Municipal Affairs

Canada's downtowns are the economic engines of our communities, driving investment, creating jobs, supporting local businesses, and shaping the daily lives of residents across the country.  Recognizing their importance, the Big City Mayors' Caucus, representing 23 of Canada's largest cities, has come together to advance a series of priorities aimed at strengthening downtown cores and s...

Canada's largest cities are calling on the federal government to help revitalize downtown cores and strengthen economic growth across the country. The Big City Mayors' Caucus, representing 23 of Canada's largest municipalities, has unveiled a series of priorities aimed at supporting vibrant downtowns, attracting investment, and addressing challenges that continue to impact communities...

This past weekend, Edmonton became the centre of the municipal universe. From coast to coast to coast, local leaders from communities large and small gathered in Alberta's capital for the 125th Annual Federation of Canadian Municipalities Convention and Trade Show. The annual convention is more than just a meeting. It's a unique opportunity for municipal leaders to come together, share ide...

In the wheat heart of Southern Alberta, the Village of Barons is beginning a new chapter. Following a by-election at the end of May, former Barons Councillor Clinton Bishop is returning to local government after earning a decisive victory, receiving 71 votes in a three-candidate race for a vacant council seat. In a unique footnote to election night, one candidate did not receive a single vote. But...

Across Alberta — and really across the country — municipalities are facing a familiar challenge: how do communities grow, attract investment, and create opportunity in an increasingly competitive environment? For many municipalities, the answer is no longer just about traditional industry or infrastructure.  More communities are looking at tourism not simply as a visitor experience, but as a serio...

This week, we’re talking about the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Convention — one of the biggest events on the municipal calendar, where local leaders from across the country come together to debate policy, share ideas, and build relationships. But beyond the speeches and resolutions, what actually makes for a successful FCM experience? What should first-time delegates know before they arr...

For more than 125 years, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities — better known as FCM — has been the national voice of local government in Canada. Since 1901, municipalities from coast to coast to coast have come together through this organization to advocate for stronger communities, better infrastructure, and federal policies that reflect the realities Canadians experience at the local level....

One of the major conversations at this year’s Association of Yukon Communities Convention in Watson Lake centred around energy: energy affordability, energy supply, and meeting growing demand across Yukon communities. The issue remained front and centre throughout the three-day convention, especially following concerns last winter over the possibility of rolling blackouts in Whitehorse, the territ...

Earlier this month, more than 130 municipal leaders and administrators from across the Yukon gathered in Watson Lake for the 51st annual Association of Yukon Communities Convention, as communities from across the territory came together to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing municipalities today. Yukon’s Leader of the Official Opposition and Yukon NDP Leader Kate White was among the sp...

For this edition of Municipal Affairs, we’re heading to the heart of Alberta as Edmonton prepares to welcome municipal leaders from across Canada for one of the country’s most important gatherings of local government. For more than 125 years, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities — known as FCM — has served as the national voice of municipal government in Canada. Since its beginnings in 1901,...

Earlier this month, more than 130 municipal leaders and administrators from across the Yukon gathered in Watson Lake for the 51st annual Association of Yukon Communities Convention, bringing communities together to discuss the priorities and challenges facing municipalities across the territory. Speaking at her first AYC Convention as Yukon’s Minister of Community Services, Cori Bellmore delivered...

For this edition of Municipal Affairs, we’re heading to the heart of Alberta as Edmonton prepares to welcome municipal leaders from across Canada for one of the country’s most important gatherings of local government. For more than 125 years, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities — known as FCM — has served as the national voice of municipal government in Canada. Since its beginnings in 1901,...

On this edition of Municipal Affairs  — more than 130 municipal leaders from across the Yukon gathered in Watson Lake for the 51st annual Association of Yukon Communities Convention, where municipal representatives from across the territory came together to discuss the issues shaping Yukon communities. Federal representatives were also part of the conversation.  Yukon Member of Parliament Brendan...

