Civic politicians seek workers comp coverage

City councillors should have WorkSafeBC coverage in case they are somehow injured on the job, some B.C. politicians say.

Elected officials should also be able to take paid time off if they have a baby, and get out of jury duty if summoned.

Resolutions along these lines are among the topics up for discussion in midSeptember when local politicians participate in the Union of BC Municipalities’ annual convention.

Again this year, the gathering will be a virtual affair, owing to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Resolutions covering a broad range of political, social, economic, and environmental topics are debated at the convention. A few of the ideas submitted for consideration by local politicians this year focus on enhancing the life of a local politician.

These include:

— Local politicians in north-central B.C. say elected elected officials are “regularly exposed to health and safety risks, including COVID-19, in the course of serving their communities.

They’d like the province to change regulations so town and city councillors are covered by WorkSafeBC provisions.

— The Local Government Act does not allow town or city councillors, who serve four-year terms between elections, to take paid time off if they have a baby.

The lack of maternity and parental leave, Squamish politicians say, “specifically disadvantages young and female candidates from running for office and hence is a systemic barrier to attracting more diverse and representative candidates to local government”

— Currently, when they get a jury summons, town and city councillors must report for duty. Fort St. John councillors would like to change that, giving local officials the same automatic exemption already enjoyed by provincial and federal politicians.

“Local government elected officials actively lobby for legislative amendments, oversee their RCMP detachment work plans, and are privy to sensitive information that could create a real or perceived conflict of interest if required to participate on a jury in their local government,” the Fort St. John councillors say.

After each of the resolutions is debated at the UBCM convention, a vote is held on whether or not the idea will be formally passed along to the provincial government. Months later, Victoria provides a response to each resolution.

For this year’s UBCM convention, no resolutions are being brought forth by councillors from Kelowna, West Kelowna, Lake Country or Peachland.

Vernon delegates propose a pause in the province’s implementation of a new system for emergency management costs, and Penticton’s representatives say it should be easier for wineries to sell their products at off-site locations.