Vegreville Town Councillor a National Voice for all Municipalities

Vegreville Town Councillor a National Voice for all Municipalities

Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser

Vegreville Town Councillor Taneen Rudyk is excited to be taking on her new role as President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, (FCM).

“The commitment and responsibility to the organization and the municipal sector that belongs to the President is a role that I am excited to take on.”

Rudyk was acclaimed as the federation’s new president at the FCM annual conference just over a month ago. She has been an FCM board member since 2017, and said she ran for a position on the board after seeing FCM’s effective advocacy for Vegreville regarding the closure of the Immigration Case Processing Centre.

“I witnessed first-hand the support of municipal governments across the country which amplified the voice of our small community. I’m proud of the work we have done to unite the municipal sector, to build federal partnerships across all political parties to strengthen the voice and influence of local government at the national level.”

She believes the best way to tackle the most pressing issues and to create lasting results in communities across the country is to work together.

“The past two years have only emphasized the critical role local of local governments, both in our economic well-being,

and to our quality of life. We’ve seen time and again that a stronger voice for municipalities at the federal level can deliver results for people.

Taneen Rudyk.

(Town of Vegreville/Submitted Photo)

We know how important local governments are: whether we are talking about issues in big cities or in smaller communities like Vegreville, local leaders are the experts on the ground. We know what works and what the needs are.

We have great examples right here in Vegreville of what happens when there is a strong voice for municipalities at the federal level. Prosperity Park is funded by the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, with both federal and provincial funds and local tax dollars tangibly demonstrating the power of cooperation across orders of government. It’s gratifying to drive by the construction site and see what happens when federal, provincial, and local leaders work together on goals to benefit our residents.”

In terms of FCM’s national priorities, Rudyk said that includes a strong, sustainable and inclusive recovery. “Locally that includes priorities like more and reliable investments in municipalities to build and maintain the infrastructure that supports the movement of goods and services.

We also need to work with our federal counterparts ensuring the federal government covers all retroactive costs associated with the implementation of the new RCMP labour relations regime. As well more affordable housing, reliable and fully accessible broadband for Canadians regardless of where they live are some of the key issues and challenges playing out in communities big and small, from coast to coast to coast. I’ll be working hard this year to continue to advance these critical issues with our federal counterparts.”

She added that, “Any challenge we face as a country, we need to face it together. I think that to have the biggest impact, we have to focus on what unites us. As they say, if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. From big cities to small towns, from coast to coast to coast, all local leaders – and indeed all elected officials – are on the same mission to build better lives for their communities and those who live in them.”