Municipal Affairs

On May 1st, I found myself in Brandon, Manitoba, joining municipal leaders from across the province at the 2026 Manitoba Municipal Administrators Association Leadership Summit. It’s one of those gatherings where the conversations feel especially real—because the challenges being discussed aren’t theoretical. They’re happening right now, in council chambers, in community halls, and increasingly, online.Municipal leadership today is not what it was even five years ago. The pace has changed. Expectations have changed. Citizens are more engaged, more vocal, and more connected than ever before. And while that brings opportunity, it also brings pressure. Public discourse is shifting—sometimes productive, sometimes polarized—and navigating that space has become a core part of the job.Add to that the uncertainty of a municipal election cycle, where priorities can shift quickly and leadership can change, and it becomes clear just how complex this environment has become.Earlier in the day, I had the chance to speak about something I’ve been closely watching: the state of local government and the evolving expectations of citizens. But in the afternoon, the conversation turned to something even more immediate—how we communicate in a world shaped by algorithms, comment sections, and constant noise.We hosted a roundtable discussion called Anti-Social Media: Communicating with the Crowds—a candid look at what it means to engage with communities in spaces that aren’t always built for constructive dialogue.I was joined by three experienced voices in local government: Vanessa Figus, Jody Penner, and Colleen Draper. Together, we explored what’s working, what isn’t, and how municipalities can cut through the noise to build meaningful connections with the people they serve.This episode of Municipal Affairs was recorded live at the MMAA Leadership Summit—and it captures a conversation that’s becoming more important with every passing day.------Support The Show Today: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/support-the-showJoin The Show: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/be-part-of-the-show ------Listen To The Show:Apple: https://apple.co/41p5I2ISpotify: https://bit.ly/3tkvb0E YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/crossborderinterviewswithchrisbrown------Follow Us On Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crossborderpodcast/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/crossbordernetwork.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@crossborderpodcast Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/CrossBorderInterviews/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crossborderinterviews/ Website: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/Municipal Affairs is Part of The Cross Border Network©2026

Join us LIVE on Election Night — Monday, May 11th at 8:30 PM ADT / 5:30 PM MST / 9:00 PM NST — for complete coverage of the New Brunswick Municipal Elections.Get real-time results as they come in, hear reactions from communities across the province, and dive into expert analysis on how the vote is shaping the future of cities, towns, and rural municipalities.Don’t miss this in-depth, coast-to-coast conversation as the results unfold live.------Support The Show Today: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/support-the-showJoin The Show: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/be-part-of-the-show ------Listen To The Show:Apple: https://apple.co/41p5I2ISpotify: https://bit.ly/3tkvb0E YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/crossborderinterviewswithchrisbrown------Follow Us On Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crossborderpodcast/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/crossbordernetwork.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@crossborderpodcast Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/CrossBorderInterviews/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crossborderinterviews/ Website: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/Municipal Affairs is Part of The Cross Border Network©2026

