Cross Border Interviews

In small communities, the decisions made at the council table can have consequences that reach far beyond it. From municipal spending and development to preserving the character of the community, local leadership often means balancing competing interests with limited resources. Today on Cross Border Interviews , we speak with Bernie Poulin, Mayor of the Summer Village of Silver Sands. What are the...

In small communities, local government can have a big impact. Decisions about taxes, development, public services, and the future of the community touch the lives of everyone who calls it home. Today on Cross Border Interviews , we turn our attention to the Summer Village of Sunset Point and Deputy Mayor Gwen Jones. What are the challenges facing this lakeside community? What are residents expecti...

For the people who live in Seguin Township, the meaning of local government can be found in the everyday details of community life. It's in the roads and services residents depend on, the decisions around development, and the effort to maintain the character of a community while preparing for what comes next. Today on Cross Border Interviews, we sit down with Township of Seguin Mayor Ann MacDi...

What does it take to lead a rural community through a changing Ontario? For municipalities like the Township of Armour, leadership means dealing with the fundamentals — roads, infrastructure, local services, economic development — while also thinking about what the community will need years from now. Today on Cross Border Interviews, we sit down with Township of Armour Mayor Rod Ward. Our conversa...

In a small community, local leadership can feel very close to home. In Burk's Falls, decisions about infrastructure, local services, economic development, and community growth aren't just items on a council agenda — they can have a direct impact on the people who live and work here. Today on Cross Border Interviews, we sit down with Village of Burk's Falls Mayor Chris Hope. Our convers...

In the Township of Perry, local government is about the practical issues that shape everyday life — maintaining infrastructure, delivering services, supporting residents, and planning for the future of a rural community. But behind those decisions are people who have chosen to serve their neighbours and take responsibility for the direction of their community. Today on Cross Border Interviews, we...

In Ontario's Parry Sound District, few communities illustrate the relationship between local government and the landscape quite like the Township of The Archipelago. With its unique geography, waterfront communities, and rural character, governing here means navigating a different set of challenges — from infrastructure and services to development and preserving the qualities that make the tow...

In the Township of Carling, municipal government is closely connected to the day-to-day realities of a rural and waterfront community. From infrastructure and services to development and protecting the character of the area, local decisions can have a lasting impact on the people who live, work, and spend time here. Today on Cross Border Interviews, we sit down with Township of Carling Councillor...

In the Parry Sound District, municipal leadership is about more than what happens inside a council chamber. It's about the roads people depend on, the services communities rely on, and the decisions that shape the future of rural Ontario. For this episode of Cross Border Interviews, we sat down with Township of McDougall Councillor Kathy Hamer, during the 2026 Fall District of Parry Sound Muni...

In Ontario's Parry Sound District, the realities of municipal government can be very different from those in Canada's larger urban centres. Here, communities are shaped by rural life, seasonal residents, natural resources, infrastructure needs, and the challenge of providing essential services across a large geographic area. Those issues were part of the conversation at the 2026 Fall Distr...

In the communities of Ontario's Parry Sound District, municipal government is often about the issues closest to home — roads and infrastructure, essential services, growth, and the challenge of keeping rural communities strong. Those challenges brought municipal leaders together at the 2026 Fall District of Parry Sound Municipal Association, where local officials gathered to exchange ideas and...

Across Ontario's cottage country, the pressures facing municipalities are changing — from growth and housing to infrastructure, services, and the challenge of protecting the character of communities that people have called home for generations. Those issues were front and centre at the 2026 Fall District of Parry Sound Municipal Association, where municipal leaders from across the region gathe...

In the Cariboo, local government comes with a perspective shaped by distance, rural communities, natural resources, and the people who have built their lives here. For regional directors, representing those communities means balancing immediate needs with the long-term challenges facing a vast and diverse part of British Columbia. Today on Cross Border Interviews, we sit down with Cariboo Regional...

On Vancouver Island, the Cowichan Valley is a region where rural life, natural beauty, agriculture, and growing communities all come together. But maintaining that balance takes leadership — and difficult decisions about infrastructure, services, development, and the future of the region. Today on Cross Border Interviews, we sit down with Cowichan Valley Regional District Area F Director Ian Morri...

In a region defined by rural communities, working families, and the realities of life close to the international border, local government isn't an abstract idea. It's personal. For the people who live here, those decisions are part of everyday life — from the roads they travel and the services they rely on, to the economic opportunities that can determine whether families stay, businesses...

Morden is a city that has grown from its agricultural roots into one of Manitoba's increasingly dynamic communities. With that growth comes opportunity — but also the responsibility of making sure infrastructure, services, housing, business, and community life keep pace. Today on Cross Border Interviews, we sit down with City of Morden Mayor Nancy Penner. We'll talk about her experience in...

In the mountains of British Columbia, communities like Nakusp know that the decisions made locally can have an outsized impact on everyday life. For a small village, the challenges are familiar — maintaining infrastructure, supporting local business, attracting new residents, and creating a future that works for the people who already call the community home. Today on Cross Border Interviews, we s...

In British Columbia's Cariboo region, local government takes on a very different meaning. Vast distances, rural communities, resource industries, and the people who call this region home all create challenges that can't always be solved with a one-size-fits-all approach. Today on Cross Border Interviews, we sit down with Cariboo Regional District Director for District 'A', Nicole A...

Every community has its own story. In Fort Saskatchewan, that story is one of growth, industry, families, and a city finding its place in a changing Alberta. At the centre of that story is municipal leadership — the decisions made today that can shape the community for years to come. Today on Cross Border Interviews, we meet with Fort Saskatchewan Mayor Lisa Makin. We'll discuss what it's...

High River is a community where the strength of local government is measured not just in council chambers, but in the lives of the people who call this town home. Like many communities, High River is facing questions about what the future should look like. Today on Cross Border Interviews, we sit down with Town of High River Councillor Jenny Jones. We'll talk about her experience in municipal...

Spruce Grove is a city in transition — growing quickly, while working to preserve the community character that brought people here in the first place. For municipal leaders, that growth comes with difficult questions: how to manage development, provide services, invest in infrastructure, and make sure residents have a voice in the future of their city. Today on Cross Border Interviews, we sit down...

In northern British Columbia, communities like Smithers are shaped by a unique mix of small-town character, natural beauty, economic opportunity, and the challenges that come with being far from the country’s largest cities. And leading a community through those challenges requires more than making decisions at City Hall. It requires listening, balancing competing priorities, and having a clear vi...

Lacombe is a city with a small-town character — a community balancing growth, opportunity, and the everyday challenges that come with both. At the heart of those decisions is city council, where local issues can have a very personal impact on the people who live here. Today on Cross Border Interviews, we sit down with City of Lacombe Councillor Torie Goings. We'll talk about life in municipal...

Lac Ste. Anne County is a place where rural life, agriculture, tourism, and growth all meet. But keeping a community like this moving forward isn't simple. Behind the quiet roads and beautiful lakes are decisions about infrastructure, development, services, and the future of a changing municipality. Today on Cross Border Interviews , we sit down with Lac Ste. Anne County Reeve Jurgen Preugscha...

Welcome to Cross Border Interviews.  Our goal is to create meaningful municipal conversations that inform, connect, educate and strengthen communities from coast to coast to coast in Canada.  For this edition of Cross Border Interviews, we spoke with Municipality of Saint-André-d'Argenteuil Mayor Stephen Matthew at the 2026 FCM Convention.  The municipality of Saint-André-d'Argenteuil was...