FCM Board of Directors reaffirms municipal priorities ahead of Parliament’s return
Press Release
September 15, 2023
The president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Scott Pearce, issued the following statement at the conclusion of the FCM Board of Directors meetings.
“FCM’s Board of Directors convened this week against a backdrop of multiple national challenges that have all been met by municipal resilience and leadership.
“No issue feels more immediate than the impact of natural disasters affecting our communities, made worse by a changing climate. The recent wildfire crisis in the Northwest Territories resulted in FCM making the difficult decision to move our Board of Directors meeting from the city of Yellowknife to a virtual setting. Our thanks and support go to the people of that great city as they reopen following the evacuation order, and we acknowledge the important work of local officials who fought tirelessly to keep their communities safe.
“The devastation of extreme weather was not confined to Canada’s north this year. From Kelowna to Halifax, 2023 has witnessed a rising threat to Canadians’ safety and security due to natural disasters. Time and time again, municipalities find themselves on the front lines, responding to these crises, regardless of jurisdiction. This reality underscored an important motion, adopted by FCM’s Board of Directors this week. This motion calls upon on the federal government to take critical action, including expediting the development of a Canadian Wildland Fire Prevention and Mitigation Strategy, and increasing investments in the Disaster Mitigation Adaptation Fund.
“With Parliament set to resume shortly in Ottawa, FCM Board members, through the work of its standing committees, examined FCM’s current advocacy priorities. Foremost among these issues is the national housing crisis. With too many Canadians struggling to find a safe and affordable place to call home, municipalities are setting the conditions to build while also adhering to responsible planning and delivering the core infrastructure required to support greater housing supply. This week in London, Ontario, we saw a meaningful announcement—the first of many to come—made through the Housing Accelerator Fund. The program exemplifies the kind of much-needed progress municipal and federal governments can achieve when working together. FCM’s additional recommendations on housing, the next generation of infrastructure in Canada, climate adaptation and mitigation, and more can be found in our recent submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance.
“All of these priorities are inextricably linked to Canada’s growth. The FCM Board of Directors issued a clear and direct message of support for FCM’s Municipal Growth Framework advocacy. We need to better link municipal revenue with population growth, economic growth and the services municipalities provide in the 21st century. This is essential in providing Canadians both new and old the quality of life they deserve. To realize a country that is more affordable, accessible and adequately serviced, a country where its citizens can confidently rely on infrastructure to support their lives and our economy, FCM is calling on all orders of government to participate in a national conversation that redefines how we work together and an examines new tools that better link municipal revenue to Canada’s growth.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) unites over 2,000 local governments at the national level, representing more than 90 per cent of Canadians in every province and territory.
For more information: FCM Media Relations, (613) 907-6395, media@fcm.ca
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