Ottawa, ON – The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) convened Canada’s on-the-ground leaders with their federal counterparts at another highly successful annual edition of its Advocacy Days from November 21 to 24 in Ottawa, ON. Over 100 advocacy meetings took place between local government leaders and MPs across government and opposition benches, with a focus on municipal priorities that include housing and homelessness, investment in the next generation of community infrastructure and the need for a new Municipal Growth Framework.
Keynote appearances included Federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities of Canada Sean Fraser, Shadow Minister for Housing and Diversity and Inclusion Scott Aitchison, and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh.
This year’s Advocacy Days coincided with the release of the federal Fall Economic Statement, which FCM responded to in detail, welcoming some measures that will improve housing affordability but expressing concern at the lack of infrastructure investment that our country’s communities badly need.
“This was an effective and useful edition of FCM’s Advocacy Days, held at a crucial time for Canada’s municipalities,” stated FCM President Scott Pearce. “Throughout the week, in meetings with parliamentarians from all major federal parties, we have advocated clearly and with urgency for what is needed right now: support to help tackle the shared issues that our communities are facing.”
This call to bridge the gap between ambitious federal housing targets of 5.8 million new homes by 2030 and current infrastructure provisioning was underlined by new research commissioned by FCM. At a press conference announcing this research on November 23, President Pearce and the Chair of FCM’s Big City Mayors’ Caucus and Mayor of Halifax Mike Savage revealed that the average cost of municipal infrastructure to support each new home is in the range of $107,000. The scale of the infrastructure investment gap is stark and requires action. This research emphasizes how Canada’s housing challenge is also an infrastructure challenge.
Municipalities have very limited options to pay for growth. Increasing property taxes and development charges can increase the overall cost of construction and negatively impact the housing supply. That’s why FCM is calling on the federal government to convene provincial, territorial and municipal leaders to discuss a new Municipal Growth Framework that better aligns municipal revenue with economic growth and population growth.
In its meeting, FCM’s Board of Directors reiterated their expectations for Budget 2024, headlined by new federal investments in infrastructure and a commitment to convene a national conversation amongst orders of government that can form the basis for federal-provincial/territorial-municipal negotiations towards a modernized Municipal Growth Framework—one that will better support the needs of Canadians in their growing communities.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) unites more than 2,100 local governments at the national level, representing more than 92 per cent of Canadians in every province and territory.
For more information: FCM Media Relations, (613) 907-6395, media@fcm.ca