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, municipalities from coast to coast to coast have come together through this orga

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 Hanley attended the first two days of the convention, speaking with municipal lead

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 challenges facing municipalities and the opportunities ahead for communities across the

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 governments continue to play in the broader Yukon economy. Opening the convention was As

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 residents rely on every day. The Property Tax Accountability Strategy, or PTAS, was c

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 infrastructure and housing to advocacy and growth. Now, with delegates back home and the SUM

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 councillor Steve Hicks will take over the mayor’s chair. Saint John voters returned

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 environment that is more complex, more visible, and more demanding than ever before. E

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, online. Municipal leadership today is not what it was even five years ago. The pac