The city of Richmond submitted resolutions about aid for elderly renters, fossil fuel non-proliferation and library funding to be discussed at the upcoming Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) convention.
The 119th UBCM convention is returning to the in-person format after two years of meeting virtually, and members, government leaders and industry partners will gather at the Whistler Conference Centre from Sept. 14 to 16 to address a plethora of challenges to B.C. municipalities.
The theme of this year's convention is "Value of One, Power of Many," which focuses on how local governments "can and must forge forward together to successfully align resources to deliver community needs," reads the event page.
Out of the three resolutions submitted by Richmond, only two will be up for consideration.
The first is a resolution to adapt B.C. Housing's Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters program to reflect increasing housing costs for renters, which is endorsed by the UBCM Resolutions Committee.
The resolution notes that provincial funding for the program had "remained stagnant since 2018" and current rent ceilings and monthly payments in the program don't reflect rising living costs.
In light of that, Richmond is proposing that UBCM urge the provincial government to increase maximum rent ceilings and monthly payment amounts in the elderly renters program. It also asks that the province ensure regular increases to such amounts in subsequent years.
Richmond also proposed that UBCM ask the provincial government to "expeditiously follow through on its CleanBC commitment to enact a GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions cap for natural gas utilities," as well as support the objectives of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty initiative.
This year's conference will be the first time UBCM members are considering resolutions calling on the province to follow through on its CleanBC commitment to enact a GHG emissions cap.
"An exclusive focus by senior governments on setting limits on GHG emissions rather than on the fossil fuels producing these emissions now threatens to undermine climate action at the local level," reads the resolution.
The third, about restoring provincial funding for local libraries, will not be debated as a similar resolution is already on the table.
More resolutions to be addressed at the convention can be found in the 2022 UBCM Resolutions Book.
