Municipal leaders across Atlantic Canada are looking to work more closely together to push for change on issues affecting communities throughout the region.
Representatives from municipal associations in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador gathered in Halifax for the first Atlantic Local Government Ministers’ Meeting.
The meeting also brought together provincial ministers and government representatives to discuss shared challenges, including cellular service and harassment of municipal officials.
Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities President David Mitchell says the goal is to give Atlantic communities a stronger voice when dealing with other levels of government.
“I think everyone’s — this was a great meeting, a great opportunity to amplify the voice of Atlantic Canadians because sometimes we can be drowned out a little by the larger provinces that have much larger populations,” Mitchell said.
He says municipalities across the region face many of the same problems, making it worthwhile to work together rather than advocate individually.
One example is cellular service, which remains a concern in communities throughout Atlantic Canada.
“Instead of the NSFM or a provincial minister from Nova Scotia going to advocate to the federal government about cell coverage, doing that as four provinces and two orders of government is a stronger voice,” Mitchell said.
He believes that approach could help bring more attention to shared concerns.
The meeting included representatives from the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities, Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick, Federation of Prince Edward Island Municipalities and Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador.
Mitchell says the first gathering was largely about figuring out how the organizations and provincial governments can work together.
He says there are no plans to create a new association. Instead, the existing groups will coordinate their efforts on issues where they share common ground.
The participants have committed to meeting twice a year, with a possible virtual or in-person meeting in the spring and another in-person gathering in the fall.
Mitchell says those meetings will help the groups identify shared priorities and develop coordinated approaches to advocating for Atlantic municipalities.
No federal government representatives attended the first meeting, although Mitchell says working together to bring concerns to Ottawa will be an important part of the effort.
