MISA BC was formally established in 1994 as the second MISA chapter in Canada. MISA stands for Municipal Information Systems Association, and its goal is to promote greater co-operation among local government staff in the IT field by sharing information and developing common solutions on a broader and cost-effective scale.  Municipalities share many IT issues, and working together on these makes for more effective and efficient government.  The information highway and electronic services continues to be a prime focus of discussions between municipalities and the senior levels of government.  Joint efforts with other organizations with a national scope such as the Canadian Association of Municipal Adminstration (CAMA) and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), have also become possible.