The Regional District of Nanaimo has lined up 10 resolutions that will be submitted for consideration at the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities Convention that will take place in Nanaimo this spring.
The AVICC convention will be held at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre from April 11-13.
Three of the resolutions submitted last July to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities 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 convention include:
Fire resilient forest practices: Calling the province to amend the forest practices code of B.C. and private managed forest land act to ensure forests in a three-kilometre 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 zones.
Hybrid wolf-dogs: 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 wolf-dogs.
Tiny homes and RVs: Encouraging the province to advocate for and provide incentives to industry groups to revisit industry standards 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 the B.C. 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: Requesting that the Ministry of Forests implement the recommendations provided by local governments and First Nations during the 2019 private managed forest lands program review.
Provincial waste hauler licensing: Requesting that the province establish a provincewide 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: Requesting that once the province approves a solid waste management plan, no further approvals be required for a regional district to pursue policy actions outlined in the plan.
Provincial circular economy strategy: Requesting 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 re-manufacturing and re-processing capacity for recyclable materials.
Conserving landfill capacity: Requesting 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.
