Meeting of Provincial and Territorial Ministers responsible for Local Government

CHARLOTTETOWN, Prince Edward Island – July  17, 2014 - Provincial  and territorial ministers responsible for local government today renewed their  commitment to work together to support viable and safe communities.

 The ministers meet annually to  share information and ideas on key issues relating to municipalities and communities  across Canada, and to learn from each other’s experiences and successes.    

“ I am especially honoured to host our meeting this year”, said Wes Sheridan, Prince Edward Island’s Minister of  Finance, Energy and Municipal Affairs and Chair of the 2014 Provincial - Territorial  Ministers Responsible for Local Government. “Our province is commemorating  the 150th anniversary of the 1864 Charlottetown Conference, the event that led  to Canadian Confederation.   It is most fitting that our group is focusing  on issues of national interest.”

 The provincial and territorial Ministers  held discussions on a number of topics. Given the increased public expectations  of  accountability for all orders of  government, Ministers discussed approaches in promoting public trust in local  government through education, capacity-building, and strong legislative  frameworks to encourage a spirit of partnership.

 Again this year, ministers took the  opportunity to emphasize the importance of infrastructure funding and program  flexibility to assist in meeting the needs of municipalities.

 Ministers also held a panel discussion on  disaster mitigation. “The discussion on disaster mitigation was timely given  recent and more frequently occurring events such as flooding, severe storms,  and fires”, said Minister Sheridan.  “As  emergency preparedness and disaster mitigation are a responsibility of all orders  of government, it was beneficial  to learn more about the experiences of provinces  and territories in relation to disasters and mitigation efforts.  Provinces and territories are looking forward  to hearing more from the federal government about its commitment to establish a  distinct Canada-wide disaster mitigation program.”

Prince Edward Island also made a  presentation to the Ministers  on the province’s advances in wind energy. The province shared information on  the possibilities that exist for municipalities and local governments large and  small to take advantage of this renewable resource.

 The next annual meeting of Ministers  Responsible for Local Government will be held in British Columbia in July 2015.

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Contact Information:
Brad Chatfield
Senior Communications Officer
Communications P.E.I.
902-368-5501