Thursday April 23, 2026 | VICTORIA, BC [Posted 9:31 am PT]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The 77th Annual General Meeting and Convention of the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) is taking place in Victoria this weekend.
The April 24 to 26 gathering at the Victoria Conference Centre will see about 300 delegates (about 200 of whom are AVICC-member elected officials) attending from municipalities, regional districts and First Nations from Vancouver Island and British Columbia’s coastal regions.
Local government leaders from around Vancouver Island and coastal regions look forward to this each year as an opportunity to advance their interests for their communities and to explore what other jurisdictions are doing in matters of similar importance.
“With double the number of session proposals, this year’s program will showcase a wide range of expertise,” says AVICC’s program brochure.
Key issues:
Issues of importance to local governments will be addressed through policy resolutions and learning sessions.
Speakers will include provincial, regional and national leaders on issues like waterways and watersheds, permissive tax exemption grants, the use of artificial intelligence in local government, and the work of public engagement.
Issues that are high profile in 2026 include the Cowichan Tribes Case (implications for local government) and the future of forestry on Vancouver Island and coastal BC.
There will also be a session on “strong towns” which is called “a bottom-up revolution to rebuild Canadian prosperity”.
Provincial government speakers:
On day one, both the Minister of Health (Josie Osborne) and the Minister of Local Government and Rural Communities (Brittny Anderson) will address the convention.
Osborne is a former island municipal mayor and Anderson also has rural communities within her portfolio.
Health-care is still top of mind for most communities given the continued shortage of family doctors and many municipalities have taken to coming up with their own solutions while articulating that the province is ‘downloading’ provincial costs and responsibilities onto local governments. The impacts of the continuing toxic drug crisis are likely also felt across most communities.
Guest speaker:
The keynote speaker is Shachi Kurl, Executive Director of the Angus Reid Institute.
The AVICC profile about Kurl says “Angus Reid isn’t beholden to private or government interests or corporate profits, and Kurl can guide and frame the narrative around issues that pull us together, free of obligation”.
Study tours:
This year the AVICC study tours include a visit to the CFB Esquimalt base, a Victoria Placemaking & Marine Emergency Response Tour, and a Saanich Rewilding Walking Tour.
2026 scope:
This year is a municipal election year in the four-year municipal election cycle across BC. The election is on October 17, 2026.
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NEWS SECTIONS: HEALTH | 43rd BC PARLIAMENT | MUNICIPAL & CIVIC | AVICC