Timmins' mayor is looking for a seat at a national board table.
Council is endorsing Mayor Michelle Boileau to put her name forward for a two-year term on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) board of directors.
The motion approved at the May 14 Timmins council meeting includes the city covering all costs associated with attending board of director meetings.
Boileau is looking for a seat on the Ontario caucus, where she said there is no representation from Northern Ontario. The endorsement at the local council table doesn't guarantee a spot on the national board. New members will be voted in at the annual general meeting in June.
Coun. Andrew Marks said that FCM is another layer of government the city and the North need to be reaching out to have a say on.
Having no members from Northern Ontario on the provincial caucus affected her decision to seek the candidacy, she told council.
At the council meetings, there were questions about how many meetings Boileau would attend in person and what the potential cost could be to the municipality.
For in-person meetings, she said there is the AGM — the 2024 event is in Calgary and 2025 it's in Ottawa.
There are also provincial advocacy days on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
"Anything beyond that is at the discretion of of course myself, should I be elected, and council, but there’s always that virtual option. And then any other business outside of board meetings but that would be on behalf of FCM would see some cost recovery on behalf of FCM. So FCM would reimburse for business done on behalf of the association,” she said.
The FCM website lists two Ottawa meetings this year — in September and December. The 2025 dates are not listed yet.
In 2024, the total budget for council travel is $75,000.
Last year, the mayor's expenses for conferences, travel and training were $15,587. The annual remuneration report does not break down the conferences or training council members attend.