We’re diving into a piece of legislation that could reshape the relationship between Alberta’s municipalities, homeowners, and the province itself: Bill 28.Framed by the government as a move toward fairness, consistency, and efficiency, this bill touches on some of the most sensitive pressure points in local governance — how communities are run, how development happens, and, perhaps most importantly, how property is taxed.At the heart of the conversation is a promise to standardize and modernize. Bill 28 proposes changes to municipal governance, including clearer expectations around codes of conduct for elected officials. It also introduces new reporting requirements for larger municipalities, aiming to shed more light on how development decisions are made and how long they take.But it’s the proposed changes to property taxation that are already sparking debate. The bill would prohibit so-called vacancy-style taxes — including those used in places like Canmore — arguing that homeowners shouldn’t be penalized based on how often they use their property. The province says this is about fairness: similar homes, taxed in similar ways. Critics, however, question what it means for housing availability in high-demand communities.There’s also a significant shift in how schools fit into the municipal landscape. Bill 28 would align charter schools with other publicly funded systems when it comes to accessing municipal and school reserve lands. It would also exempt charter and independent schools from off-site levies, with the goal of speeding up the development of new school infrastructure.And then there’s development itself — a key theme running through this legislation. From clarifying what municipalities can charge in off-site levies, to enabling automated permitting tools and even creating a pathway for so-called “Automatic Yes” approvals, the province is signaling a push to remove barriers and accelerate growth. The bill would also give the Minister authority to establish community design codes, potentially reshaping how neighbourhoods are planned.Supporters say these changes will reduce red tape, improve transparency, and make life more predictable for homeowners, builders, and families. Others worry about the implications for local autonomy and whether a one-size-fits-all approach can truly reflect the diverse needs of Alberta’s communities.So what does Bill 28 really mean on the ground — for municipalities, for taxpayers, and for the future of development across the province?Joining us tonight to unpack it all is ABMunis President Dylan Bressey.This is Municipal Affairs. ------Support The Show Today: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/support-the-showJoin The Show: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/be-part-of-the-show ------Listen To The Show:Apple: https://apple.co/41p5I2ISpotify: https://bit.ly/3tkvb0E YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/crossborderinterviewswithchrisbrown------Follow Us On Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crossborderpodcast/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/crossbordernetwork.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@crossborderpodcast Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/CrossBorderInterviews/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crossborderinterviews/ Website: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/Municipal Affairs is Part of The Cross Border Network©2026

There’s a quiet truth that echoes in council chambers from coast to coast: when it comes to stable, predictable municipal funding, not all systems are created equal. In fact, ask almost any municipal leader across Canada, and you’ll hear the same thing—if their province followed Saskatchewan’s lead, their communities would be on much stronger footing.Because in Saskatchewan, they built something different. Something durable. Something that, nearly two decades later, is still widely considered the gold standard for municipal–provincial relations.It all comes down to one idea: the Saskatchewan Municipal Revenue Sharing program.At its core, the Municipal Revenue Sharing program—often called MRS—is a simple but powerful concept. It ties municipal funding directly to the strength of the provincial economy, allocating a portion of provincial sales tax revenue to communities. The result? Funding that is predictable, transparent, and—perhaps most importantly—no strings attached.Since its introduction, that funding has grown dramatically, increasing more than 200 percent across the province since 2007. But behind that success story is a moment in time—a political window, a collaborative effort, and a group of people who saw an opportunity to rethink how municipalities are funded.One of those people is Keith Comstock.As Assistant Deputy Minister of Government Relations, Comstock played a central role in shaping and implementing the program, working across political lines to turn an idea into a lasting institution. Today, he continues to influence the next generation of policy leaders as Executive-in-Residence at the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy.In this episode, we’ll explore how the Municipal Revenue Sharing program came to life, the role the 2007 Saskatchewan election played in accelerating its adoption, and why—nearly twenty years later—it continues to set the benchmark for the rest of the country.This is Municipal Affairs.------This episode of Municipal Affairs was sponsored by: Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policyhttps://www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca/------Support The Show Today: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/support-the-showJoin The Show: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/be-part-of-the-show ------Listen To The Show:Apple: https://apple.co/41p5I2ISpotify: https://bit.ly/3tkvb0E YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/crossborderinterviewswithchrisbrown------Follow Us On Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crossborderpodcast/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/crossbordernetwork.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@crossborderpodcast Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/CrossBorderInterviews/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crossborderinterviews/ Website: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/Municipal Affairs is Part of The Cross Border Network©2026

