Martensville City Councillor Jamie Martens has the backing of her fellow councillors in her bid for re-election to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Board of Directors.
Martens was first elected to the FCM Board last year. She said it’s been a rewarding experience, and hopes to continue advocating for smaller communities, particularly those from western Canada.
Martensville City Council passed a resolution at its meeting on Tuesday, April 6 officially endorsing Martens’ re-election to the national organization’s board of directors.
The resolution stated:
“Whereas the FCM represents the interests of municipalities on policy and program matters that fall within federal jurisdiction;
“And whereas FCM’s Board of Directors is comprised of elected municipal officials from all regions and sizes of communities to form a broad base of support and provide FCM with the prestige required to carry the municipal message to the federal government; and
“Be it resolved that Council of the City of Martensville endorse Councillor Jamie Martens to stand for election on FCM’s Board of Directors for the period starting June 2021 and ending June 2022; and
“Be it further resolved that Council assumes all costs associated with Councillor Jamie Martens attending FCM’s Board of Directors meetings.”
Martens told the council meeting she believes it’s important for women to be at the decision-making table when formulating policies for Canadian municipalities. She added it’s equally important for western Canada to have a voice.
She said because of the COVID-19 pandemic, all FCM meetings are currently being held virtually, so costs are minimal.