To borrow, or perhaps semi quote, Jim Prentice during Alberta's 2015 provincial election, "Mayors, it's time to look in the mirror." I know this probably will not make me popular in every council chamber across Alberta, but it is time someone said what a lot of municipal leaders are quietly admitting behind closed doors. Yes, municipal funding is a real challenge. Yes, infrastructure is expensive. Yes, provincial governments deserve their share of criticism. But more and more

Over the last several months, especially over the last week and a half, I've been asked the same question repeatedly: Why don't I comment on what municipal leaders have said on other podcasts? Why don't I react to council meetings or provide colour commentary on the challenges local councils are facing? The answer is actually quite simple. When I rebranded in 2023 as the Cross Border Network, I made a conscious decision that would shape everything the network would become. I

There are moments in life that make you stop, look around, and wonder if everyone else is participating in a completely different movie than the one you thought you were starring in. I had one of those moments recently while attending the Alberta Municipalities Municipal Summer Leaders Caucus in Red Deer. I walked into the room, ready to shake a few hands, catch up with familiar faces, and maybe locate the coffee before someone else emptied the pot. Instead, I was greeted wit

Watson Lake is the kind of place you can miss with a blink if you’re in too much of a hurry to get somewhere else. That would be a mistake. Because in Watson Lake, every sign has a story, and every story means something. For those who have never travelled the Alaska Highway — and yes, I know some people still call parts of it Highway 97 or Highway 1 depending on where they are standing — I would highly recommend it. Not because it is flashy. Not because every kilometre has so

Minister of Municipal Affairs Dan Williams Last Thursday, I found myself in a room that has become increasingly familiar to anyone who follows the evolving relationship between Alberta’s provincial government and its municipalities. It was a press conference featuring the Hon. Dan Williams, Alberta’s Minister of Municipal Affairs, alongside Dylan Bressey, president of Alberta Municipalities. The topic at hand was the municipal code of conduct, but like so many conversations i

Over the last few weeks, there has been one certainty in Alberta politics. It was predictable, telegraphed, and discussed openly by policy analysts, municipal administrators, and elected officials alike. And yet, when it finally happened, it was met with a chorus of surprise, frustration, and—most troublingly—political theatre. On February 27, the Government of Alberta released its long-awaited provincial budget. For most Albertans, provincial budgets are distant documents, f

For the past several weeks, I have had conversations with mayors across Alberta. They represent communities of every size. Some lead cities have thousands of residents. Others serve villages where everyone knows each other by name and where council meetings still feel like town halls rather than formal proceedings. Despite their differences, they all share one message, delivered with varying degrees of urgency but remarkable consistency. Their municipalities are under financi

It is not every day I would reach for the Bible in a discussion about municipal government, but there are moments when an old line captures a modern problem with unsettling precision. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” It is a dramatic phrase, but it feels increasingly relevant to the way we talk about local government, local leadership, and public policy today—especially in an era where expertise has become a bra

For most municipal leaders across Canada, the work of local government remains rooted in the day-to-day responsibilities that residents often take for granted: maintaining water systems, repairing infrastructure, keeping taxes manageable, and ensuring services reach those who need them most. These are the issues that anchor municipal governance, the practical concerns that demand attention regardless of political climate. Yet in 2025 - and I would even say before that as well