UBCM Convention sets stage for municipal advocacy ahead of local elections

“We’ve got some special resolutions around the Community Housing Fund, which we saw the province eliminate or reallocate the funding in Budget 2026,” Ramsay said. “We have a special resolution around FireSmart funding. That’s advocacy we’ve been doing for quite some time. And then finally, the use of non-disclosure agreements. And I think that’s a really important conversation.”

While the convention is known for debates over resolutions on the convention floor, many local officials say some of the most important work happens behind closed doors during meetings with provincial ministers.

Those meetings are brief, typically lasting only 15 minutes, forcing local governments to refine and focus their messages.

City of Prince George Councillor Kyle Sampson likens the process to political speed dating.

“And you need to sell the message,” Sampson said. “You need to be clear and efficient in delivering that. So you give enough space for the minister to respond, and you need to be pointed in what you’re asking them for, information-wise, response-wise, and then you need to hold them to account in actually giving you that answer.”

For Prince George, those conversations could be especially significant this year. The city has submitted a record number of resolutions to the convention, reflecting a broad range of concerns the municipality wants the province to address.

Among the proposals is a resolution calling for increased funding and resources for the BC Crown Counsel Service. The resolution argues that staffing shortages, growing workloads and resource limitations are contributing to delays within the justice system and creating challenges for victims, accused persons and communities waiting for cases to proceed through the courts.

The proposed resolution asks UBCM to advocate for additional and sustained funding, staffing and operational resources to ensure Crown Counsel offices can meet current and future demands.

There are also local resolutions looking to strengthen Norther BC transportation corridors, eliminating the depreciation of industrial and electrical power-generating facilities.

Sampson says resolutions alone are rarely enough to persuade senior governments to act. Instead, he sees them as one component of a larger advocacy strategy.

“There is a large amount of resolutions we’re putting forward, and I really only view resolutions as one kind of piece of the puzzle,” he said.

“If we were to rely on putting a resolution forward and letting other municipalities support it, and then the government will act, they’ll never do anything. It’s a tool in the toolbox.”

The value, Sampson argues, comes when local governments can demonstrate broad support from communities across British Columbia.

“So we have a resolution. Go for it. We get wide support from municipalities across the province, it passes. Now we use that as our leverage in those meetings, those follow ups in government, as an example of the type of support we have for what we need from government.”

Resolutions approved by delegates do not have the force of law and cannot compel provincial action. However, they often provide municipal leaders with a mandate and a unified provincial voice when pursuing policy changes.

This year’s convention also arrives at an unusual time politically. Every municipality in British Columbia will hold local government elections on Oct. 17, meaning many of the elected officials attending this year’s gathering may not be around when advocacy efforts continue in the months that follow.

The timing raises an important question: how seriously do provincial ministers take requests from councils that could look considerably different after election day?

Ramsay says municipal advocacy does not stop when councils change.

“Council is a continuing body and as a continuing body, the decisions of the previous councils are carried forward,” she said.

“Those advocacy issues don’t become less important because there’s a new council.”

She notes that many of the resolutions brought forward by local governments are rooted in long-standing community concerns and priorities that extend well beyond the term of any individual council.

“A lot of them are derived from the community expressing a need or a desire for change,” Ramsay said. “And so I do think we have those established relationships. Those files will continue regardless of an election.”

That continuity is particularly important for communities such as Prince George, which have spent years advocating for issues ranging from public safety and healthcare to transportation infrastructure and housing.

Municipal leaders say resolutions provide an opportunity to build support among their peers, but the real challenge is ensuring issues remain on government agendas long after the convention ends.

Beyond housing and wildfire funding, another key focus this year will be reconciliation.

Ramsay says delegates can expect significant discussion surrounding British Columbia’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, commonly known as DRIPA.

A special panel focused on reconciliation will be part of the convention programming, giving local governments an opportunity to discuss how municipalities can work alongside Indigenous communities and implement the principles outlined in the legislation.

As hundreds of local officials gather to debate policy, lobby ministers and seek support for community priorities, one message is expected to remain consistent throughout the convention: municipalities want a stronger voice in decisions that directly affect the residents they represent.

For Prince George and communities across B.C., the annual convention remains one of the most important opportunities to make that case directly to the people making decisions in Victoria.

by Cheryl Jahn

UBCM Convention sets stage for municipal advocacy ahead of local elections

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