City of Victoria endorses Isitts call to put muni

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Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
Written by editor

June 23, 2022

VICTORIA, BC, LEKWUNGEN TERRITORY – Victoria City Council has endorsed a resolution from Councillor Ben Isitt, calling on the BC government to restore 3-year terms of municipal office. The resolution will now be considered at the Union of BC Municipalities annual convention in September.

“This resolution is about putting me and other municipal elected officials on a shorter leash,” says Isitt. “Local government is the level of government closest to the people. Shorter terms of office increase accountability between citizens and their elected officials.”

In 2014, members of the British Columbia legislative assembly amended the Local Government Act to transition from 3-year to 4-year terms of office for councillors, mayors, regional district directors and school trustees. Now, Isitt and the City of Victoria are urging a rethinking and a return to 3-year terms.

“Shorter terms of public office increase accessibility for people at different stages of life, for example people pursuing educational opportunities, people who are early in their careers or approaching retirement, or people caring for family members,” Isitt says.

Isitt and Victoria City Council will now take their advocacy province-wide, urging municipal colleagues in... communities around the province to embrace the restoration of 3-year terms in the lead-up to the UBCM convention in September.