AMM & WCMA: What Municipalities Need

Across Western Canada, some of the decisions affecting local communities are being made far beyond the municipal council chamber.

Municipal leaders from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba gathered at Fort Edmonton for the 2026 Western Canadian Municipal Association meeting, bringing some very big issues to the table.

The escalating Canada-U.S. trade war, ongoing RCMP contract negotiations, infrastructure funding, and the development of economic corridors were all top of mind.

And while municipalities don't always have a direct seat at the table when these decisions are made, one message came through clearly: municipalities need a voice in the discussions that affect their communities.

We spoke with Association of Manitoba Municipalities President Kathy Valentino about the two days in Edmonton, what Manitoba brought to the discussion, and the key takeaways from the Manitoba municipal perspective.

I’m Christopher Brown, and This Is Municipal Affairs.

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