Manitoba Goes To Ottawa

Municipal Affairs
6 days ago
2 min read

Welcome to Municipal Affairs.

This past week, Canada’s capital welcomed over 2,000 municipal leaders from across the country for the annual Federation of Canadian Municipalities Tradeshow and Convention. From bustling cities to remote rural communities, delegates gathered in Ottawa to share ideas, confront challenges, and work toward a stronger future for municipalities across Canada.

The agenda was packed — from calls for bail reform and urgent appeals for stable, predictable federal funding, to in-depth discussions on mental health, addiction, and the fight against digital misinformation. These are the everyday realities faced by communities from coast to coast to coast — and the FCM Convention provided space for collaboration and action.

But the event unfolded against a sobering backdrop — the escalating wildfires in Northern Manitoba. As delegates met in Ottawa, news broke of evacuations back home, with residents being moved to Portage la Prairie and Winnipeg for safety.

We caught up with Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett, who was in attendance at the convention, to talk about what his community is doing to support evacuees, what this crisis means for Manitoba, and why being part of an organization like FCM matters now more than ever.

(INTERVIEW)

Next, we sat down with Scott Phillips, Councillor for the Rural Municipality of Sifton in Manitoba, to reflect on the solidarity shown by fellow delegates during this difficult time — and to hear what it was like attending the FCM Convention for the first time.

(INTERVIEW)

We also spoke with Kathy Valentino, President of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities and now the newly appointed 2nd Vice President of FCM. She reflected on the impact of wildfires in her province and how that’s informed her growing voice at the national level.

(INTERVIEW)

And finally, we close with one of the major highlights of the week: the acclamation of Vancouver City Councillor Rebecca Bligh as the new President of FCM. We spoke with President Bligh on the final day of the convention to discuss her plans for the year ahead and how FCM continues to serve municipalities from coast to coast to coast.

(INTERVIEW)

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