UBCM 2025 - Charting The Course

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​It’s that time again! Conference time!

The conference I am referring to is the annual UBCM (Union of British Columbia Municipalities) Conference, held from September 22 to 26, 2025, in Victoria. In the 7 years I have spent on the Princeton Town Council, this is the first UBCM I have attended in Victoria, a place I was last in when I was still in high school. I recall that I was there for a field trip back in 1976 or 1977, so everything there would be fresh and new to me this time around.

I got to the hotel late Sunday afternoon (September 21) and walked around the Inner Harbour of the James Bay neighbourhood of Victoria to locate venues I would be spending time at over the next several days. The Parliament Buildings were literally two doors from the hotel, and the Victoria Conference Centre (behind the Empress Hotel) was a couple of blocks away. I tried to register early for the conference, but had to wait for the following morning.

Here is a short breakdown of each day spent in Victoria:

Monday, September 22
I attended a two-hour session titled “Healthcare: The Heart of the Community.” I was expecting something big, positive, and amazing. Instead, the tone of the presentation was the opposite, painting a rather bleak picture of the future of healthcare in British Columbia. I hoped this was not going to be the overall flavour of the sessions I was scheduled to attend.

In the afternoon, I attended a two-hour session titled “Libraries on the Front Lines,” which had a more positive tone, outlining many ways local libraries connect with their communities. Today’s library is far more than books. As the ORL (Okanagan Regional Library) CEO Danielle Hubbard shared, libraries provide shelter and comfort to many new and displaced individuals and are sometimes the site of serious, stressful situations. Her presentation (one of several during the session) focused on how the opioid crisis has impacted the delivery of services provided by libraries and the extra training library staff receive to deal with various issues that may arise.

At 4pm, I joined the rest of the Princeton delegation for the first of ten “minister meetings” scheduled for the week. This one was with the Minister of Forests, Honourable Ravi Parmar. It was my first time inside the Parliament Buildings in over 40 years. Once we all cleared security, we were escorted to our meeting in the Minister’s office.

Tuesday, September 23
Today was a full day of sessions for me. I attended the three-hour Small Talk Forum, which featured several short presentations from various community leaders. The topics varied, but mostly outlined “good news stories” of triumph over adversity and demonstrated how local governments worked with other levels of government and agencies to reach success.

In the evening, I attended the UBCM Community Excellence Awards Ceremony and Reception. Several communities from throughout BC were vying for these awards in different categories. Each had created a solution to a local problem, and the general theme was innovation. Princeton did not have an entry this year.

Wednesday, September 24
This was our busiest day, which was mostly spent in various halls and offices of the Parliament Buildings. In the morning, we met with Minister of Agriculture and Food, Honourable Lana Popham, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, Honourable Kelly Greene, and Minister of Health, Honourable Josie Osborne.

We all attended the annual SILGA (Southern Interior Local Government Association) Lunch, as the Town of Princeton is a member. Then more minister meetings in the afternoon, including the Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, Honourable Sheila Malcolmson, and the Minister of Education and Child Care, Honourable Lisa Beare.

Thursday, September 25
Today was another day full of meetings. In the morning, we met with Minister of Mining and Critical Minerals, Honourable Jagrup Brar, and Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Honourable Spencer Chandra Herbert.

In the afternoon, meetings included Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, Honourable Christine Boyle, and Minister of Environment and Parks, Honourable Tamara Davidson. The topic of discussion was different for each of our ten meetings, and private, so I can’t say much about them, but you can probably guess what some were about based on the ministry represented. Plus, Princeton was lucky to receive ten scheduled meetings. Many delegates told me they were either turned down or only received confirmation for two or three meetings.

The evening featured the annual UBCM Banquet and Reception, where BC Premier David Eby socialized with delegates and awards were presented. In addition to UBCM Life Memberships, Long Service Awards were also distributed, and Princeton’s Councillor Randy McLean received one for his years of service on the Princeton Town Council.

Other Activities
Although I did find time each evening to get in some walking (I logged just under 19km in recorded walks, I’m sure I did closer to 30km, counting all the other trips between venues), I also attended sessions that made sense to me. As I share the Healthcare Portfolio and have an appointment to sit on the ORL Board, going to sessions on healthcare and libraries were logical choices. I also attended an evening reception at the James Bay branch of the Victoria Public Library.

As for networking opportunities, I made sure to connect with old and new peers at lunches, dinners, and receptions. The CUPE-sponsored reception was one such example. I also “floated” to other activities when possible and sat in on part of the Address by the Leader of the Opposition, John Rustad. I chose to skip the closing ceremonies on Friday morning (September 26) so I could get home midday.

Conclusion
UBCM this year attracted around 3,000 delegates. These were mayors, councillors, regional directors, CEOs, and staff from communities throughout British Columbia. The common thread I discovered through conversations with other elected officials centred around infrastructure and housing. There is obviously no simple solution to these and other issues faced today by British Columbia’s municipalities.

​However, UBCM gives us a forum to discuss them and access to provincial ministers so we can take our specific concerns to them directly. Does it help? I think that when you sit face-to-face with a decision maker, you stand a better chance of being heard than you do with an email. Results take time, but you have to keep at it and UBCM gives Princeton Town Council an opportunity to keep advocating for the citizens of our community, something we all take very seriously.