The City of Vernon is rolling out the welcome mat.
Vernon is ready and excited to welcome approximately 300 delegates to the 2023 Southern Interior Local Government Association (SILGA) Conference and Annual General Meeting April 25 - 28.
Delegates from all over the Southern Interior of the province will be in Vernon taking part in tours, visiting businesses and learning about local government issues and best practices.
“On behalf of council, staff and residents, I extend a warm welcome to all SILGA Conference participants,” said Mayor Victor Cumming. “Vernon is the perfect place to visit, live and do business and we’re glad we can share our community with you. I am really looking forward to the time we’ll have together and the opportunities we’ll have to learn from each other and our experiences.”
While at the conference, delegates will hear presentations on a number of topics, including fair taxation, climate change, Syilx leadership for protecting water, economic development, reducing infrastructure costs to address the housing crisis, census data, tourism, and more.
Some of the speakers for the conference include Anne Kang, Minister of Municipal Affairs; Jen Ford, UBCM president; Glen Brown, UBCM general manager; Ellen Walker Matthews, CEO, and Mike Overend, director of destination development with Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association; and Brendon Ogmundson, B.C. Real Estate Association chief economist.
A package of 31 resolutions has been assembled for debate and delegate voting on Wednesday, April 26. Some of the resolutions include:
• Mandatory commercial semi truck dash cams (Barriere);
• Provincial legislation to mandate short-term vacation rental listing platforms have local government approvals (Revelstoke);
• Expansion of non-farm usage on farmlands (Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen);
• Increased investment into “On Demand” mental health treatment, withdrawal management and substance use programs (Kelowna/Kamloops).
SILGA is comprised of elected officials from 37 cities, towns, villages, districts and regional districts in south central British Columbia. It is one of five area associations of local governments within British Columbia. All operate under the umbrella of the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM).
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roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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