FOMG "What We Learned" report available

Thank you to everyone who participated in online seminars, discussions and surveys related to our first Future of Municipal Government (FOMG) Paper, “Organizing Canadian Local Government.”

A "What We Learned" (WWL) report is now available. It highlights the key findings of this report, feedback we received from municipalities and the future direction Alberta Municipalities will take based on findings and feedback.

A common theme that emerged through ABmunis’ engagement activities is that more research is needed on the experiences of municipalities in Alberta, particularly smaller and more remote municipalities. An upcoming FOMG paper, “Local Governance in Alberta: Principles, Options and Recommendations,” will explore the pros and cons of various government models within the Alberta context.

In addition, ABmunis and the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) have written letters of support to researchers seeking funding to conduct analysis of the roughly 450 Intermunicipal Collaboration Frameworks (ICFs) completed across Alberta to provide a third-party assessment of their outcomes.

In 2023, Alberta Municipalities will gather municipalities and stakeholders at a President’s Summit to develop recommendations based on the outcomes of the FOMG research and dialogue. Based on discussions about this initial paper, some recommendations will likely focus on:

• the province respecting municipal autonomy to determine local government structures 
• the importance of creating a policy, legislation and funding environment that enables municipalities to shift government structures when desirable and to collaborate with neighbouring municipalities more effectively.

Stay tuned to The Weekly for updates on FOMG and related projects.