Regional Councillor Clark Somerville was joined by municipal leaders from across the country in Penticton, B.C., to discuss the goals and objectives of Canada’s local governments at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) spring Board Meeting last week. Councillor Somerville is Halton Region’s appointed member of the FCM Board of Directors.
As the government closest to people’s daily challenges, local governments work hard to build better lives for their communities. And with 2019 being a pivotal year, members discussed how to ensure municipal challenges are front and center during the upcoming fall federal election.
“Canadians expect all of their governments to work together to get more done,” said FCM President Vicki-May Hamm. “The FCM Board of Directors is a critical part of ensuring municipal realities—whether it’s fiscal strain, challenges facing local industries, or success stories—are recognized at the federal level.”
A significant part of our message to the Federal government is the recommendation to modernize our partnership and bring all orders of government together at one table. It’s just common sense that local governments work closely with the Federal government in order to address challenges on the ground in our communities.
One such challenge is better access to broadband and mobile Internet. Broadband is not just a rural issue, it has become a national imperative as communities across the country face connectivity challenges, and has been a significant issue for parts of rural Halton.
“Halton has been advocating to the Provincial and Federal government for universal access to broadband internet to ensure small businesses are able to rely on access to broadband internet to effectively compete in a digital world,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “I am pleased to see FCM also making this a priority issue in their own advocacy initiatives.”
“We have a situation where households within our community of Halton are struggling to connect and businesses are unable to unlock their full potential,” said Regional Councillor Clark Somerville. “In Halton Region, we know this strategy can be most successful through long-term, predictable solutions and major investments.”
Across Canada, in communities large and small, urban and rural, municipalities are the order of government closest to people’s lives. Their local solutions are helping tackle national challenges—from growth and productivity to climate change—and are building a more livable, competitive Canada.
FCM is the national voice of municipal government in Canada. Its Board of Directors represents communities of all sizes from coast to coast to coast.
The Regional Municipality of Halton serves 570,000 residents in the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton, and the Town of Oakville. Halton Region is committed to meeting the needs of its residents through the delivery of cost-effective, quality programs and services, including water and wastewater; Regional roads and planning; paramedic services; waste management; public health; social assistance; children’s and seniors’ services; housing services; heritage programs; emergency management and economic development. For more information, call 311 or visit Halton Region’s website at halton.ca.