2002 UBCM News

Transcription

2002 UBCM News

UBCM NEWS is published by
Union of British Columbia Municipalities
60 – 10551 Shellbridge Way Richmond, B.C.
Canada V6X 2W9 (604) 270-8226 fax: (604) 270-9116
www.civicnet.bc.ca
ISSN 1198-7529
in this issue...
UBCM Page ........................ 2
More UBCM ........................ 4
Policy Updates .................... 5
Environment .................... 6-7
Justice .............................. 14
Aboriginal Update........ 15-16
Courses and Resources.... 17
Introducing the New UBCM Executive - page 3
NEWS
Union of British Columbia Municipalities
FEATURES
Your UBCM Executive ....... 3
Convention Evaluation ....... 8
Convention Photos ...... 10-11
Sponsors .......................... 12
Convention Awards .......... 13
MFA ................................. 18
Inside
A guide to some of the policy and other significant
items in this newsletter
•local government role in new liquor policy (p5)
•executive decides on resolutions referred from the 2002
convention (p5)
•new model for flood hazard management changes provincial role (p6)
•short term legislative changes flowing out of the Waste
Management Act expected at spring legislative session (p6)
•updates on drinking water, contaminated sites, pesticide
legislation and wildlife/human conflicts (p6)
•summary of policy documents considered at 2002 convention (p9)
•UBCM continues to pursue proposals on charging small
communities for policing costs (p14)
•“Haida” decision reviewed for local government obligations to consul with First Nations (p15)
•four part federal legislative package to support greater self
government by First Nations (p15)
•status of infrastructure program reviewed (p.15)
•review of regional hospital district cost sharing underway
(p20)
R
egistration materials for the UBCM seminars
for newly elected officials were distributed the
first week of December – check with your corporate administrator. These widely acclaimed seminars
are a “must” for newly elected. The focus is on decisionmaking and the seminar covers budgeting, planning,
the decision-making process, procedures plus features
on legal issues, council/staff relations, and dealing with
the media. The faculty is drawn from practitioners.
Representatives from the Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services and other agencies will
attend. Choose from the five seminars offered beginning in January and February, the one best suited to
your circumstances. Call the UBCM office if you need
further details (604-270-8226).
Number 201
December 2002
2002 Election Results
Is there a pattern in the results of the November 16th elections?
Surprisingly the statistics are in most respects repeat previous results.
In six municipalities and
two regional districts all
members were acclaimed
and there were no elections.
Elections were held in the
remaining 148 municipalities and 25 regional districts.
In total there were 167
acclamations – up slightly
from the 1999 elections to
14% of elected officials.
Of these, 29% of mayors were acclaimed (22% in
1999), fully 46% of electoral
directors on regional
boards but just 5% of councillors.
Approximately 530 of
1,180 local government
elected officials (45%) are
Acclamation Incumbents
Acclamation-New
Incumbents Elected
Newly Elected
“newly elected”, meaning
they did not hold office
prior to the election in the
office they now hold.
Newly elected can include
those who served on a
council or board in a prior
term, a councillor that may
have run for mayor and
those who are indeed first
time elected officials.
There are 61 new mayors that represent 40% of
all mayors. The number of
new mayors is up slightly
from the last election (38%
in 1999).
The number of newly
elected councillors remained the same as 1999
(46%) while the number of
newly elected electoral area
directors rose to 46% from
42%.
The proportion of
“newly elected” appears
relatively stable over time:
2002
45%
1999
44%
1996
48%
1993
44%
1990
45%
Between the “newly
elected” and those acclaimed is a group of 531
incumbent mayors, councillors and electoral area
directors that waged campaigns for re-election. They
represent 45% of all elected
officials and again an almost identical percentage
Mayors
42
2
50
59
Councillors
26
14
426
367
Directors
50
33
55
55
TOTAL
118
49
531
481
153
833
193
1179
JANUARY 2003
FEBRUARY 2003
15-17Richmond, BC
• All newly elected officials from municipalities with a
population of 10,000 or more
• Excluding whenever possible AVICC, OMMA and AKBM
newly elected officials.
5-7 Penticton, BC
• Whenever possible all OMMA and AKBM newly
elected officials.
• Electoral Area Directors should give preference to the
Jan. 29-31 seminar.
22-24Nanaimo, BC
• Whenever possible all AVICC newly elected officials.
• Electoral Area Directors should give preference to the
Jan. 29-31 seminar.
29-31Richmond, BC
• Newly elected Electoral Area Directors (only!)
13-15Richmond, BC
• All newly elected officials from municipalities with a
population of under 10,000 or those unable to attend one of
the earlier sessions.
• Excluding whenever possible AVICC, OMMA and AKBM
newly elected officials.
The Community Charter
Council struck in August
2001 with a mandate to
recommend a Community
charter to the provincial
government is set to hold
a two-day meeting in midDecember where it should
conclude its report.
UBCM is represented on
the 12 person Council by
Jim Abram, Pat Wallace,
(see www.civicnet.bc.ca/
ubcm/convention-2002/
mainIndex.shtml) Since
September the results of
the public and local government submissions
have been summarized for
Charter Council. In order
to expedite the review of
potential changes the
Council formed a legislative sub-committee (Min-
UBCM 2002 Convention in Review
It was a big week! And if there is any doubt look at some
of our numbers about just how big a UBCM Convention
is. The convention also got a 4.0 out of 5 rating. UBCM
Convention Committee Chair, Helen Sparkes along with
Patricia Wallace, Aaron Dinwoodie, Brenda Binnie and
Don MacLean did the planning this year.
This issue of the Newsletter reviews the Convention:
• convention evaluations (p8)
• conventions past and future (p9)
A pictorial special on pages 10 – 11 with sponsors
featured on page 12 and awards featured on page 13.
to 1999.
Referendums faired
about the same as 1999 but
there were notably less.
Thirty two jurisdictions
asked a total of 73 questions with a pass rate of
73%; compared to a pass
rate of 75% for 108 questions asked in 48 jurisdictions in the previous election.
Election results were
gathered by UBCM using a
new web-based survey
technology that allows election officials to input the
information over the Internet using a secure site. This
greatly reduces staff time
involved in compiling the
results and provides timely
information to our members. Election results can
be viewed by accessing the
Election Survey results on
the Civicnet internet site at:
www .c i vi c net.bc .c a
(UBCM surveys online)
Hans Cunningham and
Frank Leonard.
Government released a
discussion paper and draft
Community Charter legislation at the end of May
2002. Since then there have
been many consultation
sessions and feedback provided, including a policy
paper approved at the
2002 UBCM Convention
ister Nebbeling, Don
Avison, Marilyn Baker,
Frank Leonard and Hans
Cunningham) to review,
recommend changes or
highlight outstanding issues for the full Charter
Council. The Council’s final report should go to
government before yearend. For more information (www.civicnet.bc.ca/
l i b r a r y /
Co m m un i tyCh a r t e r /
index.shtml/)
2
UBCM NEWS DECEMBER 2002
UBCM
Page
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
As I write this message new
councils and regional boards are
being sworn in throughout British Columbia. This is the concluding step in that most basic
of democratic institutions we
enjoy – our system of free and
open elections. On behalf of the
UBCM Executive I want to congratulate each and every member of the new councils and
boards and thank you for stepping forward to serve your community. I hope that three years
from now you will be able to look
back on your term as a rewarding experience. You will however face many challenges in
the term ahead and many of
those will be shared by other
communities. Often by communities working together we can
share experiences or solutions
that will benefit another community. Sometimes what is needed
is for communities to work together for a change in provincial
programs, policy or legislation.
This is one of the primary roles
of UBCM and as a council or
board member you have the
opportunity through resolutions
presented at our annual meeting to shape the general policy
directions of UBCM.
I also want to welcome newly
elected officials to the wider family of local government in BC
that is UBCM. I encourage you
to attend one of the five seminars UBCM will host in midJanuary through mid-February
to find out more about UBCM
and to get some basic information on the local government
system that will make settling
into your term a whole lot easier.
The UBCM Executive have
also undergone a renewal – with
some members completing
terms after the September convention and some not being returned in the November elections. On this page we salute
the service of former members
and on page 3 introduce your
new 2002/03 Executive.
The new Executive held its
first full meeting at the end of
November and part of that ses-
Circular List
SPECIAL THANKS TO DEPARTING EXECUTIVE MEMBERS
This year was busy and challenging for Executive members. It included
~ September ~
development of the Community Charter and the added seminars and 6 Memo - Draft Memoworkshops associated with its development.
randum of Under-
Councillor Patricia Wallace
President
sion was looking at our goals
and objectives for the coming
year. While we have literally
dozens of active policy files on
specific issues the Executive focused its discussion more on
the strategic approach managing these files and in particular
our relations with the provincial
government. Our robust committees will continue to take the
lead in managing the specific
issues. A lot of resources and
activity went into the Community Charter in the last year but
in the year ahead the Executive
recognizes that while some of
this emphasis will have to continue, it needs to ensure there is
an appropriate balance with nonCharter initiatives. We have not
had the type of consultation we
would expect across government and this is something we
are working to establish. The
provincial government still has
some tough decisions to make if
it is to deliver on the second and
third years of the business plan
it established as a result of the
Core Review. We have to work
hard to ensure the impact of
those decisions on communities are identified and hopefully,
addressed.
After your inaugural meetings and the first frantic weeks
that will follow I hope that you
will have a safe and enjoyable
holiday session with family and
friends. I look forward to working with you and your communities.
Towers Perrin
MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS
1100 Melville Street, Suite 1600
Vancouver, B.C. V6E 4A6
604 691-1002 Fax: 604 691-1062
OFFICES IN VANCOUVER, CALGARY, TORONTO & MONTREAL
We would like to take some time to thank
the following members for their contribution over the past year as they are not
returning to the Executive.
Director Jim Abram
served as UBCM President during 2000-2001
and this last year as Past
President. Jim has contributed his time since
1993 to many UBCM
Committees, most notably serving as Chair of
the Aboriginal Affairs
Committee for several years as well as a member
of the Resolutions Committee, Executive Committee and Environment Committee. Jim is also
a member of the Community Charter Council
and served on the short lived provincial-local
Joint Council. As a strong advocate for environmental and aborignal issues, Jim’s presence will
be missed at the boardroom table. He received his
UBCM Life Membership in 2001.
Councillor Lynn Kennedy from the City
of Vancouver has served
as the Vancouver Representative at the
UBCM Board since
1995.
Councillor
Kennedy has served on
the Arts & Culture Committee, Environment
Committee, Gaming
Committee and has
chaired the Protective Services Committee
for the past several years.
Mayor Helen Sparkes served for three
terms on the UBCM
Executive; since 1999.
