Joanne Vanderheyden was acclaimed as the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) new president on June 4, 2020.
The long-time mayor of Strathroy-Caradoc, Ontario succeeds Prince George, B.C.’s Garth Frizzell.
“President Frizzell has been an extraordinary leader for us in extraordinary times,” said Vanderheyden. “Through these difficult months, FCM has secured vital progress for municipalities at the federal level—from funding to protect frontline services to rapid housing solutions to recovery-supporting investments in transit, rural broadband and infrastructure. That’s a testament to Garth’s leadership and it sets a high bar for FCM’s work in this crucial year ahead.”
Delegates also elected FCM’s 75-seat Board of Directors and its three vice presidents:
- First Vice-President: Taneen Rudyk (Councillor, Town of Vegreville, AB).
- Second Vice-President: Scott Pearce (Mayor, Canton of Gore, QC).
- Third Vice-President: Geoff Stewart, (Deputy Mayor, Colchester County, NS).
“In cities and communities of all sizes, local leaders have been on the front lines of this pandemic, and they’ll be key to driving the recovery Canadians deserve,” said Vanderheyden. “Building that stronger Canada will require unprecedented partnership among orders of government, and as the governments closest to people’s daily lives, we’re here to say: we’re ready.”
In a separate process, Halifax Mayor Mike Savage succeeded Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson as chair of FCM’s Big-City Mayors’ Caucus. He will be supported by two vice chairs: Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante and Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark.
“After 14 months on COVID’s front lines, municipal leaders leave this week united and ready to move this country forward,” said Vanderheyden. “After everything we’ve learned and tackled in this pandemic, returning to the status quo isn’t good enough. We are determined to work with our federal partners to drive a strong, sustainable and inclusive recovery—from coast to coast to coast to coast.”
