Vernon City Council at the regular meeting Monday, Feb. 26. (Liam Verster /Vernon Matters Staff)

By Liam Verster

'influencing decision makers'

Vernon councillor calls for end of fossil fuel funding to SILGA, UBCM

Feb 27, 2024 | 2:19 PM

A Vernon city councillor will be calling on municipalities throughout the Interior and the province to stop accepting funding from fossil fuel companies.

Coun. Brian Guy put forward a notice of motion at the city’s regular meeting Monday, Feb. 26, to have the Southern Interior Local Government Association (SILGA) and the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) no longer accept funding support for conventions and meetings from the fossil-fuel industry and its lobby groups.

In his rationale, Guy stated governments around the world, including Vernon, are transitioning away from carbon-based energy and towards renewables, but “the fossil-fuel industry and its lobby groups fund UBCM and SILGA events to influence decision-makers to slow and prolong the decarbonization process and the transition to renewable energy.”

His motion, presented to council on Monday, read:

“THAT the City of Vernon request that SILGA and UBCM no longer accept funding from the fossil-fuel industry and its lobby groups at meetings and conventions;

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“AND FURTHER, that the City of Vernon submit the following resolution to the 2024 SILGA and UBCM conventions:

“WHEREAS burning carbon-based fuel causes climate warming with harmful socio-economic and environmental consequences; and in response Canada and B.C. have developed legislation, targets and incentive programs to rapidly decarbonize the economy; and local governments must assist in achieving these goals, and have developed Climate Action Plans and decarbonization programs to do so;

“AND WHEREAS the fossil-fuel industry funds conventions and meetings of local government associations to influence decision-makers to prolong the decarbonization process, which benefits the industry while the rising costs of delay are borne by governments and society;

“THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Southern Interior Local Government Association (SILGA) and the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBMC) will no longer accept funding from the fossil-fuel industry and its lobby groups in support of conventions and meetings.”

Guy, a first-term member of council and a professional geoscientist, noted climate change impacts have been felt locally and throughout the province, with droughts, wildfires and floods.

Brian Guy, Vernon councillor. (submitted photo)

He also said he spoke with the UBCM president and executive director recently and learned that losing the funding “would not be that big of a deal,” noting the sector contributes roughly $40,000 to the UBCM and $20,000 to the SILGA conventions, which could be offset with a slight increase to registration fees or additional provincial contributions.

Guy said his call mirrors one made years ago to reject foreign funding for UBCM conventions, which was approved at the time and remains in place.

Guy’s notice sparked some concerns and discussion at the meeting.

Councillors Akbal Mund and Councillor and Acting Mayor Kari Gares noted the oil and gas industry do not just account for fuels, but also for manufacturing a range of products from clothing to medical supplies to solar panels, and wondered if all those industries would need to be banned because of their connection to the fossil fuel sector.

Gares also stated oil and gas are still needed by many people who cannot afford to transition to greener technologies right away.

Coun. Brian Quiring said he agreed with the proposal as whole, noting the impacts climate change has had on the area in recent years, though said there was some wording involving how the fossil fuel industry influences “decision-makers to slow and prolong the decarbonation process,” saying he has not seen evidence of those specific actions by industry representatives at SILGA or UBCM events. Quiring felt the sentence could “paint [Guy] in the light of a radical,” and he suggested that line be withdrawn from the motion.

Mund agreed with Quiring, saying there needs to be proof that the industry was influencing municipal leaders in order to justify the wording in the motion.

In response to the comments, Guy said his motion was not intended to prohibit the use of carbon-based products, but instead address “the burning and the creation of atmospheric pollution which causes climate change and makes it much worse.” He also stated that while Vernon’s contributions to greenhouse gas emissions may be “microscopically small” on the global stage, he added “we have a moral obligation to make the small contributions that we can make.”

He also stated while the fossil-fuel industry was moving toward cleaner technology, it seemed they were moving “on their own schedule” and it was up to governments of all levels to amplify the timing and make them meet the schedule laid out by governments.

Guy then made an amendment to his motion to better convey the intended messages.

“THAT The City of Vernon requests that SILGA and UBCM no longer accept funding from the fossil fuel industry and its lobby groups at meetings and conventions;

“AND FURTHER that the City of Vernon submit the following resolutions for the 2024 SILGA and UBCM conventions:

“WHEREAS burning carbon-based fuel causes climate warming with harmful socio-economic and environmental consequences; and in response Canada and B.C. have developed legislation, targets and incentive programs to rapidly decarbonize the economy; and local governments must assist in achieving these goals, and have developed Climate Action Plans and decarbonization programs to do so;

“AND WHEREAS the fossil-fuel industry funds conventions and meetings of local government associations, which benefits the industry while the rising costs of delay are worn by governments and society;

“THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Southern Interior Local Government Association (SILGA) and the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBMC) will no longer accept funding from the fossil-fuel industry and its lobby groups in support of conventions and meetings.”

Council voted unanimously in favour of the amended motion, which will be brought forward at the SILGA convention in Kamloops this April and, if approved there by other municipal leaders, to the UBCM convention in September for a broader discussion by all of B.C.’s local government leaders.

Mayor Victor Cumming was absent at Monday’s regular council meeting.