During her tenure she
served as Chair of the
Convention Committee and a member of
the Protective Services
Committee,
Health and Local Government Awareness. She was
COMMITTEES APPOINTED FOR 2002-2003 UBCM representative on the
UBCM-MIA Joint Task
President Patricia Wallace confirmed the following Force on liability. In AuCommittee appointments at the November 28-29, 2002 gust 2001 she was appointed
Executive Meeting.
as a member of the Community Charter Council.
Chair Hans Cunningham,
Resolutions
Director Rick Hardie from
Past President
Mayor Frank Leonard, Chair
t h e
Councillor Brenda Binnie
Kootenay
Environment
Mayor Don MacLean
BoundChair
Robert
Hobson,
Chair
Chair Hans Cunningham
ary ReCouncillor Gord deRosa
Councillor Marvin Hunt
gional
Councillor Ron Cannan
District
Director Ted Armstrong
Convention
was the
Councillor Brenda Binnie, Chair
AssoAboriginal
Affairs
Director Aaron Dinwoodie
ciation
Director
Aaron
Dinwoodie,
Chair
Mayor Don MacLean
o
f
Councillor Mary Ashley
Chair Hans Cunnningham
Kootenay and Boundary
Councillor Corinne Lansdale
Municipalities representaProtective Services Director Ted Armstrong
tive on the UBCM ExecuLMTAC
Committee
tive for 2001-2002. Director
Hardie participated on three
Councillor Marvin Hunt, Chair
Communities and Re- UBCM Committees, the
Director Susan Gimse
sources
Resolutions Committee, the
Councillor Ron Cannan
Councillor Corinne Lonsdale, Community and Resources
Mayor Wayne Dahlen
Committee and Protective
BC Association of Police Boards Chair
Mayor
Sharon
Hartwell
Services.
rep.
Councillor Mary Ashley
Councillor
Bruce
Councillor Ida Makaro
Executive Committee
Strachan from the City of
(as established in Executive Councillor Gord deRosa
Prince
policies)
George
Health
Councillor Pat Wallace,
served
Director Susan Gimse, Chair
President
t w o
Mayor Sharon Hartwell
Mayor Frank Leonard,
terms
Chair Robert Hobson
1 st Vice-President
on the
Mayor Wayne Dahlen
Director Aaron Dinwoodie,
UBCM
Councillor Ida Makaro
2nd Vice-President
Board
as a Director
at Large.
Councillor
Strachan was an active member of the Member Services
Additional Committee appointments will be made after Committee and the Environthe City of Vancouver make its Executive appointment. ment Committee.
standing
10 Letter from Ministry of
Public Safety and Solicitor General - Re:
Police Services
Notice - Questionnaire
- Police Financing
Convention Bulletin #3
- Administration
12 Memo - Restructuring
Police Financing in Municipalities under 5,000
~ October ~
1
UBCM Convention
Delegate Evaluation
1 Member Release - Disposition of Resolutions
Considered at the 2002
UBCM Convention
4 Memo - Seminars for
Newly Elected Officials
4 Memo - 2003 UBCM
Dues
4 Memo - Analysis of
Haida Decision Prepared for UBCM
4 Memo - Restructuring
Police Financing in Municipalities under 5,000
4 Memo - Response to
Discussion Paper on
Civil Liability
9 Letter - Liquor Policy
11 In The House - Legislature Re-opens
~ November ~
19 Memo-Seminars for
Newly Elected Officials
20 Memo-Mayor and
Council - Group Insurance for Elected Officials
22 Memo - Chair & Board
Group Insurance for
Elected Officials
27 Convention Hotels
Councillor Jim Thom from
the District of
Kitimat
served as
the North
Central
Municipal Association
representative on the UBCM this
past year. Councillor Thom
was an active member of both
the Communities and Resources Committee and the
Health Committee.
Thanks to you all for
your contributions to the
UBCM Executive – and to
local government as a
whole!
3
Your UBCM Executive
W
e are pleased to introduce your 20022003 UBCM Executive. We are wel
coming the following new members to
the Executive.
The City of Vancouver has just advised UBCM
that their representative will be Councillor Ellen
Woodsworth.
Director Aaron Dinwoodie, elected as Third-Vice
President at the September Convention, assumed
the position of Second Vice-President. The position of Third Vice-President will remain vacant
until the next convetion.
Councillor Patricia
Wallace,
President
City of Kamloops
Mayor Frank Leonard,
First Vice-President
District of Saanich
Director Aaron
Dinwoodie,
Second Vice-President
Central Okanagan RD
Chair Hans Cunningham,
Past President
Central Kootenay RD
Mayor Don MacLean,
GVRD Representative
District of Pitt Meadows
Mayor Sharon Hartwell,
Small Community
Representative
Village of Telkwa
Director Susan Gimse,
Electoral Area
Representative
Squamish-Lillooet RD
Councillor Gord DeRosa,
Assoc. of Kootenay &
Boundary Municipalities
City of Trail
Councillor Marvin Hunt,
Lower Mainland Municipal Association
City of Surrey
Councillor Mary Ashley,
Assn. of Vancouver
Island and Coastal
Communities
District of Campbell
River
Councillor Brenda Binnie,
Director at Large
City of Castlegar
Mayor Wayne Dahlen
Director at Large
City of Dawson Creek
Chair Robert Hobson,
Director at Large
Central Okanagan RD
Director Ted Armstrong,
North Central Municipal Association
Cariboo RD
Councillor Corinne
Lonsdale,
Director at Large
District of Squamish
Councillor Ron Cannan,
Okanagan Mainline
Municipal Association
City of Kelowna
Councillor Ida Makaro,
Director at Large
Village of Cache Creek
4
More
UBCM
UBCM STAFF SECRETARIAT
Elections links;
•2002 Resolutions Disposition;
•a
convention section that
CivicNet has a new web- the following new addiprovides discussion pasite address to make it tions to the site:
pers and reports that beeven easier for you to ac- •2002 - 2003 UBCM Excame available during
cess information of interecutive list;
the convention workest to local government in •CivicNet sitemap;
shops and sessions;
British Columbia. Add the •new site search engine;
new address to your list of •2002 Local Government •In The House-Legislature Re-opens October
favourites and check out
11, 2002;
•August 2002 UBCM
News: and
•various other papers
AVICC
April 4-6
Port Alberni
and updates.
AKBM
April 24-26
Castlegar
If you have any questions about the website
NCMA
May 1-3
Prince George
please contact Barbara
OMMA
April 29-May 1 Penticton
Ingamells, Manager, The UBCM Executive and members are supported by a 13 person staff secretariat.
The staff are:
LMMA
May 7-9
Harrison Hot Springs
Member
Services
([email protected]).
604.270.8226
Richard Taylor
Executive Director
#105
[email protected]
Ted Willmer
Mgr. Finance & Admin.
#102
[email protected]
Barbara Ingamells Mgr. Member Services
#111
[email protected]
Please deliver:
Ken Vance
Senior Policy Analyst
#114
[email protected]
Alison McNeil
#117
[email protected]
Unit
Deana Grinnell
Policy Research Officer
#115
[email protected]
Price
Qty Item
Frank Storey
Research Officer
#110
[email protected]
2003 Local Government Planner(s)
Susie Koivu
Member Services Asst.
#106
[email protected]
____ (1-9)
$7.50
Raelene Adamson Clerk/Steno
#101
[email protected]
Have you ordered your
____ (10+)
$6.50
Shannon McAvella Clerk/Steno
#107
[email protected]
supply of 2003 Pocket
Eydie Fraser
Executive Coordinator
(250)356-5133
2003 Wall Calendar(s)
Planners and
Municipal House
[email protected]
____ (1-9)
$7.50
Wall Calen____ (10+)
$6.50
dars?
Marie Crawford
Asst. Executive Director
#104
[email protected]
[Prices include shipping and handling but do not
Harriet Permut
#113
[email protected]
There's
include applicable taxes. UBCM will invoice –
Lisa Marie Acosta Computer Research Asst. (pt) #103
[email protected]
please do not prepay.]
still time
Local Government
Planners and
Wall Calendars
to order.
Simply
fax this order form to
UBCM (604) 270-9116.
Deliver to: ___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
Attention: ___________________________
P.O.#: ___________________________
Staff responsibilities are summarized on Civicnet at www.civicnet.bc.ca/ then
click on the UBCM icon.
T
58 Winchester Avenue
Spruce Grove, Alberta T7X 1L8
he UBCM determined should budget for a 2%
in July 2002 that they increase in member dues
for 2003. The dues payable will be adjusted for
population changes as reported by the province.
Based on a 1982 benchmark, UBCM dues increases remain below
what they would have
been even if they were
adjusted for CPI.
Approximately 60% of
UBCM operations are financed by member dues.
The remainder of the operations are financed by
fee-for-service programs
including our Member
Services program; Association Services or private
sector sales. ■
George B. Cuff, CMC
Telephone: (780) 960-3637 Fax: (780) 962-5899
E-mail: [email protected]
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Comprehensive Reviews of Municipalities & Regional Districts
Training for Mayors, Councillors & Administrators
Governance Reviews
Recruitment of Senior Staff
Assessment of Municipal Boards & Special Purpose Bodies
Full Service Law Firm
Servicing the Interior of British Columbia
Municipal Law Contacts:
Brian D. Ross
Main Office:
248 Second Avenue
Kamloops, B.C.
250-372-5542
Frank R. Scordo
Ashcroft
100 Mile House
Lillooet
Clinton
5
Policy
Updates
NEW LIQUOR POLICY – LOCAL
GOVERNMENT ROLE
The provincial government changes to the liquor regulations will
come into force on December 2, 2002. The major changes from a local
government perspective are:
• two categories of liquor
licence: food primary and liquor primary – this means
that any business that is primarily in the hospitality, entertainment or beverage service business, for example billiard halls, may be eligible for
a liquor license in the community;
• liquor establishments
may operate from 9 a.m. to 4
a.m. - local government permission will be required for
any changes in existing hours
of operation;
• patron capacity in a liquor establishment will be
based on the building capacity – local government permission will be required for
any changes in patron capacity after December 2,
2002;
• food primary establishments (resturants) that have
a minimum capacity of at least
50 people may apply for an
endorsement to their license
that allows them to operate a
lounge where liquor may be
served without food. Minors
will be allowed in the restaurant lounge area if accompanied by an adult. The maximum size of the lounge is the
smaller of 40 persons or 20 per
cent of the interior dining areas capacity;
• restaurants wishing to
operate beyond 12 p.m. will
require local government
approval;
• restaurants applying for
patron participation entertainment, such as dine and
dance or karoke, will require
local government approval.