Seven months ago, we brought you the concerns of Mayor Lyle Herman of La Loche, who travelled to Ottawa to sound the alarm on a growing crisis in northern Saskatchewan. At the time, he described a region stretched thin—where limited RCMP resources, rising crime, housing shortages, and gaps in mental health and addictions services were putting entire communities at risk.Today, we return to that story with a simple but critical question: has anything changed?In communities like La Loche, the challenges weren’t abstract—they were immediate and visible. Officers covering multiple towns across long distances. Emergency calls pulling resources away for hours at a time. Frontline workers facing repeated break-ins. And a system that many residents felt wasn’t holding repeat offenders accountable.Mayor Herman also pointed to deeper, underlying issues—housing shortages preventing the recruitment of healthcare workers and mental health professionals, and a lack of addiction supports leaving vulnerable residents without a path forward.Those concerns were brought directly to federal leaders. Promises were discussed. Priorities were acknowledged. But in the months since, northern leaders and residents have been watching closely to see whether those conversations have translated into meaningful action.Are there more officers on the ground? Are communities safer? Have investments in housing and support services begun to take shape? Or are municipalities still grappling with the same pressures—only now with greater urgency?Mayor Herman has continued to advocate for the North, not just for La Loche, but for dozens of communities facing similar realities. Today, he joins us once again to reflect on what’s transpired since that trip to Ottawa—and whether northern municipalities are, in fact, better off today than they were when he first raised the alarm.------This episode of Municipal Affairs was sponsored by: Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policyhttps://www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca/------Support The Show Today: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/support-the-showJoin The Show: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/be-part-of-the-show ------Listen To The Show:Apple: https://apple.co/41p5I2ISpotify: https://bit.ly/3tkvb0E YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/crossborderinterviewswithchrisbrown------Follow Us On Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crossborderpodcast/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/crossbordernetwork.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@crossborderpodcast Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/CrossBorderInterviews/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crossborderinterviews/ Website: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/Municipal Affairs is Part of The Cross Border Network©2026

Today, we’re crossing a border—but not to highlight what divides us. Instead, we’re taking a closer look at what connects communities on both sides of the 49th parallel.Municipalities in Canada and the United States share more than geography. From managing growth and infrastructure, to responding to economic uncertainty and housing pressures, local governments are often on the front lines of the same challenges. Yet, the systems they operate within—their powers, funding models, and relationships with senior levels of government—can look quite different.So what does that mean in practice? Where are cities facing similar pressures, and where do their paths diverge? And perhaps most importantly, what can they learn from one another?To help us explore these questions, we’re joined by two leaders from communities of comparable size, each bringing a unique cross-border perspective.From the uniquely positioned border city of Lloydminster, straddling Saskatchewan and Alberta, we welcome Mayor Gerald Aalbers. And from Bozeman, Montana—a rapidly growing city in the American West—we’re pleased to be joined by Mayor Joey Morrison.Together, we’ll discuss the shared challenges municipalities are navigating today, the opportunities ahead, and how local leadership continues to shape the future of communities on both sides of the border.This is Municipal Affairs. Stay with us.------This episode of Cross Border Interviews was sponsored by: Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policyhttps://www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca/------Support The Show Today: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/support-the-showJoin The Show: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/be-part-of-the-show ------Listen To The Show:Apple: https://apple.co/41p5I2ISpotify: https://bit.ly/3tkvb0E YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/crossborderinterviewswithchrisbrown------Follow Us On Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crossborderpodcast/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/crossbordernetwork.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@crossborderpodcast Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/CrossBorderInterviews/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crossborderinterviews/ Website: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/Municipal Affairs is Part of The Cross Border Network©2026

