www.ubcm.ca | October 8, 2025 | View in browser

CAOs surveyed on Heritage Conservation Act amendments

A survey of Chief Administrative Officers regarding 57 proposed changes to the Heritage Conservation Act opens tomorrow. The Province has acknowledged that the initial engagement process with local governments was too limited and has extended the deadline for input from local governments and others until November 14.

The Province has shared a primer for local governments with background on the proposed changes. UBCM is seeking qualitative and quantitative input from CAOs on the potential for local government impacts and indications where further information would be needed in order to develop an informed opinion. The findings from the survey will form the basis of a preliminary report that will be shared with local elected officials in early November. Survey access will be sent directly to CAOs on Thursday, October 9.

CONVENTION

Win an Apple watch: Fill in the 5-minute Evaluation

Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts about the 2025 UBCM Convention through the 5-minute evaluation. UBCM hopes to improve the Convention and associated activities to better reflect your needs and requirements. All delegates who complete the survey will be entered into a raffle to win an Apple Watch SE3 valued at $329.

Last chance to enter: Survey closes Wednesday Oct. 15.

Resolutions referred to UBCM Executive

From the 200+ resolutions brought forward to Convention this year, 57 have been referred to Executive to consider. Most of these are resolutions that were not considered at Convention due to lack of time. Executive will address these resolutions during the next quarterly meeting in November. View the full list of referred resolutions.

Presentations from 2025 Convention

Presentation files from the sessions held at Convention are now available online.

Full videos from two key sessions – 'Implications from the Cowichan Tribes decision', and 'Heritage Conservation Act: Update on proposed changes' – are available on UBCM's Convention YouTube playlist.

EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

Water resource management engagement

The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship is seeking feedback from local governments on proposed changes to key environmental regulations and permitting processes related to the management of water, riparian areas and wetlands. The Ministry will host a series of virtual engagement sessions and online surveys to share additional information and solicit input. Read more.

Electoral Area Directors Forum: March 10-11, 2026

The 2026 Electoral Area Directors Forum will be held March 10-11 (Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning) at the Radisson Vancouver Airport Hotel in Richmond, BC. This event will be immediately followed by the Local Government Leadership Academy forum. More details to come.

Emissions tracking tools for local governments

Two new online tools are available to help local governments measure and reduce the environmental impact of organizational consumption. The tools, developed by BCIT’s Centre for Ecocities, focus on Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions, which are the indirect emissions linked to travel, goods and food. The tools offer insights that are often missing from traditional climate reporting. Read more.

ICYMI

CAO engagement on amendments to the Heritage Conservation Act: Survey opens October 9; Webinars: November 7. (Links sent directly to CAOs.)
FIFA World Cup public watch parties: Expression of interest by October 15.
Webinar for elected officials on Infrastructure Projects Act (Bill 15): October 22
Asset Management BC’s annual conference: November 4-6, 2025.