Local governments
will need to determine if
their existing bylaws are
adequate given the
changes to the new liquor
regulations (changes in
definitions, process etc.).
In addition, a local government will need to consider if its existing bylaw
is able to effectively manage the new liquor licensing application process
and that the fees charged
are sufficient to recover the
costs of assessing the new
applications.
Local governments will
have a number of options
regarding liquor license
applications: it may decide
not to comment on liquor
licence applications within
the community or within a
specific geographic area; or
it may choose to opt out of
commenting on an individual application; or it
may choose to comment on
all applications forwarded
to it. The local government
in any event must, by a
resolution to the Liquor
Control and Licensing
Branch, outline what the
policy of the community
will be with respect to the
liquor license applications.
Where a local government chooses to respond
to each notice it receives
from the Liquor Control
and Licensing Branch, it
will be required to do so
within 90 days – unless an
extension is granted by the
General Manager – and in
a formal manner. Local
government will be required to address each of
the following issues when
responding:
• recommendation by the
local government and reasons for the decision;
• location of the establishment;
• proximity of the establishment to other social or recreational facilities and public buildings;
• person capacity and hours
of operation of liquor service
of the establishment;
• number and market focus or clientele of other establishments within a reasonable distance of the proposed location;
• traffic, noise, parking and
zoning;
• population, population
density and population
trends – information provided to the community by
LCLB;
• relevant socio-economic
information – information
provided to the community
by LCLB;
• impact on the community
if the application is approved;
• the views of the residents
(describe the views of the residents, the method used to
gather the views and provide
comments and recommendations with respect to the
views. If the views of residents were not gathered, provide reasons).
The UBCM has written the provincial government seeking further clarification around the new
liquor policy concerning
the following matters:
• local government input
into the liquor licensing process, particularly in relation
to “restaurant lounges”
where there would appear to
be a gap in the new policy;
• hours of operation, particular where an extension
of hours is agreed to and there
are subsequent problems created in a local neighbourhood;
• compliance and enforcement, the need for increased
authority to address public
safety concerns given the recent expansion in drinking
seats approved by the provincial government.
Executive Considered Referred Resolutions
At the November 28-29 meeting, UBCM Executive members considered 7 resolutions and one policy paper recommendation. The resolutions were dealt with in the
following manner:
• resolutions that delegates directly referred to the Executive for further study, consideration and discussion (6);
• one late resolution that was not admitted for debate but was referred to the Executive
as it relates to ongoing policy discussion;
• one resolution from the Energy Policy Digest which was referred to the Executive for
discussion.
The following is a summary of the Executive’s
decisions.
January15-17
Newly Elected Officials Seminar
Richmond (over 10,000)
2003 Important Meeting Dates
Resolutions Referred January 22-24
to the Executive for
Further
Study/ January 29-31
Discussion
February 5-7
B40 Forest Farming
February 13-15
on Agricultural Land
Reserve
The sponsor will be advised to consider the issue
further and, at their discretion, to resubmit the
resolution to the 2003 Convention with an enactment
request that includes a
suitable ‘test’ for determining whether active forest
farming is occurring on
ALR lands, ensuring that
any recommendation protects local government interest in preserving the
integrity of the tax class.
Nanaimo (AVICC)
Richmond (for RD’s)
Penticton (OMMA/AKBM)
Richmond (under 10,000)
February 11
Legislature meets/Throne
Speech
February 18
Provincial Budget
April 4-6
AVICC - Port Alberni
April 24-26
AKBM - Castlegar
April 29 - May 1
May 1-3
OMMA - Penticton
NCMA - Prince George
May 7-9
LMMA - Harrison Hot Springs
May 30–June 2
FCM Conference
Winnipeg, Manitoba
May 26-28
CAMA Winnipeg, Manitoba
September 22-26 UBCM ConventionVancouver
September 23
Continued on page 7 October 6
MIA AGM Vancouver
Legislature to reconvene
6
Environment
Page
NEW MODEL FOR FLOOD
HAZARD MANAGEMENT
The Ministry of Water,
Land and Air Protection
is proposing a new model
for flood hazard management in the province.
The proposed model
has five key elements: integration, floodplain development, structural
works, flood response and
emergency planning, and
orphan dikes. The intent
of the proposal is to develop a coordinated approach to flooding problems and ensure that the
financial and staff resources are available to
respond to a flood.
The ministry is proposing the establishment of a
lead agency to integrate
the federal and provincial
agencies responsible for
flood hazard management, coordinate the approach to the issue (data
collection, structural
works, standards and
compliance) and coordinate the various resources
available to address it. In
addition, the ministry is
proposing the development of a team approach
in the province whereby
dedicated
positions
within appropriate provincial agencies could be
called upon under the Provincial Emergency Program to assist in addressing flood problems when
they arise.
Under this initiative local government would be
responsible for land use
decisions in floodplains
and for regulating flood
proofing standards. The
intent of the ministry is to
establish provincial guidelines for the flood proofing
of subdivisions, which local governments could use
• Consulting
• Engineering
on a voluntary basis to develop local bylaws, and to
repeal the current legislative requirement whereby
the Minister must approve
local government bylaws
and consent to development on floodplains.
The proposed new
model reiterates the existing situation where diking
authorities are technically
responsible for the design,
construction, operation
and maintenance of dikes
in accordance with provincial standards. The proposal, however, recognizes
that diking authorities have
limited resources and that
there is a need for ongoing
financial assistance from
the province for flood protection.
In implementation of
this new model local government would be encouraged to prepare and implement emergency plans.
There would also be consultations with local government over the status of
orphan dikes around the
province and who should
be responsible for them, if
they are to continue to protect public safety.
The ongoing need for
financial assistance from
the province to maintain
dikes continues to be a
major concern to local government. The current
funding mechanism under the Financial Protection Assistance Program,
which provides some limited funding to the 122
diking authorities around
the province, is scheduled
to expire on March 31,
2004. There needs to be a
direct link between financial assistance and any
new model developed.
• Construction
• Management Services
UMA Engineering Ltd. provides:
• Land Use Planning
• Transportation Planning & Engineering
• Public Consultation
• Economic & Tourism Studies
• Water & Waste Management
• Infrastructure Assessment & Rehabilitation
• Stormwater Management
• Digital Mapping & GIS
• Project Management
Offices:
Burnaby Tel: 604-438-5311
Victoria Tel: 250-475-6355
www.umagroup.com
WASTE MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL SHORTS
community planning to
ACT UNDER REVIEW
Drinking Water
minimize future conflicts
T
he Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection
is undertaking a review of the Waste Management Act. The intent of the review will be to
reduce costs to government and business and reduce
regulatory requirements under the legislation. There
are presently 35 regulations under the Waste Management Act, and approximately 3,000 specific permits. The
review is expected to identify short-term measures that
can be implemented in the Spring of 2003 legislative
session and long-term measures which are expected to
take approximately 18 months to complete.
The province is considering adopting performance
standards in order to:
• decrease reliance on site-specific authorizations;
• introducing a risk based authorization approach (site
specific approvals, code of practice, notification of activity);
• foster partnerships with stakeholders to co-develop standards.
The intent of the ministry is to focus its efforts on high
risk sites where there is the greatest potential for harm to
human health and the environment from discharge.
Other changes under consideration are:
• use of economic and financial instruments (i.e. emission
trading, deposit refund system, subsidies, waste disposal
fees, differential levies etc.);
• area-based plans (i.e. liquid waste management plans;
airshed management plans etc.)
• environmental contracts and covenants;
• increased reliance on the work of non-government professionals;
• to give the Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection the
authority to set and amend standards for specific industrial
sectors or activities.
The overall intent of the changes is to modernize
the legislation, which has not been reviewed for 20
years, and to reduce regulatory requirements, which
account for more than 40% of the Ministry of Water,
Land and Air Protection’s 10,000 regulations. The
impact of the proposed changes on local government
are unclear at this time. It may mean that the technical
support that smaller communities got from the ministry may no longer be available and that local government will be expected to play a larger role in pollution
prevention in the community.
UBCM has been honoured
by the Public Health Association of BC by being
the 2002 recipient of that
organization’s Award of
Merit. The award was accepted by Mayor Frank
Leonard, UBCM’s First
Vice President, at a ceremony on October 25, 2002
at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria at the
PHABC annual meeting.
The Award of Merit is
given to a community
member or organization
who has contributed significantly to enhancing the
health of their community.
They may have been involved in a variety of areas
that impacted in some way
the broader determinants
of health. Perhaps it was
providing support for low
cost housing, improving
Protection Act
with wildlife.
The Minister of Health has
announced a new drinking water policy for the
province. The legislation
has been amended to reflect the new policy and
the ministry is in the process of developing the regulatory framework to implement the new policy.
will be responsible for
groundwater management.
The province has identified a $16 million cost to
implement this new program and has indicated
that water purveyors will
be expected to cover these
costs. The way in which
the province intends to
recover these costs has not
yet been finalized.
Pesticide Legislation
Review
Contaminated Sites
Regulation
is proposing major
changes to the Pesticide
Control Act and regulations. A copy of the
changes will be posted on
the ministry web site for
public review until December 20, 2002 and the
changes will be submitted
to the legislature in the
spring of 2003.
The ministry is proposing to adopt an Integrated
Pest Management planning approach to the use of
pesticides in the future.
Under the proposed
changes, only the following pesticide uses would
require an approval (permit): use of high risk pesticides (classified as permit
restricted); use of pesticide
for predator control; uses
of pesticides for which no
ministry standards have
been set; and aerial application of pesticides over
residential areas. Pesticide
uses on public lands and
specified private lands that
no longer require a permit
would instead require: a
pest management plan; a
notice to the administrator
of the intended use; and a
declaration that the user
agrees to comply with the
standards for human
health and environmental
protection.
has established an Advisory Panel on Contaminated Sites to review the
present regulation and the
Committee is expected to
deliver its final report to
the Minister in December.
The Ministry currently
does not have the technical/financial resources to
effectively implement the
current regulation and
therefore is looking to narthe food supply for low- row its future involvement
income areas, supporting in program implementaprograms for children and tion and plans to amend
youth, or supporting the regulation.
Living Rivers
healthy lifestyles in general.
