Western Canadian municipalities are calling on the federal government to take action on key issues shared by the Prairie provinces 

During its annual meeting in Edmonton last week, the Western Canadian Municipal Associations (WCMA) expressed concern over access to infrastructure funding, the impacts of proposed fertilizer emission reduction targets, uncertainty in RCMP funding, poor high-speed internet access for rural and remote areas, and access to health services, including mental health and addictions support.

Offering a collective voice for municipal associations of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, WCMA is calling for the permanent doubling of the Canada Community Building Fund to help meet the infrastructure needs of municipalities.

“Municipalities need a seat at the table," stresses Cathy Heron, president of the Alberta Municipalities, in a news release. "We are often required to share costs with the federal and provincial governments, but lack a voice in negotiating infrastructure agreements. Our expertise, insights, and priorities are vital to the process.”

The WCMA says the federal government continues to miss the mark on improving connectivity.

“Access to broadband for small, rural, and remote communities across the Prairies continues to be a challenge despite several funding announcements by provincial and federal governments," says Paul McLauchlin, president of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta.  "The opportunity to connect with our peers from Western Canada provides immense opportunity to identify collaborative solutions to push the Government of Canada to distribute funding transparently and in a manner that supports improved connectivity in the most underserved areas.”

WCMA seeks clarification on the future role of the RCMP in providing contract policing to municipalities. It also wants assurance that the federal government will cover all retroactive pay agreed to in a collective agreement settled last December.

“Despite being a paying contract partner, municipalities were completely shut out of the RCMP collective bargaining process," jointly state Brad Saluk and Chris Ewen, vice presidents of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities.

"While we appreciate the Government of Canada pausing invoices to municipalities, the federal government needs to find an immediate solution to retroactive policing bills. Moving forward, we will continue to call on the federal government to fully absorb all retroactive pay increases.”

The association says the proposed 30 per cent reduction in fertilizer emissions would unfairly target the agricultural industry, which it believes is already at the forefront of emissions reduction efforts.

“Western Canadian ag producers are the most technologically advanced in the world," states Ray Orb, president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities. "Heavy restrictions on the use of fertilizers would pave a path to unsustainable agriculture in Canada, leading to lower production and reduced food security.”

It believes municipalities across Western Canada are being challenged by the ongoing downloading of responsibilities without corresponding increases in funding or support for healthcare, mental health, and addiction support, noting they were already at a critical level before the pandemic and have only compounded since.

WCMA also calls upon the federal government to better recognize the importance of the oil and gas sector to the Canadian economy.