On this edition, Municipal Affairs  — more than 130 municipal leaders from across the Yukon gathered in Watson Lake for the 51st annual Association of Yukon Communities Convention, bringing together mayors, councillors, and community representatives to discuss the issues shaping the territory’s future. On the convention’s second day, Yukon Premier Currie Dixon addressed delegates about the challen...

At the beginning of May, more than 130 municipal leaders from across the Yukon gathered in Watson Lake for the 51st annual Association of Yukon Communities Convention.  Over three days, elected officials and administrators from communities across the territory came together to discuss the challenges facing municipalities, the common priorities shared between communities, and the role local governm...

Today on Municipal Affairs , we take a closer look at two issues shaping the future of local governance in Alberta: the Property Tax Accountability Strategy and Bill 28. For years, rural municipalities across the province have been sounding the alarm over unpaid oil and gas property taxes — a growing problem that continues to strain municipal budgets, infrastructure planning, and the services resi...

For weeks, Municipal Affairs  has taken you inside the conversations, ideas, and debates that shaped the 2026 SUMA Convention in Regina.  But today, we turn the page. The convention may be over, but the work is only beginning. Over three days in Regina, municipal leaders from communities across Saskatchewan came together to tackle the shared challenges facing urban municipalities — from infrastruc...

New Brunswick voters have spoken. On Monday night, residents across the province headed to the polls to choose the leaders who will shape their communities for the next four years — electing representatives in nearly all of New Brunswick’s 77 municipalities, 12 rural districts, and district education councils. And the results delivered both continuity and change. In Fredericton, longtime city coun...

On May 1st, I had the opportunity to stand in front of a room full of municipal leaders at the 2026 Manitoba Municipal Administrators Association Leadership Summit in Brandon, Manitoba. It was a moment that felt both grounding and urgent—because the conversations happening in that room are the same ones unfolding in communities across the country. Municipal leaders today are operating in an enviro...

On May 1st, I found myself in Brandon, Manitoba, joining municipal leaders from across the province at the 2026 Manitoba Municipal Administrators Association Leadership Summit. It’s one of those gatherings where the conversations feel especially real—because the challenges being discussed aren’t theoretical. They’re happening right now, in council chambers, in community halls, and increasingly, on...

Join us LIVE on Election Night — Monday, May 11th at 8:30 PM ADT / 5:30 PM MST / 9:00 PM NST — for complete coverage of the New Brunswick Municipal Elections. Get real-time results as they come in, hear reactions from communities across the province, and dive into expert analysis on how the vote is shaping the future of cities, towns, and rural municipalities. Don’t miss this in-depth, coast-to-co...

We’re diving into a piece of legislation that could reshape the relationship between Alberta’s municipalities, homeowners, and the province itself: Bill 28. Framed by the government as a move toward fairness, consistency, and efficiency, this bill touches on some of the most sensitive pressure points in local governance — how communities are run, how development happens, and, perhaps most importan...

There’s a quiet truth that echoes in council chambers from coast to coast: when it comes to stable, predictable municipal funding, not all systems are created equal. In fact, ask almost any municipal leader across Canada, and you’ll hear the same thing—if their province followed Saskatchewan’s lead, their communities would be on much stronger footing. Because in Saskatchewan, they built something...

Seven months ago, we brought you the concerns of Mayor Lyle Herman of La Loche, who travelled to Ottawa to sound the alarm on a growing crisis in northern Saskatchewan. At the time, he described a region stretched thin—where limited RCMP resources, rising crime, housing shortages, and gaps in mental health and addictions services were putting entire communities at risk. Today, we return to that st...

Today, we’re crossing a border—but not to highlight what divides us. Instead, we’re taking a closer look at what connects communities on both sides of the 49th parallel. Municipalities in Canada and the United States share more than geography. From managing growth and infrastructure, to responding to economic uncertainty and housing pressures, local governments are often on the front lines of the...