UBCM 2026: Province Pitches Rural BC
The Union of British Columbia Municipalities convention kicked off in style last week in downtown Vancouver, bringing together municipal leaders from towns, cities, villages, and electoral areas from across the province.
The annual convention is an opportunity for local leaders to come together, share challenges, discuss common priorities, and look ahead at the issues facing communities following the October 17th municipal elections.
On the second day of the UBCM convention, electoral area directors gathered to discuss some of the unique challenges facing rural and regional communities across British Columbia.
They also heard directly from two provincial representatives: the Honourable Brittny Anderson, Minister of State for Local Governments and Rural Communities, and Steve Morissette, Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development.
Both spoke directly to electoral area directors about the province's approach to working with local governments, and the importance of working alongside communities across every region and regional district in B.C.
Minister Anderson told the crowd that the province was continuing to work on issues that matter to communities across British Columbia, including those affecting rural and regional districts.
We caught up with Minister Anderson following the Electoral Area Forum to talk about some of the issues that matter most to rural municipal leaders — including roads, working with the provincial government, and changes to the definition of what is considered rural.
For Parliamentary Secretary Morissette, the message to electoral area directors was straightforward.
As a former municipal leader who has now taken on the role of Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development, he says one of his responsibilities is making sure the rural perspective is brought forward when provincial ministries are considering policies and decisions that could affect communities across rural British Columbia.
We spoke one-on-one with Parliamentary Secretary Morissette following his presentation alongside Minister Anderson.
We discussed how he views his relationship with rural municipal leaders across the province, and how the conversations taking place at the Electoral Area Forum reflect many of the same issues and concerns he has been hearing from rural communities throughout British Columbia. ------
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