At its annual convention in Victoria this week, the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) got behind Abbotsford’s push to have the Province of BC provide funding to cities to help cover rising infrastructure costs resulting from the increased residential density permitted by provincial housing legislation.
The successful adoption of the Infrastructure Funding UBCM Executive resolution is proof that this is an issue felt by municipalities across BC, and that action needs to be taken to ensure that communities are ready to meet the rising demand for city services, since more people living closer together means more people using water, sewer, roads and other infrastructure.
This resolution proposes that the Province invest in a long-term, predictable, allocation-based funding program to support local government infrastructure servicing needs and stimulate growth of the provincial economy, as well as invest in provincial infrastructure investments and provincial permitting processes required to support housing-related population growth.
We are encouraged by the support this resolution received and look forward to seeing this proposal move forward so municipalities are relieved of undue financial pressure as a consequence of the Province’s mandated housing targets.
Last year Abbotsford also had a successful UBCM, with municipalities voting to endorse a resolution calling on the BC Government to increase access to detox and treatment options for British Columbians.
Along these lines, at this year’s conference Mayor Siemens and Councillors Ross and Driessen met with Minister of Health Josie Osborne to discuss the urgent need for provincial support for more detox beds and the need to address emergency wait times and expand hospital capacity in Abbotsford.
They also met with Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Kelly Greene to talk about the need for provincial support for securing vital funding for flood mitigation, and with Minister of Agriculture and Food Lana Popham about the importance of Abbotsford to the province’s agriculture and the unique needs of our farming community. They also met Chair Jennifer Dyson and CEO Kim Grout of the Agricultural Land Commission about illegal fill issues and our proposal to remove 18.53 hectares from the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) to establish a sports and recreation park in exchange for adding 19.9 hectares of City-owned land back into the ALR.
Finally, The Abbotsford delegation met with Premier Eby, again regarding the need for support for flood mitigation funding and more detox beds to reduce hospital wait times and the need to increase hospital capacity overall.
We are pleased to have had the opportunity to speak with the Premier and Ministers. These face-to-face meetings are vital when it comes to relationship-building and communicating our local and regional concerns to senior government. We look forward to continuing to work with the Province to address issues facing our residents and businesses.
Abbotsford City Council