Annapolis County hosts the country
First Federation of Canadian Municipalities holds board meeting in rural Canada
Last week the non-partisan organization that makes sure Ottawa hears the concerns of the smallest Canadian communities and the country’s largest cities did something it had never done before. It held a board meeting in a rural community.
Annapolis County hosted about 100 Federation of Canadian Municipalities board members for a three-day meeting that looked at numerous issues from socioeconomic development and infrastructure deficiencies, to homelessness.
Annapolis County Warden Timothy Habinski, who hosted the three-day meeting at the Annapolis Basin Conference Centre, is serving for a second year on the FCM board.
“The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is the advocacy group that represents the interests of all municipalities – that’s cities, town, villages, and rural municipalities – in negotiations with the federal government,” Habinski said during a lunch break at Champlain Hall Sept. 13. “The FCM has proven to be an extremely effective advocate over the years. The gas tax (rebate) which most municipalities rely upon for a good portion of their infrastructure funding was something the FCM negotiated with the federal government many years ago.”
He said that similarly the national housing strategy that was proposed last fall was developed in direct partnership with FCM.
“So FCM managed to have a voice, a non-partisan voice, in federal politics that has a really significant impact on the supports and programs and policies that are put in place to help municipalities,” he said.
Rural Communities
“One of the things that is really exciting for us is FCM, especially over the last three years, has started to really take an increased focus on small communities – the smaller and rural communities,” Habinski said.
He said normally the FCM meetings are held closer to airports.
“But we believe it was really important for these leaders from across the country to see a small community like Annapolis County very, very clearly, where it is,” he said.
He said it’s been a very effective board meeting. Vicki-may Hamm is the FCM president and mayor of Magog, a town of just over 25,000 in southeastern Quebec.
“It was important for our rural members to experience having a meeting like this in rural Canada,” said Hamm.
Habinski said FCM has standing committees on socio-economic development, climate change, and even programs in other countries to support the development of democratic institutions.
“And, of course, one of biggest focuses right now, as an organization, is Election 2019,” Habinski said. “So, this is an opportunity for municipalities, in a very non-partisan way, across the country to put together the list of the things that they need in order to help their citizens live fulfilled lives.”
He said that list becomes a platform FCM presents to each of the federal parties for their comments and to let them know FCM’S priorities.
Hamm said it’s important the concerns of communities of all sizes are heard.
“On the agenda, for example, for 2019 we will be talking about broadband because rural Canada has not been well served in broadband. And we will be talking about issues that may concern bigger cities also.”
Ideas Exchange
Habinski said they’re all passionate about what they do and even after the day’s work is done, they tend to talk and exchange ideas.
“These are some of the most eager people to work on municipal issues and to help their communities that you’ll find in the country,” Habinski said. “They’re passionate. They wind up exchanging notes, exchanging ideas, trading best practices, collaborating to develop new best practices, and you’d never have an opportunity for a councillor from the Yellowknife to be providing direct advise to a councillor from Cape Breton in a meaningful way if it wasn’t for an organization like this.”