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

Across Canada, municipalities are facing growing demands—from aging infrastructure and housing pressures to rising construction costs and the challenge of building resilient communities for the future. Meeting those challenges requires cooperation between every order of government. Last Month, that conversation took centre stage in Jasper, Alberta, where provincial and territorial ministers responsible for local government met to discuss shared priorities and help shape the f

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 Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador Mayor Bert Pomeroy at the 2026 FCM Convention. Happy Valley-Goose Bay is the only location in Labrador where road, sea and air services all come together with quality infr

Welcome to The Political Trenches Local Government At Work. Gordon McIntosh has 40 years of experience in local government management, education, and consultancy roles, providing governance, strategic, and leadership services across Canada and internationally He has delivered over 1,300 workshops to approximately 140,000 participants on a wide range of topics, including cost containment and revenue options, council–staff relations, personal and interpersonal leadership, respe

Thousands of local elected officials from across Canada gathered in Edmonton, Alberta, last month for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' 2026 Annual Conference and Trade Show, marking 125 years of municipal leadership, collaboration, and advocacy. Over the course of the four-day convention, representatives from British Columbia connected not only with delegates from their own provinces, but with municipal leaders from coast to coast to coast. The event provided an opp

If you've been following the news this week, you've seen the images: roads washed away, neighbourhoods underwater, and families forced to leave their homes with little more than the essentials. For the people of Swan River, this isn't just another flood. It's their second major flood in less than a month. The water is finally starting to go down, but very slowly. In some parts of town, it still has metres to drop before people can even get back into their homes. That means hu