Steinbach Mayor and the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) president, Chris Goertzen, met with the AMM Cities Caucus this past week to discuss many items including the recent provincial budget. The meeting took place during the Municipal Officials Seminar at the RBC Convention Centre in Winnipeg.
“When you see what has happened with this budget, you see clearly that we, as municipalities, have a strong voice,” said Steinbach Mayor and AMM President Chris Goertzen. “At the same time, we have many questions regarding where the infrastructure dollars will be spent. As cities, we also need to have the right mechanisms in place to create policy around the available funding.”
The Cities Caucus also heard a presentation from Manitoba Indigenous and Municipal Relations on “The Local Vehicles for Hire Act”. While the proposed legislation won’t be dealt with until the fall session of the Manitoba Legislature, the topic is ripe for discussion, according to AMM Cities Caucus Chair, Rick Chrest. “This is new territory for many Manitoba cities,” Chrest said. “It’s already a difficult area and municipalities are now being tasked with deciding whether to regulate and have a local ride-sharing industry. We need to start having this conversation.”
Municipal asset management was also up for discussion.
The AMM Cities Caucus meets two or three times annually to discuss areas of shared concern. Formed in 2013, it is modelled after the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Big Cities Caucus to provide opportunities for Manitoba cities to share ideas about how to tackle common concerns and address key priorities.
