A Moment with the Mayor: The Federation of Canadian Municipalities Conference

I recently had the pleasure of attending the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Conference and trade show in Toronto. I was joined by councillors Aaron Buckingham and Jonathan Torresan and around 2,500 elected officials from coast to coast to coast.

The theme of the conference was Local Action National Results. Municipalities across Canada build and maintain over 60 per cent of the infrastructure in our country. We share a lot of the same challenges, building and maintaining streets, water and wastewater systems, fire and policing services and recreational and cultural facilities, just to name a few.

The conference provided educational study tours on a variety of projects throughout Toronto. A trade show that showcased vendors ran throughout the conference and provided an opportunity to see new technologies, various products and services and provided opportunities to encounter and learn from each other.

I had a neat opportunity to discuss Lloydminster with a podcaster from Belleville, Ont. Various meetings were held with our respective provincial and municipal organizations. Various topics were presented, and elections were held for the Executive of FCM for the next year.

Part of the conference included presentations from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, CPC deputy leader Melissa Lantsman, Green Party leader Elizabeth May, and Jagmeet Singh, the New Democratic Party leader. Each of these speeches allowed the respective presenter to share their thoughts with the delegates from a national level. We did not have the opportunity to engage as individuals in meaningful dialogue with these leaders about our issues. There were meetings; however, that happened with the FCM executive.

The highlight of this conference for me was meeting new delegates and connecting with those I had met before from across Canada. Meeting mayors, reeves, wardens and councillors, representing our city and showcasing the things that are unique about our city are also things that I really enjoy. We had the opportunity to engage with numerous delegates on the topic of Canadian energy, namely oil and gas and especially asphalt. We can see that there is still more work to be done in helping the rest of Canada see what we, as the West, have to offer.

We’ll continue to share the message in 2024 when Calgary plays host to the next conference. We hope to partner with our neighbouring municipalities to help delegates see the ethically and environmentally friendly way that we produce oil and gas here in Alberta and Saskatchewan. 

Mayor Gerald S. Aalbers
City of Lloydminster