Moment with the Mayor: FCM Highlights

Hi Neighbours:

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) held its annual conference and trade show the first weekend of June in Edmonton. The conference featured workshops, study tours, key-note speakers, and time to learn from other municipal leaders. I attended, along with other representatives from Kindersley Council and Administration. Here are some highlights:

·         Based on applause after speeches by Joe Oliver, Minister of Finance; Tom Muclair, NDP Leader of the Opposition; Justin Trudeau, Liberal Party Leader; and Elizabeth May of the Green Party, the winner of the next federal election will be the NDP, with the Liberals as opposition.

·         Edmonton recently built two large multi-use facilities; the one I visited costing $125 million. Their process included the following steps:

1) Strategy

2) Concept - Functional program study, boring but super important (what Group 2 did last year)

3) Design - This is where we currently are with the aquatic centre

4) Build (for Kindersley’s pool, hopefully next year)

5) Operation (hopefully 2017).

·         Delegates voted on a series of resolutions:

     ·         Inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women passed with 91% support.

     ·         Private sector involvement in infrastructure and federal funding P3 received 93% support.

     ·         Protecting federal funding allocations for social housing supported by 89%.

     ·         Marine oil spill emergency response coordination and support for local governments received  95% support.

     ·         Call for a federal leaders debate on municipal issues received 91% support.

          ·         The NDP, Liberals, and the Green Party accepted the invitation to debate. The Conservative Party was non-committal.

·         Bruce Anderson, a pollster with Abacus Data, is of the opinion that left and right ideologies are less important for the electorate. In the last Alberta election, 20% of the Wildrose Party voters in 2011 voted for the NDP instead. (If you are curious, ask me about this when next you see me)

     ·         He also indicated that tax levels are not an issue.

     ·         The electorate is volatile between the desire for change and the uncertainty over timing.

     ·         Municipalities are responsible for at least 60% of all infrastructure in Canada, while receiving only 8% of all taxes collected in Canada.

Please write or phone if you would like me to discuss a particular topic. If you have any questions or comments, drop me a line at the town office or email me at mayorenns-wind@kindersley.ca. You can also check out my blog at http://mayorjohn.blogspot.ca/. I appreciate your feedback.