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By Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Peter Milobar

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IT’S LOCAL GOVERNMENT AWARENESS WEEK, a time to appreciate the many ways local governments make a positive impact on our daily lives — but you wouldn’t know it from the way the B.C. NDP government has chosen to treat some of its municipal counterparts.

Take, for example, Attorney General David Eby’s ‘my way or the highway’ attitude toward Penticton council on the issue of homelessness.

The Victory Church shelter was granted a temporary use permit by the City last year, mainly to respond to the challenges COVID-19 posed to the vulnerable homeless community. Earlier this year, B.C. Housing asked the City to extend the temporary use permit and allow the shelter to operate year-round.

Council rejected this, out of very valid concerns about the lack of wraparound supports for the people taking shelter there. But instead of working with the City to address this concern in a reasonable manner, Minister Eby decided to employ a confrontational approach that serves no one.

First, he alarmed the community by warning that B.C. Housing had 1,000 sleeping bags and tents at its disposal, hinting that a potential tent city that could pop up in local parks. This rightfully outraged Penticton Mayor John Vassilaki, who noted that for Eby “to threaten a community and fearmonger — because that’s exactly what he’s doing — in a community where the majority of the population is seniors is outrageous and inconsiderate.”

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What Minister Eby could do is lead by example and deliver on the complex care housing Premier John Horgan promised during the election. The NDP have all but admitted supports in existing housing are insufficient for the complex health and wellness needs of the most vulnerable in our society. But instead of stepping up and delivering on needed supports, complex care housing was nowhere to be found in Budget 2021.

But instead of fulfilling this commitment or even just softening his approach, Eby upped the bravado and threatened to use provincial powers to override council’s decision. This same threat has been employed by the NDP in cities like Maple Ridge, Nanaimo and Victoria.

This is no way to build or maintain a healthy relationship with a local government. As a former mayor of the City of Kamloops, I know how important these connections are when it comes to getting things done.

Sadly, it’s not just the attorney general who seems keen on dismantling good relationships with municipal governments. This past week, Municipal Affairs Minister Josie Osborne — herself the former mayor of Tofino — told cities that her NDP government would be axing the Climate Action Revenue Incentive Program which helps them mitigate and adapt to changing climate conditions.

Since 2010 under the previous B.C. Liberal government, the program returned ​100 per cent of carbon taxes ​paid by each local government, helping to fund civic projects that tackle climate change. It also provided an important incentive for municipalities to track emissions, which supplied the province with helpful data.

The announcement of the program’s cancellation caught municipal governments by surprise, delivering another blow to the relationship between the two levels of government.

Blindsiding and bullying municipalities is no way for the NDP to behave, especially as we move forward from a global pandemic. Cooperation among all levels of government will be a key factor in how well B.C. recovers from this difficult time in our province’s history.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.