Pubdate: Wed, 10 Feb 2016
Source: Nelson Star (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 Black Press
Contact:  http://www.bclocalnews.com/kootenay_rockies/nelsonstar/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4866
Author: Bill Metcalfe
Referenced: 2016 AKBLG Resolutions: http://mapinc.org/url/1HdkYJ4I

NELSON COUNCIL LOBBIES PROVINCE AND FEDS

Changes Requested in Hospital Funding, Social Services, and Marijuana 
Regulations

When federal and provincial governments make decisions, municipal 
governments often get stuck with more than their fair share of the 
work and expense.

Last week Nelson council decided to lobby senior governments for 
change on four such issues: capital funding for hospitals, income 
assistance service delivery, marijuana legislation, and marijuana revenues.

Capital funding for hospitals

Municipal taxation covers 40 per cent of provincial hospital funding 
and that cost is reflected in residents' annual property tax bills. 
Council believes this is asking too much of municipalities, and its 
resolution asks the Union of BC Municipalities to petition the 
provincial government to "acknowledge that property tax revenue is an 
unsuitable avenue to fund hospital infrastructure renewal projects, 
and prioritize the urgent review of the historic cost sharing ratio 
with a recommendation to amend current policy accordingly."

Looking for strength in numbers, council will take resolutions on 
that issue, and the three discussed below, to the annual meeting of 
the Association of Kootenay Boundary Local Governments to be held in 
Kimberley April 27 to 29. If passed there, the resolutions will be 
taken to the annual meeting of the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM). 
If it adopts them, the UBCM will lobby the provincial and federal governments.

The full text of the resolutions and some background information on 
each can be found attached to the online version of this story at 
nelsonstar.com .

Income service delivery

Recently the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation has 
been delivering social assistance services remotely by centralized 
phone lines and online. Council thinks these changes create barriers 
for the people being served.

Their resolution asks the UBCM to lobby the provincial government to 
"ensure that people requiring help to access income assistance 
receive such help appropriate to their needs and abilities (in-person 
where required) in a timely manner, and in a way that does not place 
additional economic burden on that person (e.g. repeatedly using pay 
as you go cell phone minutes waiting on hold for excessive lengths of 
time, paying for computer/Internet usage, travelling long distances 
to ministry offices from surrounding areas due to local office 
closures, etc.) and further, in a manner that does not download the 
responsibility for this assistance to other service providers without 
compensation for such additional work."

Councillor Valerie Warmington supported the proposed resolution by 
pointing out that wait times in social services offices can be more 
than 70 minutes. Councillor Robin Cherbo said the new procedures 
discriminate against people who don't have, or don't know how to use, 
computers.

Marijuana legislation

Recognizing that the federal government intends to legalize 
marijuana, municipal governments are unclear about what their 
regulatory role will be. (See related story, page 1.)

In its resolution, council asks the government to commit to 
"consultations with provincial and municipal governments, and adopt a 
coordinated approach when introducing regulation of marijuana by 
providing provincial and municipal governments adequate time to align 
and integrate regional and local regulations and practices with new 
federal laws when they are enacted."

Marijuana revenues

Recognizing there will be tax revenues from legalized marijuana and 
that policing costs are likely to decline, council's resolution asks 
the UBCM to lobby the federal government "to share a portion of 
revenues realized from the legalization and regulation of marijuana 
together with a share of savings realized from reduced enforcement 
costs with provincial and municipal governments given the marked 
impact that marijuana sales and distribution will have upon Canadian 
communities and the need for direct investments to youth engagement 
initiatives not limited to recreation, employment, community and 
cultural programs."

Council supported Cherbo's suggestion that the wording of this 
resolution should "include health programs, because people will still 
have addiction problems."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom