Dan Fumano: Municipalities asking senior governments for more money is a perennial feature of UBCM every year. This year's convention happens to fall right in between the introduction of the B.C. NDP's housing reforms, and the next provincial election.

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There’s a “fatal flaw” in the province’s plans to densify communities, the annual gathering of B.C.’s municipal leaders heard on Monday: Municipalities don’t know how they’ll pay for infrastructure.

It’s a theme likely to be heard several times during the Union of B.C. Municipalities’ annual convention, which brings municipal politicians and staffers from around the province to downtown Vancouver this week.

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The B.C. NDP has advanced several major housing-related reforms in this current term, including legislation last year that forces municipalities to allow medium-density projects like triplexes and townhouses across residential neighbourhoods.

Many municipal leaders say they support the idea of adding this kind of gentle density, but they worry about time and money. Several complained about the tight deadline of June 30, 2024, to update their zoning, and even more expressed worries about how to pay for the costly infrastructure improvements to accommodate that additional density.

At a panel discussion on housing Monday morning at UBCM, University of B.C. professor Paul Kershaw said that adding more homes to land already zoned for residences is an important action, but the province’s approach has........

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