Strategy
In 1999 the award was
Wildlife Human
given to Thrifty Foods for
Conflicts
its ongoing efforts to give
back to the communities
t h r o u g h a v a r i e t y o f The Ministry of Water, will be releasing a discushealth-promoting events Land and Air Protection is sion paper outlining an
on Vancouver Island. In developing a strategy for integrated approach to the
2000, the award was given reducing human-wildlife protection of rivers and
to Dr. Eugene Krupa of conflict through preven- streams in the province,
Kelowna, in acknowl- tion. The province is en- through partnerships with
edgement of his exem- gaging in targeted consul- local government, indusplary leadership in sup- tations to obtain input and try and private stewardporting community capac- suggestions on innovative ship groups. The concept
ity to address health is- and practical solutions to will be to identify projects
sues, especially those of reduce wildlife-human that may be undertaken
children. And in 2001, the conflicts. The intent is and link these projects to
award was given to First through greater public various sources of finanCall Coalition in recogni- awareness, the adoption of cial assistance that may be
tion of its leadership in wildlife-smart standards in available from private
strengthening the base of bylaws, and the considera- foundations and the fedchild and youth advocacy. tion of wildlife issues in eral government.
B93 Reinstatement of Trophy Hunting Ban on
Grizzly Bears
B60 Meat Inspection
T
he first Annual Gen
eral Meeting (AGM)
of the Municipal
Pension Plan (MPP) was
held on November 2, 2002
in Vancouver, and broadcasted simultaneously live
in Nanaimo, Cranbrook,
Prince George
and
Kelowna. There were approximately 200 attendees
in Vancouver and over 450
in total at all locations.
Presentations at the
AGM are posted to the
MPP website (see below). The presentations
included the Roles and
Responsibilities of the
Board, Pension Corporation (BCPC) and the BC
W
hen
designers
planned a pair of
seniors’ homes in Dawson
Creek, B.C., they saw the
value of wood in making
the facilities feel like home.
Planners recognized
seniors don’t want to be
warehoused. They may
have to leave their own
homes to get needed care,
but no one wants to give
up a sense of home. The
first two buildings on a
Dawson Creek “campus of
care” evoke a homelike atmosphere, and wood
helps do it.
The two buildings, Rotary
Manor
and
Southview Housing, stand
side by side on Dawson
Creek’s upper benches,
overlooking the city and a
picturesque birch-lined
creek bed. Both are woodframed buildings, and
much of the finish work is
done in wood, both inside
and out.
“For example, at Rotary Manor, we wanted to
make it as residential as
possible in appearance. So
we added valances, hand
rails, baseboards and mill
work of wood, with details such as maple room
doors,” said Bev Nielsen
of Nielsen Design Consultants in West Vancouver,
which did the design work
for both projects.
She put the concept in
a nutshell: “Wood softens
the look. It makes it
homey.”
The $7-million, onestorey, 40,000-square-foot
Rotary Manor is a 44-bed
multilevel care facility.
Designed by architect
Allan Maples of Maples
Investment Management
Corporation (bcIMC);
Report on the Fund Investments; Plan and Plan
Benefits; Group Benefits
Contingent Decision;
and the Auditor’s Report
and Financial Statements.
You may wish to refer
to the Municipal Pension
Plan website at
http://www.pensions.bc.ca/
municipal/ o r c o n t a c t
Barbara Ingamells, Manager, Member Services
and Trustee on the Municipal Pension Plan
Board for further information regarding the
Plan.
Argo Architects, it accommodates 42 residents, 12
in a special care unit, two
respite beds and an adult
day program.
The building is connected by a wood-framed
surface
tunnel
to
Southview Housing, a
three-level, 31-unit, supportive housing complex.
Here, people can get the
initial care they need.
The
$4-million
Southview is a project of
Innovative Housing. Construction costs break
down to $116.64 per
square foot, or a modest
$110,000 per unit.
Some extra costs ensure features for the disabled and for aging-inplace. Basic construction
for 28,353-square-foot
Southview was piled
foundations, concrete
parkade, timber for interior, fully finished, painted
surfaces and glue-down
carpet on a wood-built
floor base. Thirteen units
on the second floor and 12
on the third complement
the six main-floor units
and common areas.
The foundation has to
cope with frost-shifts of
the land, Steve Hawbolt
of Yellowridge Construction noted. So they drilled
20 to 30 feet down and
installed 12- to 24-inch
diametre concrete pilings
with reinforcing steel.
“When a building sits
on this, it won’t shift with
frost,” he said. Derek
Sanft of Sanft & Associates, construction consultant, confirmed the strong
use of wood in the projects
made solid sense.
Consideration of this resolution was deferred until the
January Executive meeting, when staff will have been
able to evaluate the anticipated regulations under the
new Food Safety Act. In the mean time, staff will
pursue the status of the regulations with the Food
Protection Branch, Ministry of Health Services.
B71 UBCM Forum
Municipalities
7
action is required.
First Municipal Pension Plan Referred Resolutions
Continued from page 5
Annual General Meeting
for
The sponsor is invited to submit the resolution for 2003
at their discretion once the results of the population
study are known.
Late Resolution Referred to the Executive
for Further Study / Discussion
Medium-Sized
The recommendation was referred to the Convention
Committee for their consideration in light of programming changes, with a recommendation to the Executive
in time for implementation at the 2003 Convention.
B75 Laws Pertaining to Criminal Activity
LR8 Local Government Royalty on NonRenewable Resources
The Executive reaffirms its position regarding support
for resource revenue sharing with local government and
broadens the scope of UBCM's policy position on revenue sharing to include all extracted natural resources.
The Executive did not endorse the resolution and will
advise the sponsor of its recognition of the sponsor’s
concerns, however, it does not feel that the solution Recommendation from Energy Policy
proposed would be effectiv in reaching this objective. Digest Referred to Executive
The federal government enacted the Charter of Rights
and the Criminal Code and is responsible for changes
Energy Digest Recommendation #7:
to the law.
B82 Issues With Bill C-5: An Act Respecting The Executive will monitor member concerns around
BC Hydro transmission and export programs with the
the Protection of Wildlife Species in Canada
Staff will monitor the implementation of the new release of the province’s Energy Plan and determine
legislation once enacted and advise the Executive if further action as required.
“It is common to build
totally with wood in the
north. The basic reason is
to
stimulate
the
economy,”
said
Hawboldt.
Local employment got
a significant boost from
the wood construction.
Dawson Creek can supply a host of skilled workers in wood. It actually
took a whole community
to make it happen. The
city donated the land, estimated at $200,000 in
value.
Sheila Barnes , president of Southview Housing Society and chair of
the South Peace Health
Council said, “Working in
cooperation, our society
and health council, the
city, the local Rotary Club
and B.C. Housing are
building a legacy for the
people of Dawson Creek.”
Sometimes the most
obvious solution turns out
to be the best choice.
Wood offered that solu-
tion for the seniors of
Dawson Creek. Their twin
facilities are built with the
future in mind. Twenty
per cent of the area population will soon consist of
people 60-79 years old.
The two homes fill only
part of the 17-acre site, so
there’s plenty of room for
expansion.
The Peace River country location in B.C.’s northeast corner means this
campus is the natural hub
for facilities all over the
Dawson Creek/Pouce
Coupe area. Food for all
health care facilities is prepared in Rotary Manor’s
central kitchen, using a
cook-chill method. The
centralized food services
save the South Peace
Health Council $300,000
annually.
Rotary Manor and
Southview Housing were
completed in June, 2002.
They are meeting needs of
people who want to stay
in their community, feel
at home and secure, and
enjoy a sense of service.
Once again, wood helped
do it. ■
8
Convention
Evaluation
Convention Evaluations
At press time, 20% of the
convention evaluation
forms distributed to delegates have been returned,
an amount similar to 2001.
Of those that have responded, 84% rated the
week as good or excellent –
with an overall composite
rating of 4.0 out of 5 – down
slightly from last year but
better than the previous
five years.
Our preliminary findings show there seems to
be a range of views about
this year’s locale. While a
great number of delegates
enjoyed the location and
being able to walk (not
drive) to and from sessions,
the same number objected
to holding sessions in multiple venues. As with Van-
couver conventions, the
expense of holding the convention in a resort community was also a concern to
many, as was the added
travel. Conference facilities
and services generally
rated 4+, with the Daily
News moving up to a 4.3
rating. Registration and
procedures from submitting resolutions maintained high ratings.
Although morning clinics
saw a marginal drop in
overall ratings over 2001,
comments on these earlymorning sessions were
generally positive. And
congratulations to Dave
Sands and co. for hosting
2002 Convention Summary Awards
The Top Event of the 2002 Convention
Agriculture Study Tour @ 4.5
(58% excellent)
Top Sessions
Innovations in Bylaw Enforcement clinic @ 4.12
Innovations in Affordable Housing workshop @ 4.04
Convention Business Program’s Biggest
Improvement
Overall Study Sessions increased by 8.3%
General Aspects with Biggest Improvement
Overall Partners Programs increased 13.9% over 2001
Opportunity to meet with Ministers Abbott/
Nebbeling and Other Cabinet Ministers increased
7.6% and 5.8% respectively over 2001
Daily News increased 5.7% over 2001
The Weakest Events
Community Charter sessions @ 3.0–3.4
(avg. 24.3% of respondents dissatisfied)
Whistler Sustainability study session @ 3.3
(33.3% of respondents dissatisfied)
Partners Favourites
Cheakamus Lake Hike @ 4.7
Fondue Cooking Demo @ 4.7
Drops in Popularity
Keynote Address (down 11.6% over 2001)
Convention Centre Facilities
(down 10.7% over 2001)
Small Talk Lunch (down 10.4% over 2001)
PHONE/FAX: (250) 767-2240
TOLL-FREE PHONE/FAX: 1-800-499-6899
the consistently highestrated event (Agriculture
Study Tour) of this past
decade!
The biggest disappointments were the Community Charter sessions (ranging from 3.0 to 3.4) and the
lack of new information
from the provincial government. Monday’s Police
Costs study session followed closely in ratings, for
the same apparent reason.
The Small Talk session
dipped this year, with delegates citing lack of topic
prioritization and critiques
from mid-size communities who feel they do not fit
into the “small” category.
Resolutions sessions were
down but the sessions on
policy papers improved.
The keynote speaker,
who ran overtime, although inspiring, appears
to have contributed to
resolutions session criticisms on Friday. Attendance at resolutions sessions was also a noted concern, considering these
sessions are the major
raison-d’être at UBCM
conventions.
The provincial government involvement saw
some of their best overall
ratings since 1994. You
appreciated the accessibility of the government and
their representatives. The
informal ‘networking’ opportunities remain the
most-liked factor of
UBCM conventions. The
absence of a large trade
show was noted by many
– please understand that
only Vancouver has the
capacity for such an event.
Meal functions saw
notable improvements for
Area Association and Delegates lunches. The banContinued on page 20
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9
UBCM Conventions
Present & Future
Premier Salutes
UBCM Convention
F
ormulating and implementing policy is the prin
cipal purpose of UBCM. Members advance new
policy initiatives primarily through resolutions.
