Goulden takes on larger role with FCM

Yorkton City Councillor has been elected chair of the Provinces and Territories Caucus of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

The caucus represents the provinces Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, along with the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon.

Goulden said while the caucus encompasses a huge land mass, when you get down to talking about issues such as infrastructure needs, the downloading of costs from the higher levels of government, and economic growth there are many similarities.

“There’s no difference from what we have here in Yorkton,” she said.

Municipalities across the caucus region are also looking to create a safe environment for residents, and issues which resonates no matter where you are in Canada, said Goulden.

The new position also gets Goulden to the inner table of the FCM.

“It puts me on the executive committee of FCM,” she said.

The new role will mean additional video conferences and webinars, but not additional travel. Goulden said members with FCM have other jobs, and time constraints which make electronic contact the preferred method for meetings.

“We all have full time jobs,” she said.

In terms of the caucus and FCM in general, Goulden said the work is beginning to focus on the next federal election.

“We need to start preparing for the next federal election in two years’ time,” she said. “We need to get our agenda on the party platforms.”