Municipal representatives from across the Parkland were in Dauphin last week for the Association of Manitoba Municipalities’ June District meeting.
“It was a decent crowd with people from as far as Roblin and as close as Gilbert Plains,” Dauphin mayor Christian Laughland said, adding between 60 and 70 delegates attended. “People were excited to be back, because that’s the first one we’ve had since 2019.”
The district meeting is an opportunity for elected officials to discuss issues of common concern, such as the new RCMP policing, municipal insurance options, materials procurement and immigration.
But more than that, it is an opportunity to get to know other elected officials from the area, which can only really be done face-to-face and lays the foundation for future co-operation.
“It’s very important, not only from getting stuff done, but just the networking and talking to people,” Laughland said, adding he had good conversations with NDP leader Wab Kinew, Swan River mayor Lance Jacobson and AMM president Kam Blight.
“I wouldn’t do that on a virtual meeting, because at virtual meetings you just get down to business and unless you have a question, you’re not going to be talking one-on-one with people.”
As well as Kinew, the province was represented by Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Immigration John Reyes, who gave a presentation on immigration to the province.
Most importantly, the meeting was an opportunity to debate and vote on resolutions to be presented to the AMM Fall Convention.
A number of resolutions were chosen to move on including one to lobby the province for waste disposal financial assistance, sponsored by Mossey River Municipality; a City of Dauphin-sponsored resolution calling on the province to encourage and fund all municipalities in developing community safety and wellbeing plans; a resolution calling on the province to make changes to Farmland Portioned assessment, sponsored by the Ste. Rose Municipality; a Roblin Municipality resolution calling for a review of the licensing procedures for internationally educated nurses; and a resolution calling for the wages of municipal personnel to be covered under disaster financial assistance, sponsored by Mossey River Municipality.
The meeting was also a chance to present RM of Dauphin councillor Dennis Forbes a 20-Year Service Award.
