Federal leaders had four days to pitch their municipal plans to a captive audience.
During the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) annual conference, held June 4-8 in Edmonton, local government delegates from across the country heard from representatives of the federal Conservative, Liberal, New Democrat and Green parties about how their prospective governments would handle local issues.
"They took the opportunity to lay out their platform on various issues," said Mayor Lyn Hall, one of the seven members of Prince George city council who attended the event.
In statements issued after keynote addresses from the federal party leaders Justin Trudeau, Tom Mulcair, Elizabeth May and Finance Minister Joe Oliver, outgoing FCM president Brad Woodside praised the speakers for steps in the right direction.
As part of the budget released in April, the Conservative government committed $1 billion for public transit infrastructure. But the federal government "has not adequately addressed the housing crisis in this country," Woodside said after Oliver's Friday address.
Woodside was also looking for more details from Trudeau's outline of the Liberal party plan for a new, dedicated funding source for municipal issues, but was encouraged to hear housing is a priority.
"We still need to hear details on his housing strategy and again, we expect he will work with us to make sure we protect and build on the investments in affordable housing," Woodside said.
Under the Green Party, May said her government would commit one percentage point of the GST to municipal priorities, which Woodside said "could provide a significant new source of revenue to build better roads, safer bridges and cleaner water."
The NDP proposal set out by Mulcair included increasing the gas tax by $1.5 billion annually and an investment of $1.3 billion per year for 20 years in transit.
"We have called for flexibility in any fund design, including on P3 (public private partnership) requirements, and we are pleased the NDP's plan has responded," said Woodside, noting the NDP plan also delivers "an important first step" in sustaining the current affordable housing funds.
The four federal parties were also asked if they would commit to a leaders' debate on municipal issues, to which all but the Conservative party agreed.
The federation also launched their Roadmap to Stronger Cities and Communities, outlining issues and potential solutions to problems facing municipalities.
"Compare federal party platforms to see which party will be the best partner for their community and improve quality of life in their hometown," said new FCM president Raymond Louie.
Attending and being a part of FCM allows P.G. politicians to see what's happening on a national scale, said Hall, who said he benefited from opportunities to network with other mayors in similar-sized communities and learn how they're handling issues such as infrastructure and downtown redevelopment.
Hall said he also spoke with mayors who are looking at potentially hosting the Canada Winter Games and found that "on a national level, we're better known because we hosted the 2015 Canada Games."
During the event, Coun. Garth Frizzell was re-elected to the FCM board of directors, where he'll serve his eighth term on the B.C. caucus.
