Council Requests Formal Partner Community Framework with Federal Government

By Aara Macauley, CFRC's Broadcast Journalist and Local Journalism Initiative Reporter.

Covering a story that may have been overshadowed by other discussions, coming as it did at the tail end of the last council meeting, which ran for nearly 5 hour, council voted unanimously in favour of a motion put forth by Councillor Glenn to direct staff to advocate for the city at the federal level.

The motion came in response to the federal LeBlanc–MacKinnon discussion papers, and called for formal partnerships with the federal government.

On May 8th, the Government of Canada launched an engagement period to propose a simplified and accelerated process for federal regulatory reviews, citing current timelines that can see decisions on federal reviews exceed 12 months. The government claims the reforms will speed up building projects, increase efficiency, and allow for larger scale activities, while still being mindful of environmental concerns and the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Council are directing staff to submit formal written responses to the federal LeBlanc–MacKinnon discussion papers; including a request to the federal government to establish a formal Partner Community Framework with the City of Kingston to coordinate national investments with municipal infrastructure capacity and planning.

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