The B.C. government's response in the aftermath of repeated natural disasters was of particular concern to Sicamous council at the recent Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention.
District of Sicamous representatives attended the Sept. 16-20 convention to rally for regional causes, particularly community resiliency.
"The big take away for me at UBCM, and I cannot speak for all of council on this, was the slow recovery process for communities that have been devastated by fire or flood," Mayor Colleen Anderson said in a statement. "You would think it would be a fast process to get British Columbians back in their homes and moving forward, contributing and rebuilding communities."
Anderson said convention participants heard how the province reached out to assist and offer funding to those impacted on the one hand, but then put up hurdles on the other, adding she was shocked by the stories she heard.
"I was shocked at the province's willingness to help get homeowners , business and communities back to a sense of normal, and then place expensive roadblocks in front of their rebuilding," she said. "The province is adding so much bureaucracy, red tape and levels of government to these owners鈥� that are now trying to gain back, and basically must pay for permission to rebuild their homes on their land, in the same space it was before."
Council also addressed another issue jeopardizing communities, the threat of invasive mussels infecting waterways. Council met with the Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Aquaculture, with Anderson stressing the importance of protecting local waters from quagga and zebra mussels that will "cause future devastation and destroy so much."
That was one of the three resolutions the district submitted for consideration by UBCM delegates 鈥� increased federal funding for the mussel defence program 鈥� which was endorsed in a roundabout way through similar proposals from other communities.
The resolutions regarding a review of the Residential Tenancy Act and economic resiliency for tourism dependent communities were also endorsed at UBCM, while council also had meetings with the relevant ministers.
"These were all discussions about how they can assist us in our community, and they all went well," Anderson said. "However, there is an election on the horizon, so time will tell."
