Kamloops councillor Nancy Bepple says infrastructure funding and stronger federal support for growing communities will be among her key focuses as she attends the annual conference of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities this week in Edmonton.

The conference, which runs June 4-7, brings together representatives from more than 2,200 local governments across Canada to discuss common challenges and advocate for municipal priorities with the federal government.

Bepple said one of the biggest benefits of attending the conference is the opportunity to learn from municipalities facing similar issues.

“There’s just so much to learn,” she said, pointing to topics ranging from water systems and homelessness to parks and community infrastructure.

But beyond sharing best practices, Bepple said she’s particularly interested in discussions around the long-standing funding imbalance faced by municipalities.

“Local governments collect 12 [per cent] of the taxes across the country, but we are responsible for 60 per cent of the infrastructure,” she said.

Bepple noted that municipalities are expected to build and maintain the infrastructure needed to support housing growth, including roads, water and sewer systems, recreation facilities and emergency services.

“You can’t build housing without water and sewer. You can’t build housing without roads,” she said.

Kamloops facing infrastructure challenges

Bepple said Kamloops has several examples of infrastructure projects that place significant financial burdens on local taxpayers despite having broader regional or national benefits.

One example involves railway crossings throughout the city.

“We’ve got two major railways going through our city,” Bepple said. “When we need to upgrade the railway crossings, it’s the city, not the railways, that pays for that upgrade.”

While federal funding programs exist to help municipalities cover some of those costs, she said demand far exceeds available funding.

She also pointed to the city’s unsuccessful attempts to secure federal housing funding.

Bepple said Kamloops has applied twice for federal housing-related grants intended to help improve affordability and support growth, but both applications were rejected.

“We’ve even had Frank Caputo, our MP, go to bat for us,” she said. “It hasn’t helped.”

Bepple said continued population growth means Kamloops needs stronger partnerships with senior levels of government.

“Kamloops needs to grow. Kamloops is growing. We need the partnership from the federal government to make sure it happens.”

Looking beyond the election

The conference comes just months before municipal elections are scheduled across British Columbia this October.

While Bepple has announced that she will be seeking reelection, she said her focus remains on representing Kamloops through the remainder of her current term.

“My job is from now until the election,” she said.

Bepple added that she plans to put her name forward again for committee work within the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, noting that participation gives mid-sized cities like Kamloops a chance to influence national discussions on municipal issues.

She said maintaining relationships with other levels of government remains an important part of council’s work and one of the key reasons for attending events like the annual FCM conference.

“It’s really important that Kamloops makes those connections with other levels of government,” Bepple said. “And this is just one way of doing it.”

The conference runs through the week in Edmonton and will feature policy discussions, workshops and meetings between municipal leaders and federal officials from across the country.