AAMDC Federation of Canadian Municipalities Update

Update:

The FCM Board of Directors met in Oakville, Ontario on September 13-16, 2016. Board members spent four days addressing vital national issues playing out at the local level as well as the historic momentum achieved by the municipal sector with regards to federal infrastructure funding commitments. Please view the entire FCM Summary of the Meeting of the Board of Directors online here.

The next FCM Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for November 21-25, 2016 in Ottawa, ON.  Further information on the FCM and its activities can be found online at www.fcm.ca. FCM President Clark Somerville will attend the AAMDC Fall convention and present to the AAMDC on Tuesday, November 15.

Rural Alberta Board Representative Comments:

AAMDC President Al Kemmere and Lac Ste. Anne County Councilor Lorne Olsvik represent Alberta’s rural municipalities on the Alberta Caucus of the FCM Board. In addition to the September meeting summary noted above, their comments regarding the meeting are as follows:

These are very busy times at FCM negotiating phase 2 of new “Investing in Canada” Municipal Infrastructure program with the new Liberal government. The 50% funding for Phase 1 Federal Infrastructure monies is a good start of which they are trying to leverage for Phase 2. There was much discussion about allocation based funding verses application based funding for infrastructure and social housing projects and it was agreed to lobby for a separate rural component to the program. Early indications are that municipalities will require an approved asset management plan to qualify. On this note the FCM was provided $50 Million in the last federal budget to raise municipal asset management capacity across Canada and is currently developing a program to deliver with a plan to use the provincial municipal associations to assist in delivering.  The GMF (green municipal funds) has similarly been provided additional federal dollars for building green infrastructure and climate change mitigation projects. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans are now enforcing wastewater discharging into fish bearing waters (rivers & lakes) and it was learned that these federal regulations are sometimes different then the provincial regulations. Lastly, after years of FCM requesting a Rural champion in the federal government one was appointed – Liberal Rural Caucus Chair MP Mike Bossio.

Background:

The FCM has three board meetings a year – March, September, and November. These meetings include three days of committee and caucus meetings leading up to a board meeting on the fourth day. As well the FCM hosts an Annual Conference and Trade Show in June of each year and a Sustainable Communities Conference in February.

The Alberta FCM board members or Alberta Caucus are:

Al Kemmere, Mountainview County                             AAMDC
Lisa Holmes, Town of Morrinville                                AUMA
Don Iveson, City of Edmonton                                   Edmonton
Bev Esslinger, City of Edmonton                                 Edmonton
Brian Pincott, City of Calgary                                     Calgary
Lorne Olsvik, Lac St. Anne County                              Rural elected
Tim Osborne, City of St. Albert                                   Urban elected
Maryann Chichak, Town of Whitecourt                         Urban elected

AAMDC President Al Kemmere and Lac Ste. Anne County Councillor Lorne Olsvik represent Alberta’s rural municipalities on the Alberta Caucus of the FCM Board, and are funded to participate by the AAMDC. Al Kemmere sits on the Rural Forum as Vice Chair, Election Readiness Committee,

Provincial and Territorial Association Presidents and Executive Directors Committee, Prairies and Territories Regional Caucus, Standing Committee on Conference Planning, Standing Committee on Environmental Issues and Sustainable Development, Standing Committee on Municipal Infrastructure and Transportation Policy, & the Northern and Remote Forum.

Lorne Olsvik sits on the Prairies and Territories Regional Caucus as Chair, the Rural Forum,

Executive Committee and Standing Committee Chairs, Finance and Audit Committee, Member Relations Committee, Standing Committee on Community Safety and Crime Prevention, Standing Committee on International Relations, & the Northern and Remote Forum

In addition to formal board representatives, a number of AAMDC Districts are sending representatives to attend the committee meetings on behalf of the districts and applying to sit on committees. In attendance at the September FCM meetings were:

Steve Upham, County of St Paul                              District 3
Carolyn Kolebaba, Northern Sunrise County               District 4

Unable to participate was Brenda Knight of Wheatland County who represents District 2.

Lastly a few Alberta municipalities send representatives representing their municipality at committee meetings adding again to the Alberta voice. In attendance at the September meetings were Allan Vinni – Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Wayne Bokenfohr – Sturgeon County, Jeff Coffman – City of Lethbridge, Paul Harris -City of Red Deer, and Ben Henderson – City of Edmonton.