UBCM pulling out the stops for virtual convention

May 27, 2020

The 2020 UBCM Convention will be going ahead in a virtual format September 22-24. “Over the last century, UBCM has found ways to meet during the great depression, two world wars and the Spanish Flu pandemic,” said Mayor Maja Tait, UBCM president. “We will also find a way for our members to meet and deliberate the issues that matter to B.C.’s communities in 2020.” UBCM received provincial support and authorization to hold a virtual meeting through an order issued by Minister Farnworth and direction provided by UBCM’s Executive.

UBCM’s Executive directed staff to ensure that a virtual Convention would provide a rich experience for all members, including the consideration of resolutions in an abbreviated format; addresses by the Premier, other party leaders and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; and workshops aimed at the top issues facing communities. “Everyone is feeling ‘zoomed out’ right now,” said Mayor Tait, “We are going to pull out the stops to make sure the 2020 Convention is dynamic, interactive and engaging.”

UBCM is aware of the connectivity challenges that exist in various regions of the province and is reaching out to its members to explore solutions. “We want to make sure that every local government and our First Nations members have access to the full Convention. Access to high quality internet access varies considerably across the province, but we will find ways to overcome those challenges through the hallmarks of UBCM: cooperation, sharing and working together.”

In June, UBCM will share details on the platform for this year’s meeting, and registration will open in July.

We are very appreciative of the support and collaboration provided by the City of Victoria, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, our sponsors, partner associations and the many service providers that support the delivery and hosting of the Convention as we adapt to current health and safety rules.

UBCM is working through cancellation policies details with the official hotels for the 2020 Convention. We will provide updates on those policies once discussions are completed.

If you have questions or comments about the 2020 Convention, please contact Gary MacIsaac, UBCM Executive Director.

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