FSJ council prioritizes housing, road safety, environment in final NCLGA resolution submissions

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The City of Fort St. John council has approved its final resolution submissions to the North Central Local Government Association (NCLGA) annual conference, focusing on housing, environmental redevelopment and highway safety. 

On March 9th, the City of Fort St. John council approved three resolutions for the NCLGA’s  2026 annual conference. 

The three resolutions were discussed during the February 23rd council meeting, after Councillor Gord Klassen proposed an overhaul of the resolutions originally approved at the February 9th council meeting.

BC Housing data transparency

The council created and approved a resolution focusing on BC Housing, specifically the organization’s planning, operation and management of affordable housing, which the municipality stated “directly influences local governments’ ability to plan for housing supply, infrastructure and community services.” 

“Limited access to timely, community-level data – including vacancy rates, operations pressures and annual priorities – impedes effective local planning and coordinated responses to housing needs,” the resolution reads. 

The City of Fort St. John council is requesting the NCLGA and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) lobby the provincial government provide local governments with relevant information such as vacancy rates and annual plans for outlining goals, targets and challenges.

In July 2025, the City of Fort St. John council discovered the vacancy rate for BC Housing-operated units in the city was 15 per cent through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. This is significantly higher than the city’s 4.8 per cent rate during the same time period. 

In September 2025, the B.C. Ministry of Housing agreed to work with the city to push the Crown corporation to decrease its vacancy rate in Fort St. John, and provide quarterly updates on BC Housing-related data.

Brownfield redevelopment strategy

The second resolution pertains to brownfields, industrial or commercial properties that are either abandoned, idle or underutilized because of environmental contamination. 

The municipality said this was a province-wide issue, with the properties limiting housing supply, economic development and efficient land use, as well as imposing “significant financial and administrative burdens on local governments.”

“While British Columbia has established contaminated sites legislation and regulatory processes, local governments lack access to a coordinated provincial strategy and practical financial, fiscal and risk-management tools to support the remediation and redevelopment of brownfield sites,” the council stated. 

The resolution calls upon the NCLGA and UBCM to urge the provincial government to urge the provincial government to implement a brownfield redevelopment strategy, which would build upon existing regulatory frameworks and “provide local governments with practical and accessible tools to support the remediation and redevelopment” of these properties. 

Improving highway rights-of-way maintenance

The third and final resolution submission from the City of Fort St. John focuses on maintaining highway rights-of-way, specifically regarding noxious weeds. 

The municipality noted the province’s “lack of adequate vegetation management” was having a negative impact on local ecosystems, agricultural operations, visual appearance and road safety. 

“The province of British Columbia is responsible for highway maintenance through contracted service providers, and inconsistent levels of service in mowing, brush control and noxious-weed management have resulted in preventable impacts on farmland, infrastructure and community wellbeing,” the municipality wrote. 

The resolution specifically requests the province improve its maintenance of highway right-of-ways by “ensuring regular vegetation management, effective noxious weed control and clear, enforcible service standards” for provincial contractors. 

The resolutions have been submitted to the NCLGA’s annual convention, which will be taking place in Prince George from May 20th to May 22nd. 

Resolutions from member municipalities will be presented, discussed and debated, with the association selecting resolutions to bring to the UBCM’s 2026 annual convention in Vancouver from September 14th to 18th. There, the resolutions will be presented to relevant ministers and members of the provincial government.