The Executive also provides policy direction through
discussion papers that tend to be more comprehensive
in scope.
During the 2002 Convention over 7.5 hours were
devoted to consideration of resolutions and policy
papers. As they did the previous year, the Resolutions
Committee made a commitment to ensure that all
resolutions received before the deadline were debated
at convention. With the assistance of strong chairing
and delegate cooperation, the Resolutions Committee
Premier Gordon Campbell - September 26, 2002
is pleased to have met the goal to consider all of the
resolutions.
Delegates considered 126 resolutions. Those endorsed have been forwarded to the provincial or fedTOTAL OF 1,746 DELEGATES ATTENDED eral government as appropriate. Resolutions referred
to the Executive were considered at the November
the 2002 UBCM Convention in Whistler,
Executive meeting. (See page 5). A total of 56 addiSeptember 24 to 27.
tional resolutions were referred to special executive
A few relevant statistics on attendance this year
resolutions and convention policy papers. This reinclude:
flects members’ shared interest in several key policy
• 177 out of 182 members (Not represented: Fraser topics.
Lake, Greenwood, Highlands, Kaslo & Radium
The Convention considered five policy papers:
Hot Springs)
• Response to Community Charter
• 716 voting delegates; 157 non-voting delegates;
• Response to Discussion Paper on Civil Liability
396 partners and 460 "others"
• Forest Policy Paper
• 17 media representatives
• Energy Policy Digest
• Environment Action Plan
Recent registrations:
The Convention also authorized their Executive to
2001
Vancouver
1,715
sign one Memorandum of Understanding with the
2000
Victoria
1,918
Province:
1999
Vancouver
1,694
• Memorandum of Understanding on Local Govern1998
Penticton
1,579
ment Participation in the Negotiation of Treaties and
Other Agreements
1997
Vancouver
1,766
The MOU will be subject to an initial trial-use
1996
Penticton
1,480
period; it will be monitored over the next 10 to 12
1995
Vancouver
1,734
months and it will be brought to the 2003 UBCM
1994
Whistler
1,710
Convention with possible amendments to be consid1993
Vancouver
1,668
ered for ratification by the membership.
1992
Vernon
1,553
1991
Victoria
1,836
"At any rate, you have once again hosted the preeminent convention in the province. There is no time
that any of us have as much opportunity to meet with
people from the smallest communities to the largest
communities in the province, from every single region,
and to talk about not just the problems that we face
together but the solutions that we can arrive at.
And I want to congratulate the UBCM for, year in
and year out, providing this forum for discussion that's
open, that's frank, that's direct and that's aimed at
improving the quality of life for every single British
Columbian. Congratulations to you, once again".
Convention Registration
A
UBCM Annual Convention Dates
YEAR DATES
LOCATION
2003
Vancouver Convention & Exhibition
Centre
Kelowna
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Mon. Sept. 22 to
Fri. Sept. 26
Mon. Sept. 20 to
Fri. Sept. 24
Mon. Sept. 26 to
Fri. Sept. 30
Mon. Oct. 23 to
Fri. Oct. 27
Mon. Sept. 24 to
Fri. Sept. 28
Mon. Sept. 22 to
Fri. Sept. 26
Mon. Sept. 28 to
Fri. Oct. 2
Mon. Sept 27 to
Fri. Oct. 1
Mon. Sept. 19 to
Fri. Sept. 23
Mon. Sept. 24 to
Fri. Sept. 28
Centre
Victoria Conference Centre
Centre
Penticton Trade & Convention
Centre
Centre
Whistler Conference Centre
Centre
Kelowna
2002 Convention
Minutes Under Way!
The UBCM Convention is
the principle event each
year that provides local
elected officials with the
opportunity to set the
policy direction for the organization. This year 6
Section A, 100 Section B, 2
Special resolutions and 8
Late resolutions were debated and five policy papers were prepared for
member consideration. As
in previous years, the Minutes provide a summary
of activities including
resolutions and policy sessions as well as copies of
the key addresses by: Hans
Cunningham, UBCM
President; Ted Nebbeling,
Minister of State for Community Charter; George
Abbott, Minister of Community, Aboriginal and
Women’s Services and
Premier
Gordon
Campbell.
With respect to policy
papers the following are
included in the minutes:
• Response to Community Charter
• Response to Discussion
Paper on Civil Liability
• Forest Policy Paper
• Energy Policy Digest
• Environment Action
Plan
Copies of the policy
papers, convention addresses, resolutions dispositions and other convention items are available
now on the UBCM website
at
www.civicnet.gov.bc.ca,
follow the link to 2002
UBCM Convention Documents. Once the minutes
are printed, copies will be
distributed to each local
government office before
year-end. Your municipal
or regional district corporate administrator will
have a copy.
10
President Hans Cunningham’s address focussed on consultation. Address available on www.civicnet.bc.ca./ubcm/
Convention-2002/Documents/index.shtml
Minister of Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services, Hon. George Abbott delivered his second annual
message to over 900 delegates. Address available on
www.civicnet.bc.ca./ubcm/Convention-2002/
Documents/index.shtml
Minister of State for Community Charter, Hon.
Ted Nebbeling draws the parallels between the
opportunities for innovation in the Community
Charter and the ideas that spurred Whistler’s
development.
Address available on
www.civicnet.bc.ca./ubcm/Convention2002/Documents/index.shtml
Whistler Mayor Hugh
O’Reilly (centre-vest) chats
with delegates at the Welcome
Reception hosted by the Resort
Municipality of Whistler.
Congratulations to Whistler
for hosting the reception, organizing the Partners Programs and generally helping
out in so many ways and making UBCM feel welcome.
Thanks to Brenda Sims and
Linda Manheim (Clerk and
Deputy Clerk) for all their organizational skills.
Minister of Solicitor General and Public Safety, the Hon.
Rich Coleman presented his ministry plans for charging
small communities for policing costs.
Wednesday afternoon featured four
Cabinet panels – Resources; Health
and Social Development; Business and
Economy; and Community and Safety
- with 18 Ministers in all participating. Here Minister of Water, Land
and Air Protection, Honourable Joyce
Murray speaks to delegates. Nearly
each and every MLA attended the
convention. Also participating in this
panel with Hon. Stan Hagen, Minister of Sustainable Resource Management (right) and Hon. Richard
Neufeld, Minister of Environment and
Hon. Mike deJong, Minister of Forest
(left of podium)
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One of the longer running Monday pre-conference events
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rated 4.5 + session. This year it featured a visit to the
Pemberton Valley – and a look at some agriculturalresidential recreational land use interface issues.
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Minister of Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services, Hon. George Abbott delivered his
second annual message to over 900 delegates.
Premier holds out two gold medals at the conclusion of his
spirited “bid” on the value of the 2010 Olympics for BC.
Address available on www.civicnet.bc.ca./ubcm/Convention-2002/Documents/index.shtml
President elect Patricia Wallace was inducted as President
at the close of the 2002 Convention.
Delegates head-up for the gondolas for the lift up to the
Thursday delegate lunch.
Setting the policy directions for UBCM
is an extremely important function of
UBCM – over 7
hours are devoted to
delegate discussion of
resolutions
and
policy papers. Here
Mayor
Doug
McCallum, City of
Surrey, speaks to a
resolution.
There was considerable media attention espcially around the 2010 bid,
courthouse closures, Community Charter and BC Hydro. Past President Cache Creek Mayor John Ranta is interviewed. Premier Campbell
is “scrummed” after his speech.
Honourable Geoff Plant
addresses the Municipal
Insurance Association
AGM held in conjunction
with the UBCM Convention. Later in the convention UBCM adopted a response to the AG’s Discussion Paper on Civil Liability in which UBCM
called for a system of proportionate liability to replace joint and several liability and a 10 year ultimate limitation period.
12
UBCM gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the following sponsors of the 2002
UBCM Convention:
UBCM BANQUET RECEPTION &
ENTERTAINMENT
DELEGATE E-MAIL SERVICES
UBCM DAILY NEWS
CONVENTION KITS
CONTINENTAL BREAKFASTS
DELEGATES’ LUNCHEON
WELCOME RECEPTION
CONVENTION PROGRAM
CONVENTION MESSAGE CENTRE
Delegate email services is just one of many services provided
by convention sponsors. Shaw Communications provided
10 computer stations and free high speed internet access to
allow delegates to receive and send messages. Other delegate
services include the message centre for receiving or phone or
fax messages; office services – copying or sending faxes; and
the Daily News - a two-page tabloid produced every morning was a summary of the proceeding days events and
decisions.
COFFEE SERVICES
REGIONAL DISTRICT ELECTORAL AREA
DIRECTORS FORUM LUNCHEON
CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS
LARGE URBAN COMMUNITIES FORUM
LUNCHEON
SMALL TALK FORUM LUNCHEON
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR
DELEGATE OFFICE SERVICES
SPECIAL THANKS TO …
Sponsor booths were a big draw in the Canvas Ballroom – the
6,000 sq. ft. tent erected to provide additional conference
space. 2003 Convention in Vancouver will again feature the
170 booth Municipal Marketplace.
13
Awards Given at the
2002 UBCM Convention
Awards Given at the 2002 UBCM Convention
Local Government Awareness Awards
A
number of awards were presented at various points throughout this Mayor Frank Leonard, Chair of the Local Government Awareness Awards Comyear’s convention – some of the more pleasant duties associated with our mittee and the Honourable George Abbott, Minister of Community, Aboriginal
annual meeting.
and Women’s Services, presented the Local Government Awareness Awards for
2002. The awards presented were:
• Web Site Awards (Left to Right): Mayor Frank Leonard, Mayor Robin
Long Service
Fennell, Village of Clinton (Small Community); Mayor Mike Pearce, City of
Penticton (Medium-Sized
Community); Mayor Doug
At the 2002 UBCM Convention, PresiMcCallum, City of Surrey
dent Hans Cunningham was pleased
(Large Community); Chair
to present Long-Service Awards in recJim Ogilvie, Regional District
ognition of 25 years’ service to local
of East Kootenay (Regional
government as a Mayor, Councillor
District); Honourable George
or Director to:
Abbott; photo #1
•Mayor Michael Coleman, City of
•
Month-Long Week-Long
Duncan Photo #4
Award: City of New Westminster
(accepted by Mayor Helen
Photo 4
Sparkes); photo #2
Photo 1
•Mayor Douglas Drummond, City
of Burnaby (accepting the award
on his behalf was Councillor Nick
Volkow) Photo #5
•Mayor Tom Euverman, District
of Houston Photo #6
•Councillor Dorothy Kostrzewa,
City of Chilliwack Photo #7
Life Memberships
• Year-Long Award: City of Langley ( accepted by
Langley Council and the Administrator); photo #3
Photo 5
President-elect Patricia Wallace presented a Life Membership to Central Kootenay
RD Chair Hans Cunningham in recognition of his service as UBCM President,
2001-2002. Photo Below. Assisting all these presentations is Hon. George Abbott.
