projects Act. This legislation undermines our rights and title by granting the BC government unprecedented powers without proper consultation with First Nations. I strongly urge Premier Eby and the provincial government to immediately engage in respectful and meaningful dialogue instead of pushing this ill-conceived legislation through, which fundamentally threatens our sovereignty and governance and will negatively affect future generations."
Global News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Global News
First Nations, local governments ramp up opposition to B.C. ‘fast-track' bill
British Columbia's NDP government is facing more pushback on legislation aimed at fast-tracking major projects in the province. First Nations and municipal leaders joined together on Thursday to call for the government to withdraw Bill 15, the Infrastructure Projects Act, which would grant cabinet new powers to expedite 'provincially significant' projects. At a joint press conference, the First Nations Leadership Council and the Union of BC Municipalities said they hadn't been sufficiently consulted on the bill. 8:50 Political Panel: B.C.'s bill 15 controversy and Carney's Cabinet The legislation, as drafted, conflicts with the government's obligations under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples while granting the province 'extraordinary powers' to override local government regulations, including zoning bylaws and official community plans, the groups said. Story continues below advertisement Union of British Columbia Municipalities president Trish Mandewo said that municipalities welcome the province's focus on speeding up housing construction. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'But not through transferring power from communities to Victoria,' she said. 'The provisions in Bill 15 constitute an unnecessary overreach by the province into local decision-making.' 1:39 B.C. government to fast-track major resource projects and mines Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, said Bill 15 and the similar Bill 14, which aims to streamline renewable energy project approvals, defy the province's stated commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. 'First Nations are not opposed to responsible development, and we understand the need to expedite the approval and construction of hospitals, schools, and other critical infrastructure,' he said. 'But Bills 14 and 15 go well beyond that, and the process that led to their development flouted First Nations' basic human rights and the province's own law, policy, and processes. There's only one way forward: the province must withdraw the bills as currently drafted, and we must work on principled solutions to the myriad of crises we face together.' Story continues below advertisement B.C. Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma has previously admitted that the province 'made an error' in not adequately consulting First Nations on Bill 15. But the provincial government has rejected criticism from First Nations and environmental groups, saying the bill does not change environmental standards or affect First Nations constitutional right to consultation on projects. The Opposition BC Conservatives have called for the province to pull the bill to allow for more consultation, while the BC Greens say they will not support the bill.
