Welcome to The Political Trenches: Local Government At Work. Ian and I are back for the final time of 2025, with a look back on the stories that made municipal headlines across Canada, and your submissions regarding what took place over the last twelve months that we may have missed. Then finaly, we will be looking ahead to what the next twelve months may look like. *********************************** Subscribe to Show: Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3GISqEX   Spotify Podcas

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

Over the past twelve months, municipal leaders from coast to coast have been navigating a perfect storm of pressures. Housing affordability and homelessness reached levels we’ve never seen before, pushing our shelter systems — and our compassion — to the breaking point. At the same time, rapid population growth continued to strain the very foundations of urban life: public transit, roads, water systems, community services… all aging faster than we can repair them, and all exp

Today we’re taking a deep dive into the year that was — 2025, a year that tested Alberta’s municipalities, reshaped policy debates, and reminded us just how essential local government is to the everyday lives of Albertans. 2025 was an election year — on October 20th, nearly every community in Alberta headed to the polls. However, even before voters cast their ballots, the conversation around local democracy was intensifying. From concerns over new rules banning electronic vot

Today, we are heading back to the office. We are heading to the Headquarters of the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association Office in Regina. Welcome to the Season 9 Finale of MuniCast. MuniCast is brought to you by SUMA, the voice of Saskatchewan’s urban municipalities. MuniCast discusses topics that are important to municipal leaders, like local governance, best practices, education, and so much more. In Season 9, we are meeting SUMA’s Board of Directors. SUMA has ado

Welcome to Episode 900 of Cross Border Interviews. This is the show where we dive into the insights of municipal political leaders from across Canada. Our mission is to shine a light on the dedicated individuals who, day in and day out, work around the council table to shape the communities we call home. For this edition of Cross Border Interview, we were at the 2025 Association of Manitoba Municipalities Convention in Downtown Winnipeg where we were speaking with Municipal l