When the annual gathering of elected officials from Canada’s municipalities takes place in Halifax this June, Calgary’s contingent will be noticeably smaller than in previous years.
On Monday, council voted to cap the roster of city councillors who get to go to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) conference at five councillors, the mayor and the councillor who sits on the FCM board.
“The fact is in these economic times, do we as a council act as proper stewards and lead by example?” said rookie city councillor Jeff Davison who, along with fellow newcomer Jeromy Farkas, was responsible for the motion coming before their colleagues.
“Businesses are imploring cost-cutting practices, both big and small, and as a council we should be implored to do the same.”
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The motion was added to the council agenda as “urgent business,” bypassing what some of Davison’s colleagues saw as a more appropriate avenue — the Co-ordinating Council of the Councillor’s Office (CCCO).
“I am frustrated by the process,” said councillor Evan Wooley. “If you can give us a sense of the steps you went through to engage your colleagues on this — why this didn’t come through CCCO? Why we got a midnight e-mail? Why is this urgent? Why after we’ve already booked our flights and fees, why this is so important?”
Wooley wasn’t the only one to express frustration on what was already a tense day in the council chambers. Feeling the heat of several fellow councillors, Davison closed the debate by expressing his concern with the reception the motion received.
“Here we stand trying to be unified and not tear people down,” Davison said. “But so far I’ve heard the words ‘grandstanding.’ I’ve been accused of collusion with the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation on setting up e-mails, that this is a bad use of time, and that we’re trying to make a worse situation less worse.”
“I don’t know what to do guys, this is totally frustrating.”
Council proposed amendments to Davison’s motion, which had originally called for three council members to go and for each to provide a written and verbal report back to council on their trip.
The group voted in favour of sending five members, requiring each to pen a one-page written report and provide a two-minute verbal report on their attendance at the FCM conference.
“I’m less frustrated now,” Davison said to reporters after the vote.
“We do tend to hack on one another from time to time and I think we forget that sometimes when you’ve been hacked on, to go back and hack on somebody else isn’t the right approach.”
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