FCM president focuses on communication in community building
Geoff Stewart has always had a passion for serving his community. He has also proven eager in taking on the types of leadership roles that can help make people’s lives better. Photo: Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Geoff Stewart has always had a passion for serving his community. He has also proven eager in taking on the types of leadership roles that can help make people’s lives better.
Stewart has been involved in both minor and junior hockey and is a former fire chief. He was involved with the labour movement, serving as a union president at one of his former employers. Stewart was first elected to municipal government in 2012. Today, he is in his second term as deputy mayor in Colchester County, N.S.
Given all that, it isn’t surprising to those who know him that Stewart decided earlier this year he would add to his resume by taking on the role as president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).
After being chosen by his colleagues at this spring’s FCM conference in Calgary, Stewart said he saw the president’s role as another way to put something back into his community. But it also provided him with another way to help municipalities grow and prosper.
“FCM is a national voice for municipal government. We represent over 2,100 municipalities across this country and 92 per cent of the population,” Stewart said. “So, to have the people who are representing their municipalities put that trust and faith in me, it is very humbling and an honour to be given that role.”
Role of the FCM President
FCM is the national voice for municipal government in Canada. With all that in mind, Stewart sees his top priority as collaborating with its members to address municipal priorities.
Stewart is looking to sit down with members and have some pointed conversations. After all, FCM members in communities of all sizes are facing many of the same issues. Getting across the country and network with members face-to-face is something he expects will help support – and build – FCM’s membership.
“There’s always room for growth,” Stewart said. “Communication is key to maintaining the members that we have currently, and we’ve had for many, many years. To have that communication, an open dialogue, is a key to the success of the organization.”
Municipal Growth Framework
To ensure that Canada’s growth is successful, FCM is urging Ottawa to bring together all orders of government to discuss and develop a municipal growth framework. The initiative would offer municipalities new, more equitable ways to fund their development goals.
The framework is a key priority right now for FCM. Given the infrastructure needs of municipalities, Stewart said the creation of this new framework is necessary. The most significant problem for municipalities is that the revenue streams they have were developed “in the horse and buggy days.” And, as Stewart adds, a lot of things have changed since Confederation.
The demands on municipalities are ever-increasing, Stewart said. It is a fact complicated by the often-repeated statistic that municipalities get 8-10 cents per tax dollar collected but are responsible for over 60 per cent of the local infrastructure. Stewart said it’s past time to have a serious conversation around crafting this new framework. He also feels that momentum is being built around accomplishing just that.
“I believe we’re closer now than we’ve ever been. It’s always a challenge to get three orders of government to the table to have that conversation, but I do believe the prime minister made it very clear at our annual conference in Calgary that he was willing to have that conversation with the provinces and the municipalities,” Stewart said. “It’s a matter now of coordinating and having the table set so that we can, all orders of government, sit together and have that conversation.”
Other Presidential Priorities
While the Municipal Growth Framework is priority one, there are many other things needing important conversations.
Climate change, Stewart said, is “obviously top and front and center with what we see in the country right now.” Wildfires, as seen in Jasper most recently, are starting to rage again across the country. Nova Scotia in the last few weeks have seen serious flash flooding, reminiscent of a year ago. With that in mind, he said there is “no doubt” that climate change must be looked at closely.
Adequate housing is another issue that continues to plague the country. But as with so many of the other so-called wicked problems, sufficient funding remains the issue.
“Everywhere we look, these tent encampments are popping up in not just the major cities, but in the rural areas now. So, housing is another major issue,” Stewart said. “The key is to have a municipal growth framework put in place. To sit and have that conversation with the federal and provincial orders of government. If we can all sit together and have that conversation, I think we can make progress.”
State of Local Government
Stewart is quick to recognize local governments are being saddled with an increasing number of challenges. But the public often doesn’t draw a line between municipal, provincial, and federal authority when it demands action. As such, the first person they know they can get a hold of tends to be their local mayor or councillor.
Unfortunately – and it is a situation seen from coast to coast to coast – that first contact is not always in a positive way. The pressure on local officials is increasingly unacceptable, Stewart said. And this is why there needs to be a greater effort toward restoring a level of respect for officials in all orders of government.
“Unfortunately with the times, some people need somewhere to vent and unfortunately, it’s at the elected official that they’re venting,” Stewart said. “It’s not a problem to discuss an issue, but you’ve got to be respectable. Regardless of what order, and especially the municipal order, you should be respectable to the person who’s there to represent you. They’re certainly not in it for the money.”
Personal Approach to Politics
Stewart said he understands how challenging today’s political landscape can be. Whether it is the online attacks or the pressures of the job, he says his first piece of advice is to try and not take things personally. But sometimes the stress can be too much to ignore, which is when Stewart likes to unwind and “take a little break.” For him, that break is music. And not just listening to his favourite tunes.
He might be the first to admit “I’m not that great at it,” but he enjoys playing music (often the guitar, but sometimes the mandolin) because he sees it as a terrific way to relax. Playing music take his mind off things and put himself a little more at ease – at least in the moment. But then again, a great support system helps too. Often, that is his local council staff or the team at FCM. But even more than that, Stewart has friends and family to turn to.
“I have a fantastic wife who has supported me from the day I got elected and keeps me well grounded on what’s going on,” he said. “You definitely need a great support system. Plus being able to deal with some of the issues on your own as I do with music, or people have hobbies or whatever, to put their mind into some other form, I think is a great way to do it.” MW
✯ Municipal World Executive and Essentials Plus Members: You might also be interested in Dr. Enid Slack’s article: Are Canadian cities fiscally sustainable?
Sean Meyer is digital content editor for Municipal World.
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