With two years’ experience on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Board of Directors under her belt, Martensville City Councillor Jamie Martens is seeking re-election to that body when the national organization meets in Regina in early June.
“I’m running again for the position because I feel there are many important issues affecting municipalities that need to be addressed at the national level,” said Martens in an interview May 3. “Every municipality is dealing with ongoing issues like water and wastewater, infrastructure, policing and public safety.
“When all municipalities across the country speak with one voice, the federal government has to listen.”
Martens’ colleagues on Martensville City Council unanimously voted to endorse her bid for the FCM seat at a council meeting on Tuesday, May 3.
Martens said one of the most pressing concerns for all municipalities in Canada right now is the new RCMP collective bargaining agreement. The federal government negotiated the deal, which includes a substantial, and well-deserved retroactive pay package for police officers. But, the federal government has downloaded responsibility for paying the increased costs onto municipalities.
“We respect and value the RCMP and appreciate what they do for our communities,” said Martens. “But the municipalities weren’t at the table when the agreement was worked out, and to expect local governments to have to pay that big bill up front is unrealistic.
“We brought forward a resolution last year through FCM to the federal government, and we’ve been lobbying all MPs, to get the message across that the federal government has to be responsible for coming up with the retroactive pay.”
The FCM is slated to hold its national conference in Regina June 2-5. The final day of the convention will see elections for FCM Board of Directors positions.
The 74-member FCM Board includes representatives from across the country. All the positions are for one-year terms.
Each province and territory has a certain number of seats at the FCM Board of Directors table based on population. Ontario has the largest share, with 16 directors. Quebec is the second-largest with 12 directors. BC has eight, Alberta seven; Saskatchewan and Manitoba each have five directors.
Two of Saskatchewan’s five FCM Director seats are reserved for the Presidents of the Saskatchewan Asosciation of Rural Municipalities (SARM) and the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA); one seat is reserved for a representative of the province’s largest cities (Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert); and the other two are ‘at-large’ seats. Martens is seeking re-election to one of these two ‘at-large’ positions.
Martens is not the only candidate in the race. According to the FCM website, Mike Strachan, Mayor of the Village of Torquay, is also in the running.
Among the issues of concern for FCM are: infrastructure, public safety, rail safety, economic development, housing, climate and stainability, and encouraging more women to become involved in government at all levels.