Photo 2
Photo 3
Photo 7
Photo 6
MURDY & M C ALLISTER
BARRISTERS & SOLICITORS
#1155 – Two Bentall Centre, 555 Burrard Street
P.O. Box 49059
Vancouver, B.C. V7X 1C4
Fax: (604) 689-9029 Tel: (604) 689-5263
Since 1980 our firm has restricted its practice to acting for local government and
providing advice concerning municipal law to other clients.
14
Justice
Infrastructure Program Update
F
or any newly
elected officials,
we thought it
might be helpful and a
timely opportunity to
bring you up to speed on
the tri-level infrastructure
program and where we
stand on this six-year
funding commitment.
The Canada-BC Infrastructure Program Agreement, signed in October
2000, will invest more than
$800 million in BC. A minimum of 75% of the funding – or $600 million in
total federal, provincial
and local government
funds – is for the program’s first priority,
“green projects”: water
and wastewater systems,
water management, and
capital expenditures to
retrofit or improve the
energy efficiency of local
government buildings
and facilities.
The Program is managed by an intergovernmental Management
Committee, of which the
UBCM President and Executive Director are mem-
bers. The Program is administered by a Joint Secretariat, on which UBCM
staff are represented.
UBCM representatives
participate in both Management Committee and
Joint Secretariat discussions but do not “vote” on
project recommendations.
The first round of
project approvals under
the Program is now almost
complete. To date, 102
projects have been announced: 96 “green” and
6 “non-green”, which include a variety of recreation and community oriented projects. Further
“green” project announcements are expected before
year-end, with the remainder of “green” funding
likely to be award in 2003.
The project proponents
have until March 31, 2006
to complete all eligible
project construction, so
decision making on new
projects has to be made in
a timely manner to allow
sufficient time for projects
to be completed prior to
the program’s expiry date.
Dedicated to providing
comprehensive legal
services for municipalities
and regional districts
throughout British
Columbia
UBCM has faxed the
project releases to members as they have been
announced. A full list of
the projects announced to
date (indexed by date of
release with detailed
backgrounders) may be
found online at the federal
web
site
at:
w w w. w d. gc . c a /en g/
m e d i a c e n t r e /
current.html or on the provincial web site at:
w w w . c s e . go v . bc . c a /
p u b l i c i n f o /
newsreleases/.
There will be more
project announcements
under the program in the
weeks and months ahead.
The Management Committee is also now working on a revised guide for
a future project application intake, which is now
being complemented by a
new online application
process. The program will
be communicating with
local governments about
this next intake when appropriate, and UBCM will
ensure that its members
are kept informed.
IDSTONE
OUNG
NDERSON
BARRISTERS & SOLICITORS
Suite 1616 - 808 Nelson Street
Box 12147, Nelson Square
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2H2
Tel: (604) 689-7400 Fax: (604) 689-3444
Toll Free: 1-800-665-3540
507 - 1207 Douglas Street
Victoria, BC V8W 2E7
Tel: (250) 383-2063
Fax: (250) 383-2064
207 - 1441 Ellis Street
Kelowna, BC V1Y 2A3
Tel: (250) 712-1130
Fax: (250) 712-1180
POLICE COSTS: WHAT IS SAFE
THE FUTURE DIRECTION? STREETS AND
SAFE
The Honourable Rich Coleman, Minister of SCHOOLS
Public Safety and Solicitor General released a
discussion paper on “Restructuring Police
Financing in Municipalities under 5,000
Population and Unincorporated Areas” on
September 12, 2002.
The paper proposed two options to reform the financing of policing services in the province. The first
option proposed to levy a new provincial services tax
in municipalities under 5,000 and unincorporated areas. The second option proposed that regional districts be required to raise revenues to pay for local
police services. Both options assumed full cost recovery ($54 million) for local police services provided by
the provincial police force; no credit for the rural
property tax; no change to the Provincial Police Services Agreement; and increased contributions by taxpayers in rural areas and municipalities under 5,000.
The discussion paper was the focus of a pre-conference session on police financing held on Monday,
September 23, 2002 at the UBCM Convention in Whistler. Based on comments to a questionnaire at the
session and members comments it would appear that
the majority of local governments present did not
support either of the options outlined by the ministry.
One of the biggest concerns identified at the session
was the lack of financial information on which to
review the two options. The province had developed
detailed financial data on both of the options, but
decided not to release this information.
A letter was sent to the Solicitor General on October
8, 2002 to obtain:
• clarity on the financial options open for consultation;
• the detailed financial information local government needs to
consider the options presented;
• confirmation that the mitigation measures and the phasing in of
the police costs were still matters open to consultation.
On October 28, 2002 an article appeared in the
Vancouver Sun suggesting that the provincial government was no longer committed to the options outlined
in its discussion paper.
The UBCM continues to seek clarification from the
provincial government as to what its position is on the
police cost issue and look for ways to open up consultation on this issue.
T
he Ministry of Public Safety and So
licitor General has
introduced a new “Safe
Streets and Safe Schools
Grant Program”. The
grant is intended to support schools and communities to enhance public
safety and crime prevention efforts. The program
encourages the development of best practices and
innovative strategies that
expand or increase problem solving approaches to
crime and build capacity
for community safety at
the local level.
Grants from $100 to
$5,000 are available for
one time projects. Qualifying groups include
community and youth
organizations, local governments, school districts and police departments. Applications for
funding will be accepted
on an on-going basis and
reviewed every two
months by the Provincial Safe Communities
Working Group.
The grants while not
large provide seed
money for local communities to work with local
neighbourhoods to deal
with specific problems
and develop innovative
solutions to community
safety.
GARY WILLIAMS and ASSOCIATES
Comprehensive Development
Plans
Strategic Financial Plans
Tax Policy/Fiscal Policy
Retreat Facilitator
Service Contract
Negotiation
Project Management
Restructure Studies
Interim Management
P.O. Box 786, Nelson B.C., V1L 5S9
Phone: (250) 825-9586
Fax: (250) 825-9615
e-mail: [email protected]
15
Aboriginal
Update
POST CONVENTION UPDATE ON NEW MOU WITH PROVINCE
The Government of Canada has recently introduced
a four part legislative package consisting of the
proposed First Nations Governance Act (FNGA),
the proposed Specific Claims Resolution Act, the
Proposed Fiscal and Statistical Management Act
and finally, the expansion of the First Nations Land
Management Act. The stated intent is for these four
legislative initiatives to work together to support
greater self government by First Nations.
At the recent national conference on Aboriginal law
and taxation, a federal official explained the impetus for these initiatives as:
(1) the belief that economic
development depends on
good governance (2) the
continuing court challenges faced by the federal government with respect to the Indian Act, and
(3) the need for a practical
and integrated approach
to closing the gap in opportunities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians.
The FNGA has drawn
a lot of criticism from First
Nations leaders across the
country and is not supported by the Assembly
of First Nations. It has
been suggested that the
government simply “set
aside” the Indian Act and
focus exclusively on implementing treaty rights
and Section 35 of the Constitution. The federal government’s view is that no
one can afford to wait 60
years for negotiation of self
government agreements
or for new treaties to be
worked out with every one
of the 600 First Nations in
Canada. To do so would
be to continue to deny First
Nations with the tools that
are necessary to make
progress.
The new FNGA would
not replace the Indian Act.
Some sections of the Indian
Act would disappear, such
as leadership selection provisions, and others would
be replaced. Much of the
Indian Act will not change
at all, such as areas relating
to membership, reserve
land, Indian moneys, and
tax exemption. Bill C-7
(FNGA) proposes to move
all the governance provisions of the Indian Actinto
a separate act. The bill was
introduced in the House
on October 9 and is currently before the Standing
Committee on Aboriginal
Affairs for review and
study. The draft bill is available on the web at:
www.fng-gpn.gc.ca
The First Nations Land
Management Act and its expansion beyond the original 14 Indian Bands across
Canada, is described as a
Continued on page 10
A
t the UBCM Con
vention in Sep
tember, the membership provided its Executive with the green
light to sign off on the
Memorandum of Understanding on Local Government Participation in the
Negotiation of Treaties
and Other Agreements
with the provincial government.
The draft MOU was
sent to all members on
September 6, 2002. It was
reviewed at convention
during the Monday Aboriginal issues study session, where members
made a number of suggestions for change. These
included clarification that
local government representatives are members of
provincial treaty negotiation teams and as such
they are able to attend all
main table, side table and
working groupmeetings related to the negotiation.
The draft was renegotiated and finalized with the
province’s Treaty Negotiation office to include
these and other changes.
Implementation activities
are now underway, starting with a meeting of
UBCM staff with all chief
treaty negotiators and
their teams to discuss the
contents of the MOU and
expectations of UBCM
IMPLICATIONS OF THE HAIDA
DECISION FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
On February 27, 2002 the
BC Court of Appeal delivered a landmark decision
in Haida Nation v. Minister
of Forests and Weyerhaeuser
regarding the duty of the
Crown and third parties
to consult with First Nations who have asserted,
but not proved, aboriginal rights or title. The order made by the Court was
subsequently modified
with supplemental reasons delivered on August
19, 2002.
UBCM requested a
summary and analysis of
this case from the law firm
of Bull, Housser and
Tupper to provide members with an understanding of the decision and its
implications for local governments in BC. The paper can be found on our
website
at
www.civicnet.bc.ca and is
available from the UBCM
office.
We strongly suggest
our members read the paper in its entirety; the following are its concluding
paragraphs:
“The court’s decision
in Haida that a third party
may have a legal and equitable duty to consult
with First Nations is, for
some, an unanticipated expansion of the common
law. Although no court
appears to have considered whether local governments may have a similar duty in their regulatory capacity or otherwise,
what is fairly clear is that
the law regarding aboriginal rights and title, and
the duty to consult, will
continue to evolve.
Today, however, the
Haida decision should not
significantly affect how
local governments do
business, except where
they regulate or seek to
acquire rights to Crown
lands or resources. In
those situations, a local
government should consider whether First Nations rights may be affected, and if so, what degree of consultation and
accommodation by the
Crown has been undertaken. The failure to do so
may make local governments receiving rights to
Crown lands and resources constructive trustees as a result of the
members with respect to
consultation. The finalized MOU will be sent to
members and will be available on our website at
w w w. c i vi c n et .bc . c a/
ubcm/aboriginal in December.
