The province’s municipal leaders are gathering in Victoria this week for the Union of British Columbia Munipalities’ annual convention.
More than 200 resolutions are up for discussion at this year’s convention.
Perhaps the most controversial is a call for the decriminalization and regulation of the sale of marijuana.
There’s also a petition to get the federal government to maintain coast guard staffing levels, as well as a resolution that would oppose increased tanker traffic on BC’s coast.
And…even the UBCM might have a new name after this weekend, as one resolution proposes a name change to become the Union of BC Local Governments.
Bill Bennett, BC’s Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, says he understands municipalities need the province’s help when it comes to major infrastructure projects.
But speaking with CKNW’s Sean Leslie, he stops short when it comes to cities getting a share of the PST or carbon tax.
“I don’t know how useful it is to talk about the different revenue streams, really, with the province. I mean, I’m happy to listen, but it’s all the same pot. What we’re talking about is more money out of this pot of money that the province has and if we take it from carbon tax, we have to replace it. So how do we do that?”
Bennett adds the provincial government is working hard to balance its budget, especially with a recently discovered a $ 1billion hole because of falling natural gas revenues.