AMBM President and Reeve of the Rural Municipality of La Broquerie, Ivan Normandeau, issued the following statement on returning from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) 2024 Annual Conference and Trade Show, held June 7th to 9th in Calgary under the theme Redefining Our Future:
Many elected representatives and Chief Administrative Officers of Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities, as well as Justin Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of the AMBM, Dany Robidoux, Executive Director of our subsidiary Eco-West Canada (EWC), and myself have returned from Calgary fully satisfied with the quality of the event and pleased with the constructive meetings we engaged in.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) 2024 Annual Conference and Trade Show broke records with the largest attendance in recent history. In Calgary, Alberta, over 3,100 participants gathered to explore the theme of Redefining Our Future. During the event, we were able to meet with national party leaders and representatives, help shape FCM’s strategic priorities, and propose innovative ideas to address local challenges while seizing opportunities arising from the country’s rapid demographic growth.
I would like to congratulate Geoff Stewart, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Colchester County, N.S., on his election as FCM’s new President. The AMBM and its members have worked closely with Mr. Stewart for many years in the municipal milieu, and we are convinced that he will add a new chapter to FCM’s long and distinguished history, and look forward to working with him and his team to advance municipal priorities.
At the close of this memorable convention, we would like to extend our warmest congratulations to a number of Manitobans who have done themselves proud:
- Kathy Valentino, Deputy Mayor of the City of Thompson, elected third Vice-President of the FCM.
- Scott Gillingham, Mayor of the City of Winnipeg, elected Vice-Chair of FCM’s Big City Mayors’ Caucus (BCMC).
- The three Manitoba representatives re-elected to the FCM Board of Directors: Laurent Tétrault, Deputy Reeve of the Rural Municipality of La Broquerie, Joe Masi, Councillor for the City of Portage La Prairie and Marvin Plett, Councillor for the City of Winkler. The AMBM wishes to lend them its full support and work with them at FCM Board of Directors meetings to advance the priorities of Manitoba’s municipal governments at the national table.
I would like to acknowledge the important contribution of a great friend and ally of Manitoba’s Francophone community and bilingual municipalities, the Mayor of the Township of Gore, Quebec, Scott Pearce, who completed his term as FCM President over the weekend. A long-standing and active member of the FCM Board of Directors, Scott has always brought together municipalities from across Canada with diplomacy and determination to advance key municipal priorities, including the proposed new Municipal Growth Framework to provincial/territorial and federal governments.
In all, we would like to thank and congratulate FCM for a hugely successful conference and trade show; our federation was able to unite us around a shared vision and a new framework for municipal growth that will enable municipalities to better meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. As a dedicated member of FCM, we look forward to continuing and expanding our collaboration over the coming years, working together to build stronger, more prosperous, welcoming and resilient communities.
The AMBM is the voice of bilingual municipal leadership in the province of Manitoba. It represents 15 local governments committed to providing services in both official languages to their citizens. Together, these municipalities represent the majority of Manitoba’s population. Manitoba’s bilingual municipal leadership is also at the helm of the AMBM Group, a consortium of three complementary organizations: AMBM, the Economic Development Council of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (Conseil de développement économique des municipalités bilingues du Manitoba, or CDEM) and Eco-West Canada (EWC), which specializes in the green economy. Complementary, these three organizations actively contribute to the development, vitality and sustainability of the province’s Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs).
Information: Office of the Chief Executive Officer (O-CEO), 204-289-4077, [email protected].
