SUMA & WCMA: The Municipal Future

Municipal Affairs
24 hours ago
1 min read

Across Western Canada, municipal leaders are facing challenges that increasingly reach far beyond the council chamber.

On August 25 and 26, representatives from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba gathered in Edmonton for the annual Western Canadian Municipal Associations meeting.

The issues were big: tariffs and rising construction costs, trade corridors, AI data centres, emergency preparedness, and the future of RCMP contract policing.

Municipalities warn that tariffs could drive up the cost of essential equipment and infrastructure — costs that could ultimately be passed on to local taxpayers.

They’re also calling for greater investment in roads, rail and pipelines to help Western Canadian products reach markets at home and around the world.

On data centres and AI, municipal leaders say local governments need a voice in decisions that directly affect their communities.

And with the current RCMP agreements set to expire in 2032, municipalities want a meaningful role in shaping what comes next.

Six municipal organizations, four provinces, and one message: municipalities need a seat at the table.

Today, we speak with Randy Goulden, President of the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association, about what came out of the Edmonton meeting — and what Western municipalities are asking Ottawa to do.

I'm Christopher Brown, and this is Municipal Affairs

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