UBCM names Community Excellence winners for 2022 Convention

A full house was on hand for UBCM Awards Night Tuesday
(Photo courtesy UBCM)

Tuesday was Awards Night at the UBCM convention in Whistler and eight communities were hailed for excellence or honourable mention for initiatives, programs and how they conduct their civic business.

The Community Excellence Awards recognize and celebrate UBCM member First Nations, regional districts and municipalities that have implemented projects or programs that go above and beyond in meeting the purposes of local government in B.C. The awards are intended to showcase outstanding initiatives and share them with other members to implement in their own communities.

There were four categories that made for the celebration of Tuesday.

Service Delivery – by providing effective and beneficial services to the community in a proactive manner and drawing on performance measures, benchmarks and standards to ensure that service delivery is sustainable; 

Asset Management – by developing comprehensive, integrated, innovative and effective approaches to the management of existing and new infrastructure in order to maximize benefits, reduce risk and provide satisfactory levels of service to the community in a sustainable manner; 

Sustainability – through commitment to the premise of meeting current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs, and incorporating the four pillars of sustainability (cultural, social, economic and environmental) into local government planning, policy and practice; and 

Governance – by utilizing decision-making processes and policies that are outcomes-based and consensus oriented, support and encourage citizen participation, are efficient, equitable, inclusive and transparent, and exemplify best practices in accountability, effectiveness, and long-term thinking

Among those honoured by the UBCM for 2022 included:

The Presidents Committee Choice Award is a new initiative introduced in 2021, it serves to recognize a community the UBCM Presidents Committee believed deserved special recognition for exemplary demonstration of excellence and outstanding achievement in relation to a current issue faced by local governments, The COVID-19 response and recovery making for the example of note from the initial  presentation.

Kelowna was recognized for their approach to sharing information with residents on their Real Time Flood Response. 

UBCM has posted a collection of photos from the Awards Night to their Flickr stream

Other notes from UBCM from first few days of the convention observed on the Health Care Plenary Session of  Tuesday afternoon, study sessions on Inclusive Local Government, Reconciliation in Action as well as a look at three local grown solutions on the homelessness issues in communities.

Delegates also took part in a discussion on the need for higher standard of conduct to ensure that Councils and Board reflect the diversity of local communities.

Stikine MLA and Municipal Affair Minister
Nathan Cullen at UBCM
(photo courtesy UBCM)

Among those who participated in the conversation was Municipal Affairs Minister Nathan Cullen.

“I have spoken with far too many people – women, and marginalized persons – who have been made to feel unwelcome when elected into office”  -- Nathan Cullen, Minister of Municipal Affairs.

Those with voting responsibilities at the convention were advised of a technical issue that will put technology to the side for the 2022 convention, making the old fashioned raising of a hand and sign the mechanism of voting for this year.

Delegates are advised that due to a remote system failure, electronic voting will not be available this year. Voting during resolution sessions will take place by raising voting cards provided at the time of registration. In the event of close votes, the Chair will call for a standing count.

You can keep up with what's happening at the Whistler Convention from the UBCM social media feed #UBCM22

More notes on the UBCM Convention and any observations from the Prince Rupert participants can be reviewed through our archive page.