Editor's Note - amendments announced today were primarily pushed for by local elected officials through their collective organization, the Union of BC Municipalities or UBCM
The B.C. government will introduce legislation during the current legislative session to change local elections from a three-year to a four-year cycle beginning with the 2014 elections, Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Coralee Oakes announced today.
Subject to legislative approval, the next B.C. local elections after November 2014 will be in October 2018.
Four-year terms will give local governments more time to consult, plan and achieve community goals - and also help to manage election costs.
All other Canadian provinces hold local government elections every four years.
Extending the term of office will apply to B.C.'s mayors and all elected officials serving municipalities, regional districts, parks boards, school boards and the Islands Trust.
Moving to four-year terms was recommended by the Local Government Elections Task Force. Last year, the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) passed a resolution supporting extension of the term of office for elected local government officials from three to four years. The BC School Trustees Association also supports the change.
The move to four-year terms is part of a package of local election reforms planned for the current legislative session. The changes will modernize election campaign financing rules ahead of the 2014 local elections.
The Hon. Coralee Oakes - Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development stated:
"My experience as a municipal councillor convinced me that to succeed in today's complex world, local governments need enough time to plan and complete projects that build strong, inclusive communities. I'm confident this change, supported by UBCM and the task force, will help local governments continue to make B.C.'s communities great places to live and work."
Meanwhile, Rhona Martin - President of UBCM said:
"B.C. local governments endorsed a resolution in support of four-year terms at the 2013 UBCM convention. I am pleased to see another recommendation to update local government elections legislation moving ahead."
1 comment:
The Local Government Elections Task Force and the UBCM were essentially one and the same thing (4 of the 7 members of the Task Force, a majority, were UBCM executives and the Task Force Report News Release stated "your UBCM representatives relied upon and advocated for established UBCM policies"). Although other input was frustrated by announcing the opportunity through local governments, 78.6% of organizations submitting were against extending the term of office and 61.2% of individuals were against extending. Even Local Government input was 51.4% against extending (confirmed by the UBCM vote against later that year)! Clearly, none of them were listened to! Even the UBCM went back and forth on their support, voting against in 2006 and 2010 and for in 2007 and 2013.
Any Council member worth a tinker's damn had better be 'up-to-speed' in much less than a year - giving them another year is just showing disrespect for the taxpayer.
Since extension moves voters/taxpayers further away from the 'ideal' of direct democracy (the courts have held that elections are the only place that voters can hold politicians accountable for their misdeeds/poor performance/lies), it should be considered only if it can demonstrate clear support from all stakeholders. This change does not even come close to passing that test.
Finally, if this is the norm in all other provinces, the government should be required to provide data which proves that the benefits they are touting are actually realized.
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