Vernon hosting 300 elected officials for conference

Apr 24, 2023 | 5:00 AM Pete McIntyre

Hundreds of local politicians will be converging on Vernon for a conference this week.

The city is hosting the 2023 Southern Interior Local Government Association (SILGA) Conference and Annual General Meeting. The event will take place at the Prestige Vernon Lodge from Tuesday to Friday.

About 300 delegates from around the Southern Interior will be 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,” Mayor Victor Cumming said. “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 will 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, BC Real Estate Association Chief Economist.

A package of 31 resolutions will be up for debate with 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 (RDOS)
Increased investment into “on demand” mental health treatment, withdrawal management and substance use programs (Kelowna/Kamloops)

SILGA is made up of elected officials from 37 cities, towns, villages, districts and regional districts in South Central British Columbia.

The organization is one of five area associations of local governments in B.C. and all operate under the umbrella of the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM).

SILGA program highlights (Image credit: SILGA)