Skip to content

RDN to submit resolutions for AVICC convention in April

10 resolutions to be submitted for consideration
27814925_web1_220119-pqn-rdn-rainwater-strategy-rdn-_1

The Regional District of Nanaimo has lined up 10 resoultions that will be submitted for consideration at the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities Convention that will take place in Nanaimo, April 11 to April 13.

Three of the resolutions submitted last July to the Union of British Columbia Munincipalities were not accepted for debate as they do not constitute a new and emergency issue.

The board, during its regular meeting on Jan. 14, was informed they can submit them to the AVICC for consideration and voted to do so.

The three resolutions declined at the UBCM converntion include:

• Fire Resilient Forest Practices —  Calling the province to amend the Forest Practices Code of BC Act and Private Manged Forest Land Act to ensure forests in a three-km radius surrounding communities and community infrastructure, including community drinking water reservoirs, are fire-resistant, resilient, biodiverse forests, and to ban the practice of using herbicides to kill deciduous trees and undergrowth within these fire resistant biodiversity zones.

• Hybrid Wolfdogs —  Asking the province to immediately amend either the Controlled Alien Species Regulation or the Wildlife Act to prohibit the breeding and keeping of all mixed Canis familiaris (domestic dog) and Canis lupus (wolf) hybrid wolf-dogs, including F1-3 generations.

• Tiny Homes and RVs — Encouraging the province to advocate for and provide incentives to industry groups to revisit industry standards such as CSA, and create a new category specific to movable tiny homes certified for permanent occupancy that separates tiny homes from motorized vehicles, towable RVs and temporary small trailers, as well, as create a new category specific to RVs certified for permanent occupancy. It also asked the AVICC to encourage the province, as a matter of national importance, to advocate for changes to the National Building Code to recognize and define tiny homes as an allowable dwelling unit and provide specific building requirements, and to follow up any such changes with updates to Part 9 of the BC Building Code.

Six other resolutions were also endorsed by the RDN board to be submitted to the AVICC:

• Sustainable Growing Communities Fund — Asking the AVICC and UBCM to urge the province to establish a sustainable, recurring “Growing Communities Fund” to generate $1 billion annually through progressive taxation, distributed to local governments to provide equitable and sustainable financial support for local governments across the province.

• Private Managed Forest Lands — Request that the Ministry of Forests implement the recommendations provided by local governments and First Nations during the 2019 PMFL Program review.

• Provincial Waste Hauler Licensing — That UBCM request the province establish a province-wide waste hauler licensing system, which includes a mandatory waste reporting system and an economic framework to encourage the management of waste within the region where it was generated.

• Solid Waste Management Approvals — That UBCM request that once the Minister of Environment and Parks approves a Solid Waste Management Plan, no further approvals be required for a regional district to pursue policy actions outlined in the Solid Waste Management Plan.

• Provincial Circular Economy Strategy — That UBCM request the province take meaningful action to develop a comprehensive Circular Economy Strategy which includes public education and economic development considerations, such as expanding the province’s remanufacturing and re-processing capacity for recyclable materials.

• Conserving BC Landfill Capacity — That UBCM request the province develop a long-term waste management strategy that supports a circular economy, prioritizing waste reduction, material reuse, and recycling, while maintaining resilience in the event of emergencies or disasters.

 



Michael Briones

About the Author: Michael Briones

I rejoined the PQB News team in April 2017 from the Comox Valley Echo, having previously covered sports for The NEWS in 1997.
Read more