Friday, September 18, 2026
Local governments from across British Columbia passed a resolution at this year’s Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) Convention, sponsored by the Sunshine Coast Regional District, calling on the province to establish a provincial framework and stable, long-term funding for local watershed boards.
Watershed boards bring First Nations, local governments and other water users together to develop solutions that reflect the unique needs of each watershed. With clear mandates, stable funding and access to local knowledge and data, they can help communities plan ahead, coordinate across jurisdictions and address water challenges before they become crises.
“Water doesn’t follow jurisdictional boundaries, but too often the way we plan and make decisions does,” said Justine Gabias, vice chair, Sunshine Coast Regional District. “Communities need a way to work together over the long term, rather than trying to solve water challenges one issue at a time.”
A new poll shows 76 per cent of British Columbians support creating local watershed decision-making bodies in every region of B.C. — often called watershed boards or authorities. The poll was conducted by McAllister Opinion Research and commissioned by the BC Watershed Security Coalition.
This is not the first such call: earlier this year, 46 local elected officials from across B.C. wrote to Premier David Eby urging action on many of the same priorities, including enabling local watershed boards, modernizing industrial water rates, and increasing investment in the Watershed Security Fund.
UBCM delegates also passed a related resolution this year calling on the province to raise industrial water rates on the largest industrial water users — a related but separate ask. Revenue generated from raising those rates could provide a stable, long-term funding source for local watershed boards. Details on that resolution are available in a companion release.
“Local governments are making it clear that watershed security is essential to the future of their communities,” said Coree Tull, chair of the BC Watershed Security Coalition. “These resolutions offer practical solutions to two challenges we have heard about for years: how we sustainably fund watershed security and how we give communities the tools to plan for and get ahead of growing water challenges. The Province has an opportunity to act on both.”
Featured image: Christine Boyle, BC Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs speaks at the Union of BC Municipalities Convention. (BC Government)
