Pubdate: Wed, 10 Oct 2012
Source: Nelson Star (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 Black Press
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/4kNvY8sy
Website: http://www.bclocalnews.com/kootenay_rockies/nelsonstar/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4866
Author: Donna Macdonald

FROM UBCM WITH THANKS

I hope you enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving. We have much to be
grateful for.

I spent the weekend at Johnsons Landing, where we have a small cabin.
It was not directly affected by the landslide in July, but as members
of that community, we were affected by the devastation of landscape
and lives.

The Thanksgiving potluck at the community hall was a reminder of the
sorrow and uncertainty people have felt, and continue to feel. And yet
we give thanks for what has endured, and for living where we do.

You only have to think of massive landslides in the Philippines or
northern Pakistan, where they don't have EOCs, disaster financial
assistance and unmet needs committees. People everywhere, I've found,
are resilient, even under extreme duress, but it's so much easier when
meaningful help and resources are available.

That was an underlying current at the recent UBCM (Union of BC
Municipalities) convention in Victoria. Yes, we face challenges;
witness the 200-plus resolutions addressing municipal concerns. But we
live in a beautiful, prosperous province, if only we use our resources
wisely and justly.

The issue of resources for municipal governments is building momentum.
Under provincial law, municipalities have limited revenue sources
under their authority - mainly property tax and user fees. In other
countries, additional tools are available to local governments -
sales, income and fuel taxes, for example. What are the best options
for BC communities to ensure we have the resources we need to
efficiently provide services? The conversation continues on that.

And that was the theme of the convention - in conversation. A
highlight was the keynote presentation by CBC's Anna Maria Tremonti.
She talked about the gray place, in between the black and the white
places where we make judgements and assumptions. In that gray
in-between is where we learn, where we can hear and understand other
people and other beliefs, where we find knowledge and compassion.

Tremonti talked about difficult interviews - Henry Kissinger hanging
up on her, Maher Arar choking up - and she confessed how hard it is
sometimes to get to the gray place, beyond her own judgments.

That's a very human trait; it's so much easier to react and judge with
certainty, than to wade into the gray. Tremonti's honesty was truly
inspiring and we're lucky to have fine journalists like her.

Council did its share of conversing with government ministers and
opposition critics. Many are brand new in their jobs, so they got a
crash course through dozens of 20-minute meetings over the course of
the convention.

The conversation around marijuana decriminalization and regulation was
lively. I found the Monday morning panel to be very helpful in
understanding both sides - those who support a new approach, and those
who don't believe it will work.

The wording of the UBCM resolution was important - to support
decriminalization and investigate how regulation would work. There are
no pat answers being offered, but there is a wealth of research to be
considered and examples to be studied.

Clearly this is a long-term project, one that is engaging the global
community. Recent polls show a high level of support for
decriminalization and regulation, and that was reflected in the vote
at the UBCM. Prohibition is a failed policy was the message; let's
look for better options, based on an evidence-based, public health
approach. Then we can be in the gray area, and have real conversation
about the way forward.

On a lighter note, one resolution that had people laughing was a call
to require all bunnies sold in BC to be sterilized. The "safe sex for
bunnies" joke will, I'm sure, become a UBCM legacy.

However, the delegate from the district of Langley said it's no
laughing matter. They spent $350,000 repairing their landscaping after
getting rid of bunnies (no details provided on that!).

That's what makes municipal government so fascinating. You never know
what issue (or animal) will land on the table. You never know what the
next conversation will be.

Thank you for the opportunity to be part of the UBCM
conversation.

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Donna Macdonald is a Nelson city councillor who shares this space with
her colleagues around the table
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MAP posted-by: Matt