Lower Mainland Local Government Association 2008 Conference Report

I believe councillors should provide written reports to the rest of Council when we attend a municipal conference. The following memo, written by me, was distributed to Township Council today.

Last week, I attended the 2008 LMLGA conference in Whistler. While Councillors Ferguson, Kositsky, Long, Richter, and Ward were also present, I thought the other members of Council would appreciate an update on the meetings.

The sessions were, for the most part, informative. Premier Gordon Campbell gave the keynote address, calling on local governments to address the issues of an aging population and to reduce carbon emissions. Community Services Minister Ida Chong also spoke, recapping the government’s record on municipal affairs.

The following 2008 LMLGA Executive was acclaimed:

• President Corinne Lonsdale, Squamish
• 1st Vice President James Atebe, Mission
• 2nd Vice President Sav Dhaliwal, Burnaby
• Directors at Large: Matt Todd (White Rock), Barb Steele (Surrey), Kim Capri (Vancouver), and Craig Spiers (Maple Ridge).
• Our own Bob Long will serve as Past President

Of interest to our citizens were some of the resolutions that were debated:

• A motion to ask TransLink to roll back fare increases was narrowly defeated. I voted against this measure. As Surrey’s Marvin Hunt noted, the transit system is subsidized 2/3rds by people who do not use it. Having users carry 1/3 of the cost seems to me to be a fair balance.
• A call to the provincial government to allow municipalities to levy a 2% tax on alcohol to fund police services was passed. I supported this, as policing has become a huge cost item for municipalities.
• A motion to ask the Province to allow local governments to ban all cosmetic pesticides passed narrowly.
• A motion to ask the Province to prohibit bio fuels made from food grains passed narrowly. I did not support this motion, as it seemed to general. Waste crops and substandard crops may in fact be put to good use as bio fuel.
• A motion to lobby the provincial government to ban plastic bags was narrowly defeated. I did not support this measure as I believe inducements are a better way to change behaviour at this point.
• A motion asking the BC government to share all lottery corporation revenue with all municipalities was narrowly defeated. This was especially unpopular with those communities who rely on casino revenue, as they feared it would cut into their take. I supported the motion, as it would have applied mainly to lottery ticket sales.
• A motion asking the Province to ban battery cages for hens was defeated.

The most important meeting for me, however, was a conversation over lunch with Dale Littlejohn, manager, strategy and outreach, of the Community Energy Association. I was able to bounce several ideas off of him regarding energy-efficient development and other issues. He provided me with a lot of useful information, which I am now reading through. This will likely form the foundation of some initiatives I'll bring forward later this year.