Prince Albert city councillors debated the cost and value of attending Federation of Canadian Municipalities conferences after an inquiry response showed the City spent $59,575 over two years sending seven attendees to the annual gathering.
The discussion came during Monday’s regular council meeting after council received a response to an inquiry from Coun. Bryce Laewetz asking for the cost breakdown for the 2025 and 2026 FCM conferences.
FCM, or the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, is the national organization representing municipal governments across Canada. Its annual conference brings local officials together for workshops, policy discussions and meetings on issues such as infrastructure, housing and federal funding.
The 2025 conference was held in Ottawa and cost the City $36,482 for seven attendees, or about $5,212 per person. The 2026 conference was held in Edmonton and cost $23,093 for seven attendees, or about $3,299 per person.
Laewetz said the two-year total was almost $60,000 and noted next year’s conference is scheduled for Halifax, which would likely mean higher travel costs.
“We’re asking our residents to pay more, we’re asking our administration to find areas that we can tighten things up and areas that we can save money, and I think as a council we can also be doing that,” Laewetz said.
Mayor Bill Powalinsky said council had approved the expenses for both years, but agreed they should receive a thorough review during budget discussions. He later described the issue as a question of return on investment.
Coun. Blake Edwards defended attending FCM, saying councillors miss out on ideas, funding information and conversations with other municipalities if they do not attend.
“If we don’t attend FCM, we miss out on a lot of ideas and considerations,” Edwards said.
Edwards said municipalities across Canada are often competing for the same funding, and councillors need to understand where funding opportunities are and how other communities are accessing them.
“Yes, there is some expense to it. Yes, it’s costly to travel, but it is so very important for councillors to attend,” he said.
Edwards also said trade shows connected to the conference can expose councillors to new ideas, including road maintenance options and equipment that may not otherwise come forward locally.
Coun. Tony Head also supported the value of municipal conferences, saying they give councillors direct access to federal and provincial leaders. Head said he has used FCM and Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association conferences to raise Prince Albert issues, including crime and infrastructure funding, with senior officials and ministers.
“We pay lobbyists to do that, and we get to do that on the floor of these conventions,” Head said.
Coun. Darren Solomon said the value of FCM was in seeing how other cities are handling problems similar to Prince Albert’s.
Solomon pointed to an Edmonton tour on problem properties, federal infrastructure funding discussions, a conversation with an Ontario mayor about arena funding and information on a First Nations municipal economic development program he said may have promise for Prince Albert.
“If I’m not in that room, I can’t have” those conversations, Solomon said.
The debate followed several months of budget-related discussions at City Hall, including tax increases, utility fees, infrastructure costs and motions asking administration to review future spending pressures.
Prince Albert is also dealing with major files involving infrastructure, housing, public safety, downtown revitalization, complex needs facilities, mobile crisis response, and a four-unit residential development.
The inquiry response was received and filed by council.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
