Mayor of Pemberton Mike Richman’s words, “Easy is for another guy,” stuck with me last week at a gathering of politicians from British Columbia. The Union of BC Municipalities conference (UBCM) is a flood of ideas, experiences, difficulties and successes.
At the evening events, on the resolution floor and in 15-minute minister meetings, municipal politicians have the opportunity to debate and discourse many community concerns.
UBCM challenges us to collectively find policy solutions to more broad-reaching problems. Important issues: housing, affordability, healthcare and transportation.
Government policy changes are too slow. In a world that is rapidly changing, and where data and innovation are the future of urban growth management, both business and government must start process with agility and vision, and move away from linear thinking.
Keeping up with policy must meet development pressures, and Squamish is currently overwhelmed.
We are experiencing an exponential rate of change in technology. While appreciating the essential process of democracy, making difficult decisions that are supported with data will require futuristic thinking. We often recognize the need to be accountable to a problem too late to make policy decisions that will produce an effective solution. With the implementation of new technologies, and both rapid population growth and movement, perhaps it’s time that we look at how we make decisions. We currently use a “fail or pass” method to introduce policy, and the public decides “yes” or “no.” I wonder what could be done better in how we ask our questions? When so much inaccurate communication and “fake news” biases our decision making, the consequences can have a severe impact on public health and well-being.
People are moving into more collaborative solutions for both work and living space. Every area of British Columbia is facing the strain of population increase, housing issues, social issues and the impact of a rapidly changing, globalizing economy. Taxing our not-for-profit sectors with the financial burdens of managing these excessive problems is not a way forward.
Most local problems are complex, and cannot be resolved with simple solutions. Engaging in real world decision making has to happen with building data systems for more informed decision-making to solve community problems.
When our only source of revenue comes from an over-inflated housing market, and our only resource to resolve a housing crisis is land, it seems necessary to slow down.
We need processes in place and a clear understanding of how uncontrolled growth adds to our future needs and doesn’t detract from livability.
We cannot build our way out of crisis, it must be a deliberative, and decisive alignment of policy from all levels of government.
