Union of BC Municipalities

06/10/2026

Nominations for the next UBCM Executive are now open. Advanced nominations are due July 31. Elections will be held at the 2026 Convention in Vancouver.
https://www.ubcm.ca/about-ubcm/president-executive/nominations-elections

05/15/2026

Metro Vancouver's Repair Cafes are events where residents bring broken electronics, jewelry, bikes and even clothing, for free repairs and advice from skilled community volunteers. It's part of their mission to divert waste from the landfill, and promote sustainability.

The initiative won Excellence in Sustainability at the 2025 UBCM Community Excellence Awards, and we're showcasing all the winners for Local Government Awareness Week. (PS Nominations for the 2026 awards are being accepted until May 29)

https://buff.ly/j9kc8hy

05/14/2026

Facing a critical shortage of lifeguards and swim instructors, the Township of Esquimalt started integrating lifeguard certification into high school PE classes. Now 24% of Esquimalt’s lifeguard workforce are program graduates.

This initiative won Excellence in Service Delivery at the 2025 UBCM Community Excellence Awards. We're showcasing the winners this week as part of Local Government Awareness Week.

(PS – Nominations for the 2026 Community Excellence Awards are being accepted until May 29)

https://buff.ly/xTTUluR

05/13/2026

Like many small communities, the City of Greenwood faces the challenge of meeting service expectations with limited financial capacity. Deferred maintenance and tight budgets had the city dealing with emergency repairs and reactionary finances.

So it took a new approach. Instead of treating infrastructure planning as a bureaucratic task, they reimagined a collaborative, community-driven effort. 'Resilient Greenwood: Building the Future Together' is a transparent, engagement-based asset management plan that's shifting the narrative from talking about taxes to focusing on services.

Greenwood won Excellence in Asset Management at the 2025 UBCM Community Excellence Awards, which we're showcasing for Asset Management Day.

(PS Nominations for the 2026 UBCM Community Excellence Awards are being accepted until May 29)

https://buff.ly/Pdxaz5l

05/12/2026

The Village of Cache Creek experienced a devastating flood in 2023, and residents needed consistent updates, clear explanations, and visibility into recovery progress, costs, and decision‑making. So the team at Cache Creek developed a system to share real‑time information on recovery projects, timelines, mitigation efforts and funding.

Their 'Transparent Recovery Initiative' won the Excellence in Governance Award at the 2025 UBCM Community Excellence Awards, which we're showcasing for Local Government Awareness Week. (PS Nominations for the 2026 awards are being accepted until May 29)

https://buff.ly/KGKJbpE

05/11/2026

05/11/2026

Local Government Awareness Week starts today — and this year's
Union of BC Municipalities theme, Financial Resiliency, points squarely to the work our members do every day.

Behind every balanced budget, every funded reserve, every long-term financial plan, and every asset management decision — there's a finance officer thinking ten, twenty, or fifty years ahead.

Financial resiliency isn't an event. It's the everyday discipline of planning for your community's needs long after today's pressures pass.

To the 1,400+ finance professionals across BC: thank you for the work you do, often quietly, that keeps your communities prepared for what's next.

💬 Share your community's resilience story this week — tag GFOABC or use .

05/11/2026

For Local Government Awareness Week, we're featuring the 2025 winners of the UBCM Community Excellence Awards. The District of Saanich won the Presidents Committee Choice Award for its asset management strategy. Saanich's plan was recognized for its forward‑thinking approach to managing community assets and delivering services sustainably. https://buff.ly/bMULg3W

05/07/2026

UBCM, along with four business organizations, is refusing to sign an NDA on the Heritage Conservation Act over concerns that the Province continues to move towards legislation without properly considering feedback provided during its latest consultation period.

Read the full press release here. https://buff.ly/5XN6vUD

04/24/2026

UBCM has asked the Province to spend more time learning about the implications of its proposed amendments to the Heritage Conservation Act. Based on the technical policy paper released in late March, and subsequent conversations with members, we are concerned about the level of ambiguity and questions that appear to have been unconsidered. At this time, we do not believe the policy work is ready for legislation.

https://buff.ly/j9JdGpV