The Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) has released its 2013 provincial election platform, setting out points of discussion for British Columbia's four main political parties and the next provincial government.
"Initiatives like the Community Charter have advanced the role played by local governments in British Columbia over the past decade," said UBCM president Mary Sjostrom. "We want to engage with all parties throughout the campaign to talk about the current needs of BC's communities, and how local government can work together with the provincial government to seek solutions."
The platform, Building Tomorrow Together, highlights five key priorities of local government: governance, finance, infrastructure, economic development and the environment. UBCM is posing questions for each priority to the B.C. Liberal Party, the New Democratic Party of B.C., the Conservative Party of B.C. and the Green Party of B.C. These questions are provided in the backgrounder following. UBCM will update its 2013 Provincial Election webpage with the responses form each party throughout the campaign.
Metro Vancouver has also sent questions to the four main political parties and will make the answers public well before the May 14 election.
"The decisions made by the next provincial government will have a profound impact on the livability of communities and their ability to pay for services that residents and businesses need," said Metro Vancouver Board Chair Greg Moore. "This is the time for a broad-based, non-partisan discussion about how the province can best nurture and support communities."
To download the platform, go to http://www.ubcm.ca/EN/main/resources/ubcm-2013-election-platform.html.
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