Twelve Tri-City politicians will be in Saskatoon on the taxpayers' dime for the 75th annual Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) conference, taking place June 1 to 4.
And many of them will be from Port Moody, since all six PoMo councillors are attending the four-day conference. Mayor Mike Clay was the lone hold-out for the Saskatchewan jaunt, saying there isn't much value in attending the national conference every year.
"There are enough people going that whatever is said will be captured, and I don't think everybody has to go to those things," Clay said. That the remaining six council members are attending still represents a good value for taxpayers' dollars, he added.
"There are three new people on council and I fully support them in going," Clay said.
"I think it's important early in your three-year term... to understand what's going on with those organizations," he said, referring to the FCM and the Union of BC Municipalities.
PoMo Coun. Gerry Nuttall, who has previously tried to have council adopt a policy limiting the number of council members attending such conferences, said he's attending the FCM meeting because it offers a national perspective on municipal issues, such as transportation and policing.
"The research FCM does on policing is just excellent," Nuttall said, noting last year's conference in Halifax resulted in ideas for parks and off-leash dog areas that could work well in Port Moody.
"You do pick up ideas," he said, "but the biggest thing is to make sure you bring something back, and I think most councillors in Port Moody will do that."
Coquitlam is sending Mayor Richard Stewart and councillors Lou Sekora and Linda Reimer as well as city clerk Jay Gilbert.
Sekora has been critical of such trips in the past. In 2010, he declined to attend the UBCM convention in Whistler to save money, saying the five council members who were going were already too many.
And in 2009, the year after he attended the FCM in Quebec City with seven other council members and two staff members, he criticized his colleagues for taking trips on the taxpayers' dime.
"That conference is a waste of our money. And who pays for it? You and me," Sekora told The Tri-City News at the time.
In an interview yesterday, Sekora said he only attends the FCM convention every six to eight years and there should be a policy limiting the number of attendees to three.
Port Coquitlam's attendees include Mayor Greg Moore, councillors Michael Wright and Darrell Penner, and acting city manager Barry Becker.
The FCM conference will feature workshops on: infrastructure projects funded by the FCM's Green Municipal Fund; public safety; health-conscious public policies, such as cosmetic pesticide and smoking bans; a panel discussion on the state of Canada's cities; a CUPE discussion on assessing P3s; corporate sponsorship at the municipal level; and, a social media workshop focusing on how to use Twitter.
Moore, who is also chair of Metro Vancouver, will be speaking at a workshop on zero-waste policies.
Attendees can also take part in several study tours throughout Saskatoon that examine sustainable development, housing costs, police headquarters, the Green Energy Park and the redevelopment of the city centre.
City staff have estimated it will cost just under $3,000 per person to attend the conference.
spayne@tricitynews.com