This new agreement
will help UBCM members
regain some certainty
around our participation
in treaty negotiations and
other agreements with
First Nations, in light of
the elimination of provincial government funding
for Treaty Advisory Committees (TACs) effective
April 1 st, 2002 and major
changes underway to the
treaty negotiation process.
The new MOU builds on
earlier agreements UBCM
had with the province on
Aboriginal matters: 1993
MOU, 1994 Protocol (establishing Treaty Advisory Committees) and
2000 Protocol (on Interim
Measure Agreements).
UBCM will be monitoring the success of the
agreement over the first
year of implementation to
ensure that it meets member needs and to identify
any common problems.
For more information on
the MOU, please contact
Alison McNeil in the
UBCM office (604-2708226, ex. 117).
Crown’s fiduciary obliga- nizes the need to streamline existing consultation
tions to First Nations.”
processes and incorporate
the consideration of aboProvincial Response riginal interests into provincial land and resource
On November 1, 2002, the use decision making”. It
provincial government provides provincial staff
released its revised First with consultation princiNations Consultation ples and a stepped procPolicy to respond to the ess noting that “the qualcurrent state of the law ity of consultation is of
regarding consultation in primary importance, and
respect of as yet unproven the soundness of the claim
aboriginal rights and/or [of aboriginal rights and/
title. The original docu- or title] will dictate the
ment was published in scope and depth of re1998 following the land- quired consultation”. A
mark Delgamuukw deci- copy of the document is
sion. The policy explains available on the web at:
that “the province recog- www.gov.bc.ca/tno/
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16
MORE ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS
T
HE UBCM LEGAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
was established as a result of a 1978 resolution.
Over the years it has provided $176,448 for
assistance in 61 cases (some multiple funded). This
program is currently funded annually from surpluses
which have occurred within the operating budget.
The 1978 resolution established seven guidelines for
the program.
(a)There shall be no participation by the UBCM at the initial
trial stage in any Court action, whether it be the Supreme, County
or Provincial Courts.
(b)The UBCM shall only participate in appeals of Court
decisions, prior to consideration of the appeal court, which affect
all municipalities or their employees in a substantial way.
(c)Complete discretion will be exercised by the UBCM as to
whether it should contribute part or all of the costs of an appeal.
The decision whether the UBCM will participate will be made by the
Executive.
(d)There will be no UBCM participation in Court decisions
involving the validity of a particular bylaw or the interpretation
thereof which could be achieved by amending the bylaw to bring it
within the Municipal Act.
(e)The UBCM will not participate in Court decisions which
deal with the policy of a particular municipality, e.g. shopping
hours, no-growth policy, etc., which may not be a general policy
of most municipalities.
(f) The UBCM will not participate in Court actions when the
subject matter is clearly indefensible from its start.
(g)The UBCM shall have some control over the selection of
Counsel and any losses recovered shall, by agreement, go to
reimburse the UBCM and secondly, the municipality involved.
When a request for funding is received from a
member, the UBCM assigns the evaluation to a lawyer
of a firm not connected with the case but practising in
municipal law. This independent review provides the
Executive with a recommendation to approve or not to
approve funding. The UBCM Executive then reviews
the case based on the established criteria and recommendation and renders a decision. The UBCM and the
municipality administer the cases funded through the
process to settlement or final court decision. ■
“First Nations driven initiative”, as is the proposed
"Fiscal and Statistical Management Act". The latter
Act would establish four mutually supportive institutions: the First Nations Finance Authority (modeled
on BC’s Municipal Finance Authority), First Nations
Financial Management Board, First Nations Statistical
Institute and First Nations Tax Commission. This
legislative initiative is described as recognizing and
responding to the need for First Nations governments
to be better managed in order to attract investment.
TREATY NEGOTIATIONS
UPDATE
COMMUNITY TO COMMUNITY
FORUM PROGRAM
As of July 31, 2002, there were 44 treaty tables in
the British Columbia Treaty Commission process.
The First Nations organizations participating in
the process represent approximately 125 of the 197
bands in British Columbia. The province of B.C.
negotiates in four regions and at one
transboundary (B.C/Yukon) treaty table.
Province-Wide Community to
Community Forum
The province and federal
governments are focusing
on making significant
progress at “breakthrough” or “fast track”
treaty tables where they
believe an Agreement in
Principle (AIP) is achievable within two to eighteen months. In his “instructions to negotiators”,
Attorney General and
Minister Responsible for
Treaty Negotiations, Geoff
Plant advised that “the
government of British Columbia is committed to negotiating treaties and will
dedicate resources to
reach agreements with
First Nations within the
coming year… Now that
the referendum is complete, the government of
British Columbia is prepared to discuss all issues.”
Break-through treaty
tables
include
Snuneymuxw (Nanaimo),
Tsawwassen, Sliammon
and Gitxsan, Nuu chah
nulth (Barkley Sound
group) and Lheidli
T’enneh. At these negotiating tables, a lot of decisions on issues impacting
the interests of local governments will be made in
a relatively short period
of time. These issues include: land selection,
intergovernmental relations (local government to
First Nations), First Nation governance (e.g. nonmember representation)
and resource management. Based on member
input received at the September 2002 Convention,
UBCM is currently developing ways to link local
government Treaty Advisory Committees (TACs)
more efficiently and to assist them in responding
effectively to the above
noted issues.
Meanwhile, the three
Principals (Governments
of Canada and British Columbia and the First Nations Summit) continue to
work on treaty process improvements. The Tripartite Working group, comprised of senior officials
from each of the three Principals has been pursuing
actions to improve the
process described in their
May 2002 report. These
include an assessment of
all treaty tables and development of work plans to
determine best options for
each negotiation. Federal
Indian Affairs Minister
Robert Nault and Attorney General Geoff Plant
met with First Nations
Summit leaders earlier this
month to continue discussions on getting the province’s treaty negotiations
back on track.
UBCM and the First Nations Summit are pleased to
announce the third Community to Community Forum for First Nations and local government leaders
from around the province. Participants at the 1997
and 2001 forums found the events very successful,
allowing them to build government to government
relationships and jointly address issues, priorities
and shared community concerns. The 2003 Community to Community Forum offers the same opportunity and a chance to focus on the theme: Resolving
Disputes and Pursuing Joint Opportunities.
Friday March 14, 2003
Vancouver Renaissance Hotel
Registration deadline: Friday February 13, 2003
Limited to 160 participants
No registration fee
More event information and registration forms are
available on our website at: www.civicnet.bc.ca or
from the UBCM office.
Regional Community to Community
Forums
Regional Community to Community Forums are
events organized by neighbouring local governments
and First Nations to discuss issues of common concern to their communities. Since the program began
in 1999, over 40 events have been held in communities around BC. The program is funded by the
federal and provincial governments and administered by UBCM. Local governments can apply for up
to $5,000 to jointly organize event with a neighbouring First Nation(s).
Due to the continuing success of the program, the
federal Department of Indian Affairs has agreed to
fund it for another year. More information and how
to apply for funding can be found on the UBCM
website or by contacting Alison McNeil in the UBCM
office (604-270-8226, ex. 117).
Singleton Urquhart’s Aboriginal Law Group presents
“New Duties to Consult with First Nations: A First
Nations, Municipal and Corporate Round Table”.
Topics:
Haida: New Duties to Consult with First Nations
Panel: First Nations, Local Government and Corporate
Experience with Consultation
New Provincial Government Guidelines for Consultation with First Nations
Friday, February 28, 2003
11:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel
1088 Burrard Street, Vancouver
Cost: $50.00 (includes lunch and host reception)
Contact:
Jennifer Browne, Singleton Urquhart
Telephone: 604-682-7474 Fax: 604-682-1283
[email protected]
OR register on-line at www.singleton.com
Martin Thomas
Downtown and tourism strategies
Business improvement area advice
Guiding council and staff visioning sessions
638 Battery Street, Victoria, BC V8V 1E5
Tel: (250) 361-3766 • Fax: (250) 361-3750
Email: [email protected]
17
Courses and
Resources
IMMUNIZING YOUR COUNCIL AGAINST DYSFUNCTIONS (Part 1)
By Eli Mina, M.Sc., P.R.P.
differences and reduce the likelihood of dysfunctions.
With such a direction in place, meetings are likely to
shift from the left-hand column to the right-hand
column in the table below.
This article is based on Eli Mina’s new book: “The Business Meetings Sourcebook: A
Practical Guide to Better Meetings and Shared Decision Making” (Visitwww.elimina.com/ Shifting your meetings away from:
books for more information on it).
Shifting your meetings towards:
Surely you’ve been to that “meeting from hell,” where:
• The chair was dictatorial or – conversely – passive and
indecisive.
• Outspoken members dominated and others were too
intimidated to speak up.
• Some members cared more about their own interests
than community interests.
• Politics were more important than common sense and
core principles.
• Rules of order were used for manipulative or adversarial
purposes.
• There was backroom lobbying, “horse-trading” and
backstabbing.
• There were tensions and mistrust among members.
Dysfunctions such as the above can bring paralysis
to a Council, sap resources and energies, distract Council from its mandate of serving the community, expose
it to risk, and prevent it from benefiting from opportunities that are “right under its nose.” Progress becomes painfully slow, and everyone works harder, not
smarter. Morale goes down, and capable staff members and volunteers may leave for “greener pastures.”
Even organizations that appear to be harmonious
may have “dormant” dysfunctions, which are like
ticking time bombs. For example: Council members
may operate on trust too much, and may therefore not
read reports carefully or scrutinize decisions enough
(after all, staff know what they’re doing…). As a
result, fewer eyes and ears are paying attention and a
costly error is made. Controversy erupts, everyone
looks for guilty parties, and – of course – the trust that
caused the dysfunction evaporates.
As a professional advisor on meetings and rules of
order, I am often asked to help Councils address
dysfunctions. Many times people look for remedies to
dysfunctions in Robert’s Rules of Order, when these
rules typically solve surface problems and not the root
causes of the dysfunction. For example: You may find
yourself looking for rules of order to control disruptive members, when the root causes of the dysfunction
may be confusion about members’ roles and responsibilities, or an adversarial climate, with politics taking
centre stage.
The best way to combat dysfunctions is to discover
their root causes and do some preventative work to
avoid them. To boost Council’s immunity to dysfunctions, you need to build a healthy foundation for
shared decision-making. Some of the building blocks
for such a foundation are:
• A clear mandate and a compelling strategic direction
• A logical allocation of decision-making powers
• An empowered and sophisticated decision-making team
• Clear and well-documented “rules of engagement”
• Well-established team culture and ethics
• Good working relationships with the community and
stakeholders
This article covers the first building block of this
foundation. Your Council’s mandate and strategic
direction.
