The BC Urban Mayors’ Caucus singled out Mayor Lyn Hall for praise, after the provincial government signed a memorandum of understanding with the Union of B.C. Municipalities to improve the financial model for local governments in B.C.
Creating a new fiscal relationship between municipalities and higher levels of government was identified by the B.C. Urban Mayors’ Caucus as one of four priorities in an report published in 2020.
“We recognize the incredible work done to date, including that of our colleague, Prince George Mayor Lyn Hall who has been a steward of this initiative as the co-chair of the Select Committee on Local Government Finance,” Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran said in a press release. “This MOU is a testament of what can be accomplished through dialogue and collaboration across levels of government.”
The B.C. Urban Mayors’ Caucus is a lobby group made up of the mayors of Abbotsford, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, New Westminster, Prince George, Richmond, Saanich, Surrey, Vancouver and Victoria. Basran co-chairs the mayors’ group with Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps.
In addition to financial reform, the group has identified mental health and addictions treatment, affordable housing and public transit as key priorities for B.C.’s urban communities.
“Municipalities across the province are bearing the burden of escalating costs that are further intensified by the ongoing health pandemic and the downloading of Federal and Provincial responsibilities by default rather than design,” Basran said.
“A new, collaborative, and modernized fiscal relationship model that goes beyond property taxes is critical to the economic, social and environmental health of our communities. We look forward to a new model emerging that is fair and ensures the financial security and sustainability of communities across the province. While we recognize the need to get it right, we see the need for the work to be completed in a timely fashion to best serve B.C.’s communities.”
