Report from Mayor Bill Smith
FCM Big City Mayors Caucus
FCM Big City Mayors Caucus Meeting
London, Ontario
April 28, 2000
- Approval of Minutes of the February 7, 2000 Meeting
a)Held in Ottawa; decision taken to hold Autumn meetings in Ottawa (to facilitate lobby efforts with federal officials) and rotate Spring meetings
b)BCMC intends to become more strategic and issues-oriented in its approach to business
c)BCMC met with the Prime Minister and discussed issues related to affordable housing, environmental infrastructure and transportation infrastructure
d)BCMC met with Ministers Bradshaw (Federal Co-ordinator for Homelessness) and Gagliano (Public Works and Government Services) to discuss issues related to affordable housing
e)BCMC received an update from the National Housing Policy Options Team
- Report of the Executive Director
a)Mr. James Knight provided the BCMC with a status report on FCM’s recent activities in the following areas:
- Quality of Life Reporting System
- Canadian Cities of Culture
- Payments In-Lieu of Taxes
- Building Permits and Development Charges on Crown Land
- Impact of Immigration on our Cities
- Federal Budget 2000 – Towards a Better Quality of Life
- Annual Conference
- National Housing Policy Options Team (NHPOT) Report
a)BCMC was provided with a report on the work of the NHPOT established in 1998, including a working paper (Toward a National Housing Strategy) and a proposed action plan for 2000-2001.
- Efforts of the NHPOT have been very successful
- FCM sponsored a National Symposium on Homelessness and Housing in March 1999
- Federal Budget included
b)FCM recognized resource contributions (financial and staff) from the City of Edmonton
c)BCMC agreed with a recommendation to “seek a voluntary funding contribution ($0.02 per capita) from member municipalities
- $12,326 for the City of Edmonton
- City of Edmonton contribution last year was based on $0.03 per capita
d)BCMC heard a report from the City of London on initiatives they are taking in the area of affordable housing
- National Policy on Transportation
a)BCMC received an FCM report outlining initiatives in southwestern Ontario (Mayors’ Alliance on Superhighways) and Vancouver (Proposal for a Federal Role in Funding Sustainable Urban Transportation)
b)FCM continues to urge the federal government to implement a long-term, federal-provincial National Highways Program.
c)BCBC agreed to continue to support FCM’s call for the federal and provincial governments to redirect the equivalent of at least six cents per litre of existing excise taxes on fuel to communities participating in a national program aimed at increasing sustainable transportation options, including municipal roads.
d)BCMC revised and adopted a series of resolutions proposed by the Mayors’ Alliance on Superhighways
- Smog: An Environmental Resolution from Toronto
a)BCMC supported Toronto Councillor Jack Layton’s resolution on air quality calling on the Federal Minister of the Environment to maintain previous commitments on sulphur levels in gasoline and to set minimum standards for ozone
- Urban Reserves
a)BCMC received a report on the City of Saskatoon’s work in this area.
- Municipal Drug Strategy
a)BCMC received a report on FCM’s Municipal Drug Strategy
- FCM’s Municipal Drug Strategy is a three-year project financed by the National Crime Prevention Centre
- A municipal needs assessment was undertaken and provided to the BCMC
- The Strategy will complement federal programs (Canada’s Drug Strategy) and will focus on prevention
b)FCM coordinated a National Symposium on Organized Crime in April 2000
c)BCMC agreed to review the needs assessment and to provide input along with information on municipal initiatives to combat drug abuse
- Municipal Infrastructure in the Federal Budget
a)BCMC received a report from FCM’s Director of Policy and Public Affairs
- 6 year program; $2.6 billion
- negotiation process underway
- per capita allocation methodology
- focus of the program will be on quality of life as opposed to job creation
b)FCM indicating that program is a positive first step, but funding is inadequate
c)BCMC agreed to press provinces to sign infrastructure agreements as soon as possible
d)BCMC agreed to support the development of an Innovations/Best Practices Guide possibly under FCM management with the National Research Council
- Proposed Lobbying Priorities: 2000
a)BCMC reviewed a list of issues and agreed that the focus of the Autumn meetings with federal officials would focus on municipal infrastructure programs and affordable housing
- Update on CWF’s Western Cities Project Diminished Air Service to Calgary
a)BCMC heard an oral report from Mayor Duerr
- Telecommunications: Municipal Rights-of-Way
a)BCMC received a report from the FCM, including updates on:
- FCM’s participation in a proceeding of the CRTC to examine telecommunications companies’ access to municipal rights-of-way.
- Recognition of the resource contributions (financial and staff) of several cities, including the City of Edmonton
- The Municipal Rights-of-Way Defense Fund (Toronto Councillor Howard Moscoe, Chair of the FCM Telecommunications Sub-committee provided a status report)
- The TELUS-Toronto situation
- The development of the FCM Model Access Agreement
b)BCMC supported an FCM recommendation for a second contribution by municipalities to the Municipal Rights-of-Way Defense Fund
- City of Edmonton’s contribution, based on $0.03 per capita, would be $18,489
- BCMC agreed to continue to provide staff support to the Technical Subcommittee on Telecommunications
c)BCMC received a report from Mr. C. Tacit of the law firm Nelligan-Power, the solicitor retained by FCM to advise on CRTC matters. The report included:
- FCM submission in CRTC Ledcor v. Vancouver Proceeding
- FCM General Rights-of-Way Principles
- FCM Telecommunications Rights-of-Way Policy
- FCM Sample Municipal Access Agreement
- Update on Annual Conference
a)BCMC heard a verbal report on the status of the annual FCM Conference to be held in London in June