Today, we’re focusing on a small but significant part of Alberta’s municipal landscape—Summer Villages. Once seen primarily as seasonal communities, these municipalities are increasingly operating year-round, facing many of the same responsibilities and pressures as larger urban and rural centres.Across Alberta, Summer Villages are managing growth, maintaining infrastructure, and responding to environmental concerns—particularly around lake and river health. At the same time, they’re working to balance the expectations of permanent residents, seasonal property owners, and visitors.Representing these communities is the Association of Summer Villages of Alberta, a non-profit that advocates on their behalf, coordinates with the provincial government, and provides tools like its Lake Stewardship Guide to address emerging challenges.So what is the current state of Alberta’s Summer Villages? What issues are rising to the surface—and where are the opportunities for long-term sustainability?Joining us for today's episode is ASVA President and the Mayor of the Summer Village of Sundance Beach, Brian Waterhouse. We’ll discuss the pressures facing these municipalities and what lies ahead.This is Municipal Affairs.------Support The Show Today: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/support-the-showJoin The Show: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/be-part-of-the-show ------Listen To The Show:Apple: https://apple.co/41p5I2ISpotify: https://bit.ly/3tkvb0E YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/crossborderinterviewswithchrisbrown------Follow Us On Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crossborderpodcast/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/crossbordernetwork.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@crossborderpodcast Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/CrossBorderInterviews/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crossborderinterviews/ Website: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/Municipal Affairs is Part of The Cross Border Network©2026

In Northern Saskatchewan, municipal leaders are navigating challenges that are as complex as they are urgent.From housing shortages and highway infrastructure concerns, to funding pressures, houselessness, and growing mental health and addiction challenges, communities across the North are working to address serious issues — often with limited resources and, in some cases, ongoing barriers to moving goods in and out of remote communities.Yet despite those challenges, northern municipalities continue to adapt, innovate, and push for solutions.Jordan McPhail, Saskatchewan New Democratic Party Shadow Minister for Northern Affairs, says municipal leaders are sounding the alarm on many of these concerns as he travels across the northern part of the province, hearing directly from communities on the pressures they’re facing — including the ongoing aftermath of last year’s wildfires.At the recent Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association convention in Regina, we caught up with McPhail to discuss what he’s hearing from municipal leaders, how he and his Saskatchewan NDP colleagues are working alongside communities to address issues of importance, and what he believes needs greater attention moving forward.This is Municipal Affairs.------This episode of Municipal Affairs was sponsored by: Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policyhttps://www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca/------Support The Show Today: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/support-the-showJoin The Show: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/be-part-of-the-show ------Listen To The Show:Apple: https://apple.co/41p5I2ISpotify: https://bit.ly/3tkvb0E YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/crossborderinterviewswithchrisbrown------Follow Us On Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crossborderpodcast/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/crossbordernetwork.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@crossborderpodcast Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/CrossBorderInterviews/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crossborderinterviews/ Website: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/Municipal Affairs is Part of The Cross Border Network©2026

For decades, Saskatchewan has powered itself on resourcefulness — drawing strength from the ground beneath the communities built around it and us. Now, the province is considering its next major chapter in energy: nuclear power.SaskPower is moving through a multi-year planning process aimed at bringing a small modular reactor online by the mid-2030s, with a commercial decision expected by 2029. With a preferred reactor technology selected and two potential sites near Estevan under consideration, the conversation is shifting from possibility to planning.Supporters say the opportunity is significant — from long-term energy security and emissions reduction, to job creation, economic growth, and even positioning Saskatchewan as a national leader in next-generation nuclear development. For Estevan and the surrounding region, the stakes are especially high, as communities look at what a project of this scale could mean both during construction and for generations to come.At the recent Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association convention in Regina, we caught up with Tony Sernick to talk about the path forward — from the decision between potential sites at Boundary Dam Reservoir and Rafferty Reservoir, to why he believes nuclear could provide a major boost to the local economy in both the short and long term.This is Municipal Affairs.------This episode of Municipal Affairs was sponsored by: Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policyhttps://www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca/------Support The Show Today: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/support-the-showJoin The Show: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/be-part-of-the-show ------Listen To The Show:Apple: https://apple.co/41p5I2ISpotify: https://bit.ly/3tkvb0E YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/crossborderinterviewswithchrisbrown------Follow Us On Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crossborderpodcast/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/crossbordernetwork.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@crossborderpodcast Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/CrossBorderInterviews/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crossborderinterviews/ Website: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/Municipal Affairs is Part of The Cross Border Network©2026