It was a busy time for Yorkton Councillor Randy Goulden last week as she attended a Board of Directors meeting with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in Laval, Quebec.
Goulden said it was 13 meetings to attend over 3.5 days.
“There was so much going on all the time,” she said, adding she is “finding out preparation is key.”
The meetings focused on a range of topics, starting with finances.
“We continued the discussion on the federal budget,” said Goulden, adding funding to support municipalities was the priority for FCM.
In that regard, Goulden said the Building Canada initiative from the federal government was seen as “key funding.”
Next up in terms of importance for FCM was dollars to fund implementation of the upcoming cannabis legislation on the local level. Goulden said it was seen as a positive the federal government is moving from a 50/50 cost split with the provinces and territories to one where the senior level will cover 75 per cent.
That still means municipalities are left to access dollars from the province, she said.
Goulden said FCM also sees growing problems with opioid drugs to be something they want help dealing with. She noted a recent report out of Saskatoon regarding potential death risks around the drugs, adding “a national focus is needed to deal with that.”
One program from the federal level which has been seen as positive by the FCM is the Municipal Asset Management Program. Goulden said the City of Yorkton has been able to access dollars through the program to assess infrastructure below and above the ground. She said once assessed it allows “adequate planning for replacing them.
“It helps us in the budgeting process.”
Other issues discussed at the FCM meetings were better high speed Internet access for rural communities, and the need for additional affordable housing, and for the maintenance for the existing supply, said Goulden.
