For Immediate Release
Local Government Summit Held in Ottawa Today
The second edition of the Local Government Summit was held today in Ottawa, in advance of a conference for provincial and territorial ministers of municipal affairs scheduled for July in Regina. Saskatchewan municipal association presidents Ray Orb (Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities) and Gordon Barnhart (Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association) co-chaired the summit of municipal association presidents from Canadian provinces and territories.
President Orb, co-chair of this year’s summit stated: “It was a privilege to co-chair the second annual summit of the municipal associations from across Canada in Ottawa today. Meetings like these provide a great opportunity to discuss the challenges our member municipalities face and show our commitment to work together.”
The summit reaffirmed three fundamental principles to build a new relationship between provincial and municipal governments.
First, recognizing the role of local governments is essential. Several Canadian provinces are moving in this direction. Quebec’s Bill 122 and New Brunswick Bill 44 are the most recent example of progressive legislation in this regard.
Second, it is important to continue to strengthen the partnership between two orders of government. This relationship must be based on an ongoing dialogue on the issues and increasing municipal autonomy and responsibilities.
Third, the rapidly evolving role and responsibilities of today’s municipalities require an in-depth review of their revenue sources. Currently available revenue sources are no longer appropriate for Canadian municipalities.
Presidents of provincial associations concluded the meeting with a commitment to continue these annual meetings and the ongoing dialogue on our common issues. They also agreed to undertake further work on the various sources of income of municipalities across the country to find the best tools for community development.
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For more information, please contact:
Jay Meyer, Executive Director
(306) 761-3721
