Island issues to hit the table

Pot addiction, raw logs, council terms all up for debate at Victoria convention

Everything from banning raw log exports to funding treatment for marijuana addiction will be up for debate as politicians gather in Victoria April 13 to 15 for the annual Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities convention.

“This is where the Island-specific issues get brought up,” said Victoria Coun. Chris Coleman, a director with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

“The normal flow is you deal with it here and, perhaps, send it straight onto the province or through [the Union of B.C. Municipalities] conference to seek support from specific ministers or ministries.”

The AVICC convention might be smaller that its UBCM and FCM cousins, but it’s important for relationship building and creating alliances, said Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps.

“It’s mostly important as an opportunity for elected officials on Vancouver Island and coastal communities to gather and talk about issues that are relevant in our communities,” Helps said.

“I find it an incredibly useful conference.”

Resolutions to be debated at the conference cover a wide range of topics.

“The tricky thing about local government is that everything lands on our doorstep whether it’s within our jurisdiction or not. I think that’s why you see both at AVICC and at UBCM what might be called an eclectic collection of resolutions,” Helps said. “That’s what daily life in local government looks like.”

Resolutions up for debate include: • North Saanich is calling for the federal government to use all profits not shared with the provinces from the legalization of recreational cannabis for addiction treatment, prevention and education. The municipality also adds that those involved in the manufacture, production, distribution and sale of marijuana should establish a minimum $500-million trust for treating addicted persons.

“If we have learned anything from the use of alcohol and tobacco, there will be serious and often irreversible effects due to marijuana consumption,” the preamble to the resolution reads. • Both Metchosin and Nanaimo have introduced resolutions calling on the province to rescind the four-year term for municipal councils and return to a three years, which, according to the Metchosin resolution, would allow for greater accountability to residents. • Nanaimo council — which has gained notoriety this term for its dysfunctional antics which have included: lawsuits, apologies, resignations and RCMP investigations — has also introduced a motion calling for the province to strengthen penalties for municipal councillors who breach confidentiality provisions of the Community Charter. • The Port Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, noting that $805 million in unprocessed logs were exported from B.C. in 2017 compared with $278 million exported in 2008, wants the AVICC to call on the province to enact policies that prohibit raw log exports without provincial wood-processing needs and capacity being evaluated and met. • The AVICC executive, saying there could be significant cost impacts for local governments associated with the province’s new employer health tax brought in to replace medical services plan premiums, wants the province to delay its implementation to allow for consultation.

The convention will feature a number of workshops on topics such as responding to the overdose crisis, resilient shorelines and the national strategy on abandoned and wrecked vessels.