Penticton City Council has concluded a productive week at the 2025 Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) convention in Victoria, where members advanced key priorities and strengthened relationships with provincial leaders and partners.
Held Sept. 22 to 26, council and staff participated in a series of meetings with provincial ministers and senior officials to advocate for Penticton’s priorities, including housing and encampment response, transit, and public safety.
A key meeting with Housing and Municipal Affairs Minister Christine Boyle focused on housing and encampment response, building on Penticton’s call for the implementation of HEART and HEARTH — a coordinated approach to improving housing flow and encampment management. Council also met with Minister of Forests, Ravi Parmar to discuss maintenance improvements to Forest Service Road 201, and with Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth to address encampment response, transit needs and FSR 201.
One of the week’s major successes was the referral of Penticton’s resolution on regional housing needs to a UBCM executive special resolution, which was adopted by the membership. This resolution will now guide UBCM’s policy priorities and provincial advocacy through 2026.
Council also highlighted Penticton’s leadership on compassionate mandatory care, bail reform and the need for increased Crown prosecutor resources — topics that gained traction among provincial leaders following the city’s recent joint op-ed with other Okanagan mayors.
“Our participation at UBCM is about more than meetings - it’s about making sure Penticton’s voice helps shape solutions at the provincial level,” said Mayor Julius Bloomfield. “We’re proud of the relationships we’ve built and the leadership all partners are showing on some of the most complex issues facing local governments today.”
Bloomfield emphasized the importance of collaboration and advocacy.
“UBCM provides a critical platform for municipalities to bring forward solutions and build momentum on shared challenges. Penticton’s strong presence this year reflects our commitment to advancing housing, safety and transit priorities through meaningful dialogue with provincial partners,” he said.
The city’s itinerary also included meetings with BC Housing CEO Vincent Tong, Minister of State, Terry Yung, senior RCMP officials and BC Corrections to build understanding on topics including mandatory care, RCMP modernization and BC Housing developments in Penticton.
The city also met with Interior Health leadership to emphasize the need for greater collaboration in responding to shared opportunities and concerns. Conversations with experts such as Dr. Daniel Vigo further enriched discussions around mental health and care models.
The city will continue to advance these discussions through the fall as part of Penticton’s ongoing advocacy with provincial partners.
The total estimated cost for sending five council members and three staff to the convention was approximately $30,000.