Meeting of the Mayors

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Meeting of BC Mayors Calls for Realignment of Resources

By BC Mayor's Caucus

PENTICTON - At the close of the inaugural meeting, 86 mayors from across BC are calling for an immediate discussion, beginning with the Premier and Cabinet, to examine the state of BC communities, and specifically, for a more efficient use of existing resources to better address the challenges facing residents. The BC Mayors' Caucus endorsed the following statement: "BC communities are frontline service providers for our citizens and we are seeking a new partnership with the provincial and federal governments in the best interests of all of our communities. The BC Mayors' Caucus requests an immediate discussion on the efficient use of existing resources to better address the challenges our residents face." The mayors outlined a number of specific areas that need to be addressed including: Create a Premier's Round Table with the BC Mayors' Caucus to discuss public policy changes that affect local government budgets and delivery of services; Eliminate the ad hoc granting process in favour of one that is sustainable, accountable, quantifiable and allows for long term planning by local governments; Expand the mandate of the Municipal Auditor General to include an examination of the financial impacts of downloading on local governments; Develop a round table on aging infrastructure that includes federal, provincial and local government participation; Affirm the core service delivery of each order of government; Redesign the cost sharing formula for significant infrastructure projects to reflect the tax revenue distribution; If services are devolved to local governments, a sustainable revenue source for those services must be identified; Develop a coordinated approach to how social services are delivered into a community; Call for a full review of ambulance service delivery; Establish flexibility around the federal gas tax to be goal oriented to the priorities of the specific communities; Expand the application of the fair share principles province-wide and to include other industry sectors. Steering Committee member Mayor Shari Green of Prince George said the feeling in the room was clear. "This was an incredibly beneficial meeting where it became evident that BC mayors have, for the first time, come together as peers with a single voice. This is a new day in the way we as mayors will move forward for the benefit of all of our residents."