Rossland mayor Greg Granstrom is in Penticton today for the first day of a three day meeting with mayors from all over the province.
The B.C. Mayors’ Caucus is an event for mayors to talk about the challenges and opportunities that mayors face in communities all over the province.
Granstrom explained the meeting briefly to council last week.
“It’s basically a session to discuss common problems,” he said.
More than 80 mayors will join Granstrom at the event.
The goals of the caucus include sharing information on common issues facing municipalities in British Columbia.
The mayors will also try to forge policy agreements to bring forward to the federal and provincial governments, explore means of mutual support in the delivery of municipal services, seek economic benefits through shared resources and pursue joint economic development.
The main topics on the agenda include: A New Deal for B.C. Communities, Building B.C.’s Economy and Moving Forward.
The B.C. Mayors’ Caucus is structured after successful models across North America and Europe including the Alberta Mayors’ Caucus, the Big Cities Mayors’ Caucus (Canada), Atlantic Mayors’ Congress (Canada), Metropolitan Mayors’ Caucus (United States) and the Summit of Mayors (EU).
The members of the B.C. Mayors’ Steering Committee are: Mayor Dean Fortin of Victoria - Vancouver Island; Mayor Dan Ashton of Penticton – Thompson/Okanagan region; Mayor Shari Green of Prince George – Cariboo region; Mayor Jack Mussallem of Prince Rupert – North Coast region; Mayor Wayne Stetski of Cranbrook – Kootenay region; Mayor Lori Ackerman of Fort St. John – Northeast region; Mayor Taylor Bachrach of Smithers – Nechako region; Mayor Dianne Watts of Surrey – Fraser Valley region; Mayor Greg Moore of Port Coquitlam – Lower Mainland region.
The caucus runs from May 16 to 18, and this is the first time it has been called.