Details

WHEREAS The Province is supportive of community social well-being and recognizes municipalities as partners in delivering social services, health care, justice and education services;

AND WHEREAS our communities are limited in their capacity to deliver many of these services and are facing increasing social challenges;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the NCLGA call upon the Province of British Columbia to initiate the development of a Social Policy Framework that will set out key policy directions, roles and expectations required to coordinate the multiple organizations involved in meeting our social needs.

Additional Information

UBCM Comments: The UBCM membership has not previously considered a resolution requesting that the provincial government initiate consultation with British Columbians toward the development of a social policy framework for BC.

UBCM understands that at present, the Local Government Act permits an individual local government to address social policy in its official community plan. Specifically:

878. (1) An official community plan may include the following:

(a) policies of the local government relating to social needs, social well-being and social development.

The resolution being proposed would support broad discussion province-wide about social aspects of public policy. It is unclear to UBCM whether the outcomes of such discussion might impact a local government’s own ability to set social policy.

In terms of broad public policy, UBCM notes that members have endorsed resolutions raising a range of social, health, justice and education issues that might be encompassed by a social policy framework (2013-B52, 2012-B41, 2012-B110, 2011-A4, 2011-B74, 2011-B108, 2010-B12, 2010-B44, 2010-B48, 2010-B115, 2010-B154, 2008-B46, 2007-LR8, 2006-B52, 2006-B162, 2005-B143, 2005-B156, 2005-B159, 2004-B35, 2004-B36, 2004-B102, 2003-SR3, 2003-B36, 2003-B40, 2003-B101, 2003-B136, 2001-B73, 2000-B109, 1999-A14, 1999-B95, 1999-B96, 1995-A12, 1995-LR1, 1994-B99, 1992-B56, 1990-A20, 1988-A11, 1987-A21).