Council’s Mandate & Strategic Direction
The first building block in the foundation for shared
decision-making is a clear, logical and compelling
mandate for Council. At the start of its term, Council
should agree collectively on a strategic direction for
the community. It should then invest time, efforts and
resources in moving in this direction. From time to
time Council should review progress along its mandate and may make adjustments to it.
The above statements may sound insultingly simple, but it is astonishing to see some governing Councils straying from their mandates, or never taking the
time to establish them, or forgetting all about them
during regular meetings. Without a clear mandate, a
Council may invest precious meeting time in side
issues of little or no importance to the community.
Here are a few questions to ask about Council’s
mandate:
• Is the mandate current and relevant to today’s realities?
• Is the mandate consistent with the community’s shortand long-term needs?
• Is the mandate substantial, ambitious, and compelling?
• Is the mandate realistic and achievable?
• Is the mandate widely known, understood and supported, or is it ignored?
• Is the mandate prominently evident in the way meetings
are planned and managed?
• Is the mandate in need of review and update?
Establishing a mandate and a strategic direction is
a usefulfirst step, but it is not enough. Many Councils
invest time and money in a “retreat” and may hire
consultants to help them establish a strategic plan.
This exercise can be quite interesting, but it is futile if
members get back to established routines and leave
the strategic plan on the shelf to gather dust. The
cynics will be justified in saying: “Why did we waste
the taxpayers money on this exercise? Where is the
return on investment?”
Here are a few ideas to put the strategic
direction to work for you:
• Have “proactive items” on each meeting agenda:
Avoid having reactive meeting agendas that include
everything that must be done (dictated by outside
requests and crises) and none of the things that ought
to be done (visionary and proactive thinking). Why
not break the strategic plan into 12 components, and
schedule one component on a meeting agenda every
month? As an alternative, might you hold one “strategic review” meeting a month?
• Remind members in subtle and direct ways what
they are for and who they are supposed to be serving. As
examples: some organizations print their mission statements on a large banner and hang them behind the
meeting chairperson. Others print them on coasters for
coffee cups or water glasses, as a constant reminder of
their broader mandate (“the bigger picture”).
• As meetings progress, members should give themselves permission to express concerns, like: “How is
this discussion related to our core mandate, which is
___?”, or “I am concerned about the amount of time
we’re spending on this issue, when we have more
strategic issues on our agenda”, or “How does this
proposal support the principles of ____ that we endorsed as part of our strategic plan?” With everyone
being continually aware of the broader direction towards which they work, meetings are bound to more
interesting, meaningful and productive.
If the strategic direction is clear, logical and compelling, it is bound to transcend personal and political
• A reactive focus in
meeting agendas
• Dominated, poorly focused, inefficient debates
• Advancing narrow interests
• Political, short-sighted,
risk-prone decisions
• An adversarial climate
(“combat zone”)
• Predictable outcomes
“inside the box”
• Rules of order wasting
time, impeding progress
• A proactive and strategic focus in agendas
• Balanced, clear, productive debates
• Advancing broad community interests
• Principle-based decision making
• A collaborative climate
(“construction zone”)
• Smart & creative outcomes “outside the box”
• Rules of order used
sensibly & intelligently
The right-hand column represents a different brand
of meetings than the ones you may be used to. But, with
a healthy foundation for shared decision-making, it is
entirely possible to achieve it.
To be continued in the next issue.
Eli Mina M.Sc., P.R.P. is a professional meeting chairman, seminar leader, book author, and registered
parliamentarian. He specializes in chairing contentious meetings, demystifying and humanizing the
rules of order, and leading interactive training programs. Eli can be reached at (604) 730-0377, or by email at [email protected].
Eli is the author of “The Complete Handbook of
Business Meetings” and the new book “The Business
Meetings Sourcebook” published by the American
Management Association (AMACOM Books). For
book highlights visitwww.elimina.com/books . The
books can be ordered in Canada through amazon.ca
or by phoning McGraw-Hill at 1-800-565-5758.
Conflict Management Courses at
Royal Roads University
The Peace and Conflict Studies Division of Royal
Roads University will be offering three new professional development courses in early 2003. All three
courses are designed to give public officials and working
professionals the skills they need to manage conflict
effectively. Credits earned from these courses can be
applied towards the new master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies that Royal Roads offers.
Managing Public Conflicts:
Negotiation and Dispute Resolution for Public Officials
February 26 - 28, 2003
Planning Together:
An Exploration of Cultural, Legal, Environmental &
Practical Aspects of Harmonized Land-use Planning
February 17 - 18, 2003
Managing Conflict in the Workplace:
Effective Problem Solving and Decision Making for
Managers and Executives
January 30 - February 1, 2003
More detailed information is available on the Peace
and Conflict Studies’ webpages at www.royalroads.ca.
To register phone 1-800-788-8028 or 250-391-2654.
18
Municipal Finance
Authority of BC
This plan has been in the development stage for the past three years after
the MFA was initially approached from
an investment firm with the idea. As
with any of the programs the MFA offersparticipationisstrictlyvoluntary.
Once again, working together has created another exciting opportunity for
local government throughout BC. ■
ver the past year the MFA has
been involved with the design
and implementation of an Investment Program for BC Municipal Employees. We are now in the final stage of
negotiations with the service provider
and are planning on accepting applications in December, 2002 for contributions commencing on January 2, 2003.
O
This will be a voluntary plan open to
municipal employees and elected officials. Using the potential of 35,000 municipal employees and 1500 Elected Officials in BC we were able to negotiate
with the service provider a substantial
reduction in management fees (25% to
50% depending on the fund). The plan
willofferanextensiveselectionoffunds
in both the registered and non registeredcategories.
The program will work through a
payroll deduction system similar to
Canada Savings Bond. It will also offer
the convenience of a tax deduction at
source for the RRSP funds. Employees
will have convenient online web access
along with a call centre to assist them
with their choices. Interested employees will also have a comprehensive
guide available to them to walk them
through the investment options available to them.
The Regional District of
Nanaimo (RDN) was in
the spotlight as one of
Canada’s most friendly
communities for homebased business (HBB) at a
national awards ceremony
on October 30. The district was among three entrants winning top honours.
This year’s survey is
jointly sponsored by RBC
Financial Group, Canada
Post, the federal government’s Western Economic
Municipal Finance Authority of B.C.
737Fort Street
Victoria, BC V8W 2V1
Tel: 250-383-1181
Fax: 250-384-3000
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.mfa.bc.ca
Diversification agency
and Home Business Report
magazine. It is also endorsed by the Economic
Development Association
of British Columbia.
“Each year we spread the
word through every province
and territory of Canada that
we want to recognize communities, regions and private sector champions who
have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to
small and home-based business,” said Home Business
Report publisher Barbara
Mowat. “This commitment
generally evolves over a period of several years or longer.
It takes a dedicated effort on
the part of municipal staff,
elected officials and often one
or more passionate crusaders in the business community itself.”
This is the first year that
a regional district, as opposed to a city or town,
has won a communityContinued on page 20
L to R: George Holme, Chair of Regional District of Nanaimo, BC assecpting the award from
Ardath Paxton-Mann, Assistant Deputy Minister. Western Diversification Canada
20
Convention Evaluations
After considerable lobbying for the last year by
UBCM and Regional Hospital Districts (RHDs),
Health Services Minister
Colin Hansen agreed to
review the role of RHDs
and the cost sharing processes between the Ministry of Health Services,
health authorities and
RHDs.
The Minister agreed to
have local government
participate in a steering
committee for the review,
which would be conducted by an outside consultant. Draft terms of reference for the study and
the steering committee
were circulated and discussed at the RHD meeting at the UBCM convention.
The steering committee is comprised of:
• three Ministry representatives;
• three health authority
staff representatives (Vancouver Island, Northern, and
Interior);
• three RHD elected representatives – Cariboo
Chilcotin RHD (Director Al
Richmond), North West
RHD (Councillor Rich
McDaniel), and Capital
RHD
(Mayor Chris
Causton); and
• the Chair of UBCM’s
Health Committee (Director
Susan Gimse).
The Committee is
chaired by the Deputy
Minister, Strategic Planning and Corporate Initiatives, Ministry of Health
Services. Local government representation on
this committee was expanded at UBCM’s request.
President Wallace appointed Director Gimse
for UBCM as the Health
Committee Chair and the
three RHD representatives who agreed to participate. The representatives are supported by
staff from their organizations. In the course of the
study, the consultant will
be seeking input from
other RHDs and health
authorities as well.
The steering committee met for the first time
on Friday, November 22,
2002 in UBCM’s offices.
The group agreed to the
role of the committee and
recommended changes to
the proposed terms of reference and request for proposal document. When
finalized, this material will
be circulated by the Ministry to all RHDs. The report is due by April, 2003.
The study’s key ques-
tions to be addressed are:
• how can RHD integration to/engagement by the
health care process be improved?
• what changes are required
to modernize/simplify cost
sharing processes?
The consultant’s report
with recommendations
will form the basis for discussion with RHDs on legislative or process
changes. Minister Hansen
has indicated that elimination of RHDs is not being contemplated by the
government and is not
part of this study’s scope.
quet
entertainment
proved to be entertaining
only to those who participated, and appears to have
lent itself to the slight drop
in ratings (the lack of a
dance band was also a disappointment for several
delegates). Partners programs overall received the
most marked improvements over 2001 – kudos
to Whistler!
Lastly, we wish we
could take credit for the
awesome weather we had!
Thank you to all who
have taken the time to respond to our questionnaire.
A full digest will be presented to your Convention
Committee at their meeting in February, but we
welcome your feedback at
any time – it enables us to
respond to your needs.
RDN Wins Award
Continued from 18
friendly award. Covering 206,904 hectares which
includes three municipalities, the RDN faces very
different challenges in delivering good government
to its 131,000 widely dispersed residents.
“Representing a geo-
graphically sprawling rural
and small town region,” emphasizes George Holme,
Chair of the Regional District, “we have become particularly sensitive to enabling
residents to live and work
where they are rather than
having to commute long distances to jobs or move away
altogether to find work."
“Recently implemented
business bylaw recognized
the creativity of small business entrepreneurs by
focussing on providing for a
range of complementary and
compatible accessory uses
that are needed to make selfemployment viable. At the
same time, the new regulations respect the need to
maintain the character of
rural and residential neighbourhoods. There is a delicate balance.”
An innovative feature
of the new RDN bylaw is a
freshly unveiled HomeBased Business Registry.
The Registry will promote
economic development
and tourism in the region
by enabling registrants to
have their businesses
listed in a searchable directory on the RDN website. The Registry also
ensures that HBBs are
aware of the regulations
in their specific areas,
thereby promoting good
relations with neighbours.

2002 UBCM News

Transcription

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