Editorial: Municipalities, We Have A Problem!

As we come close to the halfway mark of 2025, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel across Western Canada, attending municipal conventions and talking with the people who are keeping the heart of this country beating. From Yellowknife to Saskatoon, Edmonton to Haines Junction, and most recently Prince Rupert—everywhere I go, I hear a consistent message from mayors, reeves, and councillors alike: we’re talking, but is anyone listening?

This summer, I’m continuing the journey—heading to Thompson, Ottawa, Saint John, and Prince Edward Island. And while this journey might have started in the West, the questions I’m asking are national. Are our capital cities—particularly Ottawa—really tuned in to the voices of municipalities across the country?

Let’s cut to the chase: the answer I hear so far, overwhelmingly, is no.

Municipalities are on the frontlines of Canada’s most pressing challenges: housing, infrastructure decay, healthcare access in rural regions, economic diversification, bail reform, and resource development, to name just a few. But from where many local leaders sit, the support they need from Ottawa and provincial capitals simply isn't coming.

One councillor in a Saskatchewan urban community put it plainly: “The Feds and the Province aren’t worried about anything outside the big cities.” Another in British Columbia stated, “It’s all about the golden triangle—Vancouver, Montreal, and the GTA. If you're not in that zone, you’re forgotten.”

These comments aren’t coming from fringe voices. They’re from elected officials representing thousands of Canadians. They're working with tight budgets, dwindling resources, and rising expectations. And they’re frustrated.

Here’s the kicker—this isn’t just a federal issue. Municipal leaders feel disconnected from their provincial capitals too. In British Columbia, one mayor told me, “Victoria thinks they know what’s best for the entire province. But our challenges need different solutions than what works in the capital.”

In Alberta, I heard skepticism not just about Ottawa, but even about national municipal organizations. One rural leader told me they doubt the people in Ottawa even know where their town is. “They come to conventions, shake hands, and disappear,” they said. “Do they understand us? I’m not so sure.”

And in Saskatchewan, the criticism was sharper still: “When the auto industry takes a hit, everyone in Ottawa says, 'Elbows Up'. But when Saskatchewan’s canola market gets slammed by China? Crickets.”

Let me be clear: this isn’t about bashing Ottawa. Canada is stronger when we work together. But many Western municipal leaders feel like that unity is only real inside the borders of Vancouver, Montreal, and the Greater Toronto Area. For them, "Team Canada" looks more like a private club with selective membership.

So, what’s the solution?

Start with this: pick up the phone. Listen when municipalities call. Not just the big cities, but the towns, villages, counties, and remote communities too. Don’t just parachute into a convention, deliver a speech, and fly out. Stay. Listen. Learn.

Because when I’m on the road, I hear something I rarely hear in Ottawa—honest, detailed, community-rooted solutions. These aren't abstract policy debates. These are people trying to figure out how to keep their downtown cores open, their roads passable, and their local economies afloat.

As one Yukon leader recently told me, “You know more about my community than anyone in Ottawa has even tried to learn.” And if that’s true—if a small show about municipalities knows more than those in Ottawa—then, as Jack Swigert of the Apollo 13 mission might say, “Municipalities, we have a problem.”

That problem is not just neglect—it’s a widening gap between local realities and national decision-making.

Later this month, I’ll be in Ottawa for the FCM conference, listening again to the voices from the ground. I won’t pretend to have all the answers, but I will be bringing open ears.

I hope Ottawa, the provinces, and every power center in this country will do the same. Because a truly united Canada doesn't just listen to the largest voices in the biggest cities—it listens to all of them.

Rural or urban. East or West. Capital city or crossroads town. It's time we all get on the same line.