BURST
Indigenous land titles, data centres, and human-bear conflicts are among the concerns top of mind for municipal politicians,as they gather for their annual fall convention and attempt to influence the provincial government’s agenda.
The Union of B.C. Municipalities convention this year is being held in Vancouver, Sept. 14-18.
Here is a look at some interesting motions to be considered by delegates.
Data centre concerns
The Kootenay Boundary Regional District is calling on the province and the B.C. Utilities Commission to regulate the design and operation of new and existing data centres.
The district says the rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence is creating demand for these data centres , that use a lot of energy and need to be cooled with vast amounts of water.
The proposed regulations would “minimize and control data centre energy and water consumption.”
Continuation of the Bear Smart program
According to the City of Port Moody, in late 2025 the B.C. government halted the processing of Bear Smart community program applications.
There has been at least three bear-human interactions this August in Metro Vancouver that have led to human injury and bears being killed.
As a result, Port Moody is asking the provincial government to reactivate the Bear Smart Program , “including the reinstitution of staff and funding to expand and administer the program”.
Transparency in Indigenous negotiations
A court ruling last year that granted Aboriginal title to a swath of land in southeast Richmond has prompted this motion from the Village of Pouce Coupe.
It states the Cowichan Tribes ruling occurred with limited notice or consultation with affected local governments. The resolution calls for the province to establish a transparency framework for Indigenous title and related negotiations that includes “timely information sharing and consultation with affected local governments.”
Raw log export ban
The City of Nanaimo is calling for a ban on exporting raw logs and lumber cants. A cant is a raw log that has had its bark removed.
The motion states that a lack of adequate and affordable wood fibre supply has been identified as a key factor in the continued curtailment or permanent closure of B.C. sawmills and pulp mills.
Over the past five years, on average about 3.2 million cubic metres of raw logs have been exported.
“Therefore be it resolved that UBCM call on the provincial government and federal governments to ban the export of raw logs and lumber cants from B.C. to ensure that forests harvested in B.C. from Crown land and private managed forest lands are processed in B.C., encouraging value-added manufacturing in B.C. and supporting employment in B.C.’s forest industry,” the motion states.
Regulating electric dirt bikes
Electric dirt bikes bought online are starting to show up on city streets as they get marketed to teens by social media influencers like Sur Rontser.
The City of Port Moody is presenting a motion asking that these dirt bikes be regulated under the Motor Vehicle Act.
The proposed regulations would implement minimum age requirements to ride an electric dirt bike and make it mandatory for any person or company selling an electric dirt bike to disclose “operational legalities, and clear disclaimers on permissible usage areas.”