Paris Councillor standing for election to Federation of Canadian Municipalities Board of Directors

Paris Councillor Lukas Oakley at Queen's Park last week for the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding to remove trade barriers between Ontario and Manitoba. Oakley is pictured with the Premier of Manitoba Wab Kinew. Oakley hopes to have further opportunities to lobby federal officials on issues important to Brant County if he is elected to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (Ontario Caucus) Board of Directors next month.

By Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

A Paris councillor wants to hold the federal government accountable for downloading costs surrounding housing, development and mental health and addictions to municipalities, without any commitment to adequate funding. Ward 2 Councillor Lukas Oakley wants to address these concerns if he’s elected to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (Ontario Caucus) Board of Directors next month. Brant County Council endorse Oakley to stand for election on FCM’s Board of Directors, for a two-year term, if elected during the Annual General Meeting on June 1st. Oakley, along with fellow Councillor Jennifer Kyle, will be attending the AGM, in conjunction with the Annual Conference and Trade Show, from May 29 to June 1, 2025.“My primary concern to bring forward to the FCM board would be ensuring that our new federal government works to address issues that have been downloaded onto our (and other) municipalities.,” said Oakley. “As the Prime Minister has indicated an interest in drastically reducing operational spending, which typically results in reduced services, I have a great deal of concern that these issues will be exacerbated by a lack of federal funding.”He added that if the federal government continues to push to find ways to reduce development charges and other forms of municipal revenue related to new housing, it’s imperative that municipalities have alternative sources of revenue to draw from to prevent a burden on tax payers. If elected, Oakley would join 14 other municipal elected officials from across Ontario representing the Ontario Caucus. He said it would provide further opportunities to advocate to other levels of government as well as collaborate and learn from other municipalities. It’s rare that a municipality the size of Brant gets face time with federal ministers. “I believe it is important to have a rural and small urban perspective for these conversations,” said Oakley. Through quarterly meetings, the Board of Directors dictates the policy objectives and government relations strategy for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities as it advocates to the federal government. “Additionally, Directors are also able to delegate to municipalities in other jurisdictions, such as most recently to American municipalities to work to improve our relationship with the United States to end the recent economic hostilities,” he added. Brant County Council will assume all costs associated with Oakley attending FCM’s Board of Directors meetings.