Parksville council has endorsed two of its members for seats on Federation of Canadian Municipalities committees.
The FCM represents the interests of member municipalities on policy and program matters within federal jurisdiction and provides a platform for local governments across Canada to participate in and influence national advocacy efforts.
Councillors Joel Grenz and Sean Wood were both endorsed by council during the Sept. 4 meeting.
“The committee that I will hopefully be appointed to is 'Community Safety and Crime Prevention'," Wood said. “We talk about safety issues across the entire country and it was on this committee that last year I brought forward the motion for the volunteer firefighter and search and rescue volunteer tax credit increase that was passed by the committee and it was passed by the FCM board."
The roles require travel, but at no cost to City of Parksville taxpayers, Woods added, because it is paid for by the UBCM Small Communities Travel Fund.
Grenz pointed out that one of council's strategic priorities is its advocacy role and 2025 will be a "pivotal year" with a federal election on the horizon.
“We’re working hard with provincial and federal officials to advance the priorities of Parksville and our region here," he said. "There’s so many things that really don’t fall within our jurisdiction that we have come across our desk, so the goal is to make sure that we’re advocating on behalf of our community and bringing these issues forward."
Council unanimously approved both motions to endorse Woods and Grenz.
