Provincial Cabinet Ministers have plans for Town Halls for UBCM delegates at 2021 virtual convention

Prince Rupert City Councillors have a week of virtual convention
on the horizon, with the annual UBCM event set for Sept 13-18.
As it was last year, owing to COVID, there will be no travel
required for the Convention which is being held in a virtual format.
(Photo from City of PR info material)

Providing they haven't got virtual convention fatigue by September 17th, the members of Prince Rupert City Council and their Senior staffers, as well as municipal leaders from around the Northwest may want to sit in on some Town Hall events hosted by BC cabinet ministers.

UBCM organizers outlined the project earlier this week, noting of three events of note for community leaders across the province.

The Topic of Supporting resilient Communities is the theme of the first Virtual Town Hall event hosted by Minister of Municipal Affairs Josie Osborne 

She will be joined by Lisa Beare, Minister of Citizen Services Catrine Conroy, Minister of Forests, Lands & Natural Resource Operations Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety & Solicitor General and Kelly Greene, Parliamentary Secretary for Environment, with provincial officials looking to hear from delegates as to what is needed to deepen community resiliency.

As leaders in your communities, the work you do every day is critical to supporting resilient communities in an ever-changing world. 

The ministers participating in this session will speak to resiliency from their ministry’s perspective – be it planning for emergencies by becoming a FireSmart community; improving connectivity to broaden educational and economic opportunities; or evolving forestry management practices and learning how to adapt to climate change.

Planning And Building for Growth is the theme for Session Two, lead by Rob Fleming the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.

His Cabinet team will consist of David Eby, Attorney General and Minister responsible for Housing Adrian Dix, Minister of Health Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Education.

Their discussion with delegates  will focus on  the following theme:

Over the next year, Government will take steps to protect people’s health through the pandemic, while making investments to support a strong recovery and a better future for everyone. 

Together with the direction of local governments, the plan is to support reginal growth planning by building more livable communities with affordable housing options, green transportation infrastructure that saves people time, health care buildings that support locals and an educational system that give our youth a good start in life. 

The conversations of local government leaders with Provincial Ministers and the work we do together will be a critical part in growing local economies and supporting British Columbians.

The final of the three Cabinet Town Halls will explore the topic of a Stronger BC for Everyone, led by Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation.

His panel of ministers will include Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy and Andrew Mercier, Parliamentary Secretary for Skills Training.

The session will review how the pandemic has challenged the province and will seek out some thoughts on how to help BC's communities thrive post COVID.

The pandemic has challenged B.C. in ways we never imagined and shone a light on the work needed to build a better future for everyone. The ministers and parliamentary secretary participating in this session will highlight the Government’s efforts to build a long-term economic plan that will steer the province through the post-pandemic era. 

The panel will discuss efforts that are underway to improve the economic and social fabric of B.C. - such as expanding a skilled workforce; and creating jobs by reducing climate pollution through CleanBC. 

The panelists will also outline the province’s efforts to provide inclusive, affordable universal childcare. This session provides delegates with an opportunity to share perspectives on what will help your communities thrive in a post-COVID world and to inquire about B.C.’s economic recovery pathway.

The Sessions of the 17th will start at 9:30 AM and run concurrently, which will mean that the City Councillors will have to divide up the list and take in the session that most interests them.

The full week of Convention starts on September 13th, more notes on the run up to UBCM can be found from our Talking Points archive here.