As I travel across Canada and speak with municipal leaders from St. John’s to Victoria, from Whitehorse to Windsor, I continue to hear the same question whenever people discover that I am a municipal affairs reporter based in Alberta. It comes up repeatedly, almost without fail: “Give us your honest thoughts about what is happening with Alberta separatism.” I always appreciate the question because it shows just how much attention Alberta’s political conversation is receiving

In municipal politics, relationships shape everything. They influence how governments work together, how communities grow, and how challenges get solved. From municipal partnerships with the province and the federal government to the connection between local councils and the people they serve, strong relationships are at the heart of good governance. One relationship that deserves more attention is the one between urban and rural municipalities. Over the past couple of years,

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 formed on December 29, 1999. ------ Learn More About Today's Community: https://stada.c

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 Halton Hills, Ontario, Councillor D’Arcy Keene at the 2026 FCM Convention. The Town of Halton Hills is a unique marriage of urban and rural, nestled within a picturesque Southern Ontario landscape. Georgetown and Acton are our ur

Welcome back to The Political Trenches: Local Government at Work. I'm glad you've joined us because today we're doing something a little different. Over the past six and a half months, local governments across Canada have been dealing with no shortage of challenges—from housing and infrastructure to public safety, governance, budgets, and the changing relationship between municipalities, provinces, and the communities they serve. Rather than choosing this episode's topics our

Il y a un peu plus d’un an, en quittant Ottawa après le congrès de la Fédération canadienne des municipalités, je me suis fait une promesse : apprendre la deuxième langue officielle du Canada, le français. Je voulais me lancer un défi et atteindre un objectif : réaliser un jour une entrevue entièrement en français pour Municipal Affairs. Je ne savais pas si j’en étais capable, mais après douze mois de cours, de pratique, d’erreurs et d’encouragements, ce jour est enfin arrivé