AVICC to hold convention in Victoria this week to advocate for change

This week, the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) will be holding its annual general meeting and convention in Victoria to advocate for change on a number of matters affecting BC municipalities. 

The AVICC operates similarly to the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) in that the collective represents all local governments on Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, the Central Coast, the North Coast and Haida Gwaii. 

At the convention, representatives from a number of municipalities will bring forth resolutions for consideration. Resolutions that are passed will then be brought to the provincial and federal governments via the UBCM.

By going through the AVICC, resolutions carry more weight than if one local government were to advocate for the same matter alone. 

At the convention held in Victoria, 40 resolutions will be considered by representatives from 23 communities on Vancouver Island. 

Together, their goal is to bring forward solutions and highlight the need for provincial action to address the challenges facing Vancouver Island and BC’s coastal communities.

According to the AVICC, this year’s resolutions revolve around five central themes:

• Ferries, ports and transportation connectivity
  • There are nine resolutions, from reinstating the Prince Rupert–Alaska ferry terminal to a $10/day student ferry fare pilot and supporting remote ports and small craft harbours
• Forestry, land use and agriculture
  • There are seven resolutions addressing reforms to the Private Managed Forest Land program, raw log exports and strengthening Agricultural Land Commission enforcement capacity
• Property taxation, assessment and local government revenue
  • There are seven resolutions focused on fair taxation of short-term rentals, modern cost-recovery from telecom use of municipal rights-of-way and increased provincial library funding
• Community safety and public safety capacity
  • There are five resolutions on volunteer firefighter training, police detention standards, repeat-offender intervention and wildfire response readiness
• Economic resilience, energy and climate action
  • There are four resolutions, including calls for energy certainty on Vancouver Island and tools for communities to reduce emissions from existing buildings

“This year’s resolutions reflect the practical experiences of local governments working every day to serve their communities,” said Ben Geselbracht, AVICC president.

“From Oak Bay to Port Hardy, from Tofino to the North Coast, members are identifying where support, partnership and renewed attention from senior governments can make a real difference.”

To view all 40 resolutions in detail, click here. 

The AVICC general meeting and convention is being held at the Victoria Conference Centre from Friday, April 24th to Sunday, April 26th.