The North Central Local Government Association endorsed a resolution put forward by the City of Williams Lake
The resolution requests the provincial and federal governments to revise their infrastructure grant formulas to not require matching funds from the local governments or to consider another system that does not require cash-strapped communities to borrow funds in order to take advantage of infrastructure funding programs.
This resolution was combined with a similar resolution from the City of Prince Rupert.
Members of Williams Lake City Council attended the 57th annual NCLGA Convention in 100 Mile House this week.
The NCLGA convention brings together local government elected officials from across the north to discuss issues of importance to northern communities and to pass resolutions of these matters that will be forward to the Union of BC Municipalities Convention in the fall.
At the convention, delegates considered 37 resolutions dealing with issues such as transportation, environment, legislation, finance, energy and social/health issues.
The 2012 convention also provided opportunities for local government officials to hear presentations on a number of regional and provincial initiatives such as the BC Jobs Plan, Healthy Families BC, integrated community sustainability planning, regional economic development, First Nations relationship building, carbon off-sets and energy efficiency, adapting to climate change and others.
During the convention, Mayor Kerry Cook met with representatives from Interior Health, Minister of Community Sport and Cultural Development Ida Chong and attended a Cariboo Chilcotin Beetle Action Coalition board meeting to convey issues such as the need to implement the Cariboo Memorial Hospital Master Plan.
Councillor Danica Hughes attended a session on First Nations relationship building by Esk’etemc Chief Fred Robbins. He told the group that First Nations want to work together with non-First Nations people, and want to be included in dialogue in the beginning stages of resource projects to give input.
Delegates heard speeches from Premier Christy Clark and Chong who both stressed the importance of resource-rich northern communities such as Williams Lake, and their relevance to the rest of the province.
"Regional collaboration is important in finding the opportunities within the current economic challenges northern communities face,” Cook says in a news release. “It is critical that we send a strong and united message to the province and Canada concerning rural and northern issues, and this convention allows us to do just that.”
In addition to Cook and Hughes, other council members at the convention were Laurie Walters, Sue Zacharias, and Ivan Bonnell, as well as CAO Brian Carruthers.
The 2013 NCLGA Convention will be held in Quesnel.