Council of Canadians applauds UBCM rejection of TILMA VANCOUVER, Sept. 26 /CNW Telbec/ - The Council of Canadians applauds the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) for taking a strong stand against the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) in a landmark vote this morning. Municipal representatives passed a motion to either drastically alter TILMA to address the concerns of local governments, to be exempted from TILMA, or to push the province to scrap the agreement entirely. "This is a severe blow to TILMA by municipalities" said Carleen Pickard, B.C. spokesperson for the Council of Canadians, who is attending the convention this week. "This is what citizens, environmental, labour and social justice organizations have been hoping for." Councilors expressed almost unanimous support for the motion against TILMA during the discussion preceding the vote. TILMA, which was signed into law without public debate or legislative oversight last April, is a legally binding agreement between B.C. and Alberta that gives businesses and individuals the right to sue either province when they feel that any regulation and local government policy "restricts or impairs" investment. Premier Gordon Campbell, one of the chief architects of TILMA, will address the UBCM tomorrow with a speech on global warming. "Councilors should question Premier Campbell on the contradictions between TILMA and environmentally sustainable practices," says Pickard. "Among other things, TILMA forbids municipalities from passing local purchasing and green initiatives to lessen their community's environmental footprint." "The UBCM's vote, along with the rejection of TILMA by Saskatchewan and Manitoba, will weaken the case for TILMA in Ontario and Qu颥c, where provincial governments are considering this deal."