Sept. 27, 2024 - For immediate release
Airdrie, AB – A small delegation from the City of Airdrie attended the 2024 ABMunis Convention this week alongside colleagues representing about 260 other Alberta cities, towns and villages and took the opportunity to continue the City’s advocacy efforts.
"We use the ABMunis Convention each year as another connection point to bring Airdrie’s important issues in front of the Premier and her Cabinet Ministers,” says Mayor Peter Brown. “We’re appreciative of the opportunity to meet individually with a number of key decision makers, but during the convention, a lot of great work happens to address challenges that are similar in many communities across the province.”
Airdrie representation at the convention included Mayor Peter Brown, City Councillors Tina Petrow and Heather Spearman along with several members of City administration. Airdrie met with Alberta RCMP senior leadership, Deputy Premier and Minister of Public Safety Mike Ellis and Minister of Transportation Devin Dreeshen. Each of the meetings provided opportunities to discuss key needs for the City. Informal touchpoints with many other provincial cabinet ministers also allowed City representatives to highlight serviced school site locations aligned with recent education funding announcements.
During the convention, about 1,100 delegates met to discuss municipal issues and vote on resolutions which form the direction for ABMunis advocacy to the Provincial government on behalf of all urban municipalities. Resolutions at the 2024 convention in Red Deer this week included topics such as allowing municipalities the option to choose an automated vote counting system in local elections, homelessness, and support for affordable housing.
In May, Airdrie City Council approved two resolutions to be brought forward. The first resolution proposed advocates that the province increase Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) funding to address population growth and inflation. During the resolution session the resolution passed with 91.6 per cent of the votes in favour.
Due to the large number of resolutions submitted and limited time for debate, a second resolution proposed by the City of Airdrie advocating for a review of the Provincial Animal Protection Act has not yet been brought forward. Details on how this resolution and others not addressed at the convention will be released in the coming weeks. The City looks forward to a positive outcome and further advocacy towards improvements to provincial animal protection legislation.
“I’m thankful for the support from our municipal colleagues who voted in favour of our resolution at the convention this week,” continued Mayor Brown. “The significance of bringing them forward in this forum demonstrates to the Province that these are important issues in many communities, not just Airdrie. We look forward to working with ABMunis as we advocate for change.”
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Media Contact:
Leona Esau
Intergovernmental Liaison, City of Airdrie
403.948.8800 ext 8769