Summerside Mayor Basil Stewart, Second Vice-President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM); Charlottetown Mayor Clifford Lee, FCM Board Member; Federation of PEI Municipalities President Bruce MacDougall; and Bid Committee Co-Chairs Councillor Brent Gallant and Councillor Peter McCloskey announced today that Prince Edward Island has been awarded the 2015 Federation of Canadian Municipalities Annual Conference and Municipal Expo.
A contingent including Mayor Stewart, Mayor Lee, President MacDougall, Stratford Mayor Kevin Jenkins, Councillors Gallant and McCloskey and Bill Schurman recently presented the province’s bid at a national board meeting of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in Brandon, Manitoba. The annual conference brings together municipal decision leaders with experts in a broad range of areas to share ideas and best practices about how to deliver a high quality of life to communities both large and small from all provinces and territories.
Mayor Basil Stewart said, “We are very pleased to have been awarded this conference. A lot of work and effort was put into the bid process and it is a partnership with the Province of Prince Edward Island, the cities of Charlottetown and Summerside, as well, the bid had unanimous support from the Federation of PEI Municipalities and it's members.”
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has been the national voice of municipal government since 1901, and the conference in 2015 will be the FCM’s 78th annual meeting.
The Honourable Carolyn Bertram, Minister Responsible for Municipal Affairs said, “I am particularly impressed with the cooperation between the two cities in bidding for this major event. By co-hosting the FCM Annual Conference and Municipal Expo, both cities and their neighbouring communities will share in the spin offs.”
Usually held in late spring, the FCM Annual Meeting and Municipal Expo can expect to attract up to 4,000 delegates, spouses, exhibitors and guests to the conference and expo, many typically arriving a few days before and extending their stay for days after the conference.
Charlottetown Mayor Clifford Lee stated, “The City of Charlottetown is indeed honored to host this major event in partnership with the City of Summerside in 2015. A lot of partners have worked tirelessly to make this venture a reality. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the many people who were involved with the bid process for their leadership throughout the process.”
Councillor Peter McCloskey, Bid Committee Co-Chair agreed with fellow Bid Co-Chair, Councillor Brent Gallant, who said, “We went into this bid process with a ‘can do’ attitude and we proved that Prince Edward Island can host this major event.”
This will be the first time the FCM conference has been held on Prince Edward Island in approximately 50 years, and will provide the opportunity to showcase the Island to municipal representatives from around the country, along with maximizing the participation of local municipal government members.