Council advocates on behalf of Nanaimo at UBCM

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed October 1, 2025 11:00 AM

Last week, local government leaders from across BC came together at the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention held in Victoria. This annual convention provides elected officials with the opportunity to meet with provincial cabinet ministers and their staff to discuss a range of topics that are a priority for their communities.

During this year’s convention, members of Nanaimo City Council met with a number of provincial cabinet ministers, or their delegates, to highlight some of Nanaimo's pressing challenges and advocate for provincial support.

• Council met with the Deputy Premier and Attorney General to speak about social disorder and the need for more resources to be dedicated to Nanaimo's court system, including an increase to the number of Crown Counsels, and the need for increased provincial investment into restorative justice.
• Council met with the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs to speak to the funding challenges facing local governments and urging provincial action on funding shelter beds and drop-in spaces while highlighting the critical need for more below-market and affordable housing units in Nanaimo.
• Council met with the Minister of State for Community Safety and Integrated Services to shed a light on Nanaimo's challenges related to a lack of adequate resources in areas under provincial jurisdiction and to advocate for increased resources dedicated to mental health and addiction services and the sentencing of prolific offenders.
• Council met with the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure where they stressed the need for a cath lab and new patient tower for Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH), and a replacement building for Nanaimo District Secondary School.
• Council also met with representatives from Island Health to discuss priorities related to NRGH and the need for more investments into mental health, substance use, addiction and recovery services in the community.

During the convention, local governments come together to debate and vote on resolutions which were previously endorsed by Councils or Regional Boards. The resolutions sessions provide an opportunity for local governments from across the province to express concerns, share their experiences and take a united position.

A resolution calling for the provincial government to recognize housing as a human right, co-sponsored by Nanaimo and a number of other BC municipalities, was endorsed. Other resolutions that were endorsed echoed key topics of advocacy for Nanaimo Council including calling for the Province to invest in a long-term, predictable funding program to support local government infrastructure servicing needs (SR5 - Infrastructure Funding) and urging the provincial government to increase annual core funding for public libraries and establish an advisory body to review the funding model for public libraries in consultation with local governments and First Nations (SR3 - Increased Library Funding from the Province is Overdue).

“Many important topics were discussed at this year’s UBCM convention," said Mayor Leonard Krog, "The issues challenging our community are not unique to Nanaimo and standing in solidarity with other local governments to advocate for the Province to take action on important topics such as street disorder, homelessness and healthcare is an important part of Council’s role."

To learn more about Council's advocacy efforts visit the Advocacy page on the City website.

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