I have been following with interest the recent Prince George media coverage of Mayor Shari Green's attendance at the Mayors' Caucus held in May at Penticton. I did not sit on the steering committee that arranged the conference and I attended with some significant doubts about the utility of such a meeting. After all, as you pointed out, we already have the UBCM and it has been monumentally unsuccessful in getting our message through to the province. We pass motion after motion only to receive either outright rejection or a promise to do more study. Occasionally, we even get lucky and coincide with existing provincial policy direction, allowing us to claim some meagre victories.
There are significant differences between the UBCM and the Mayors' Caucus. First, there are 1600 delegates attending UBCM. A smaller group of mayors is much more manageable and much more personal. Second, there are dozens of provincial politicians, bureaucrats and private sector lobbyists at the UBCM. Much of the focus for local council members is related to the individual interests of their municipalities and whether they can catch the attention of those who control the purse strings. In Penticton, mayors met with virtually no outside interruptions. Lastly, at UBCM there is a substantial education component. Many local government representatives are there to learn more about new opportunities and best practices. At the Mayors' Caucus we were there to listen to each other.
During twenty-five years as an elected official in Burnaby, I have witnessed the ever-increasing challenges that we face in local communities around the province and the traditional divisions that separate us as rural and urban, island and mainland, north and south and right and left.
At the Mayors' Caucus we concentrated on our common interests and our desire to be respected as an order of government. For the first time, I got a chance to sit down with mayors from all over B.C. as they articulated the real problems they faced and how we could work together to find solutions. Those connections are invaluable and they can't be found among two thousand delegates and lobbyists.
While it is true that mayors have only one vote and do not control councils, they are often the face and the voice of their communities. Over two days, we worked hard and dealt with only two agenda items and a single motion. More important, we discovered a unity of purpose that can be sustained. While Mayor Green and I may come from different sides of the political spectrum, I applaud the work she has done to bring local governments together. I hope that B.C. mayors can continue to support each other in the ongoing battle to ensure our communities are economically viable, environmentally responsible and socially progressive.
Mayor Derek Corrigan
City of Burnaby
