My First FCM Board Meeting

Our seat at the table

I attended my very first Federation of Canadian Municipalities Board meeting this past week in Iqaluit, Nunavut.  It was a fantastic and eye-opening experience and I am 100% affirmed in my position that the City of Thompson needs to be sitting at this table.

My appointment to the Board of Directors at the AGM this past May was both an amazing opportunity, and an incredible challenge.  City Council supported me in my bid for one of five Manitoba positions, and – no surprise here – I was the youngest councillor from Manitoba seeking a spot.  The City of Thompson has not been on the FCM Board since Mayor Bill Comaskey sat in the chair and I realized quickly that I would need to roll up my sleeves and get to work if I was going to get our community back into the game.

Now, my attendance at the first board meeting of the year in Iqaluit churned up quite the public debate.  I will concede, the dollars and cents of this journey were higher than anticipated.  It’s not very often that our local public officials are required to zip off to the Canadian arctic (although the Provincial and Federal folks seem to be making a habit of it lately).  Nonetheless, I believe it was worth every penny.

FCM has been the national voice of municipal government since 1901.  Since then, municipal governments have maintained a strong advocacy role in persuading the federal government to include municipal concerns in policy development and national decision-making.  Recent successes include the biggest ever federal investment in municipal priorities, $10 billion through the Economic Action Plan, making the Federal Gas Tax Fund permanent, which will deliver $40 billion over the next 20 years, and the protection of the Gas Tax Fund in the 2010 Federal Budget.

The National Board of Directors, in turn, is one of FCM’s greatest assets.  The Board is FCM’s governing body and sets its orientations and adopts its policies and its priorities.  To do this, board members meet three times a year and the FCM staff (a force of about 140 strong) work throughout the year to advance the positions established.

At the September meeting, the Board of Directors set the advocacy priorities for the year.  At the November meeting, the Board meets in Ottawa to lobby federal decision-makers, and at the third meeting in March, the Board  evaluates their efforts and monitors the organization's finances.  The AGM in the spring is when the Board presents their progress to all FCM members.

The September Board Meeting outlines FCM's priorities for the year

This September in Iqaluit, we set our priorities to focus on protecting gains and fighting off-loading, to make sure that federal decision-makers don’t negatively impact the pocketbook of local taxpayers, especially when considering the new federal wastewater regulations and the Federal Government's tough-on-crime agenda.  FCM also seeks to reinforce the value in partnership, making sure that working together equals efficiency and effectiveness for municipal government programming and services.

The City of Thompson has a vested interest in participating in these discussions.  Not only are we able to shed light on challenges facing municipalities across Canada, like affordable housing shortfalls and RCMP contract service, we gain access to a wide arena of potential partnerships and networks seeking to provide solutions.

For example, the Community Safety and Crime Prevention Committee that I sit on has requested the City of Thompson to participate in the Joint Committee on Community Corrections, which is a partnership between FCM, Correctional Service Canada, National Parole Board and Public Safety Canada.  This Joint Committee seeks to provide opportunities for shared knowledge and best practices in addressing crime prevention and community safety.  The collaborative learning opportunities are endless, and the fact that I sit on six Board Committees and two sub-committees means that the City of Thompson is represented in these areas and more doors are about to be opened.

Thompsonite meets the true north, sans trees

In Iqaluit I realized that the FCM Board does not discriminate against me for being a young first-time Board member.  We are all there representing communities across Canada, pushing for our collective interest.  I was received with overwhelming warmth and encouragement by scores of people that are committed to being the positive change they want to see in the world.  The energy and enthusiasm was infectious and did not sway – even after my fourth 3-hour meeting of the day!

I am proud to represent the City of Thompson on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Board of Directors.  We have a great community and not only will we benefit from this important partnership, FCM will benefit immensely from the contributions made by our community.