Lack of mandatory training for elected mayors and councillors criticized

Newly elected mayors and councillors all need training, and it should be mandatory. That's the renewed call coming from the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick and the Local Governance Commission. They say the province should provide training to all municipal officials. After province-wide municipal elections in May, the department offered a two-day in-person training session in St. John. Grand Bay Westfield Mayor Brittany Merrifield says without a virtual option, It wasn't as accessible as it could have been. It was a one-time training, so if there was something else going on during that weekend, there was no opportunity for individual members of council or full councils to attend. Also, there's a cost issue. Not every municipality has the same kind of resourcing. Sometimes we have communities that can't afford lawnmowers or snowblowers, and so it would be a real stretch for them to send an entire council to another municipality to stay for two or three days. A report from the Local Governance Commission is also critical, pointing out that the training wasn't mandatory as it had recommended. According to the Commission, the choice to reject a province-wide mandatory training program in favour of a single optional session in St. John without a virtual alternative stands in stark contrast to the Minister's previous promise to reduce the barriers to the training. The Commission's report also calls on the province to support municipal leaders and staff who have questions about provincial legislation. And the union agrees. These are complex pieces of legislation, and smaller communities often don't have lawyers on staff. So again, it's a capacity and a resourcing issue. The real experts are the people in the department, so there should be an avenue by which communities can reach out to the department. Right now, the union says newly elected mayors and councillors are relying on informal mentoring from colleagues. You know, we have some mayors and councillors who have been around for a long time. We're providing support, and that's good. But again, that's not the same as getting interpretation directly from the people who own the legislation, right? So for us, that still remains the gold standard. In an emailed response, the provincial government says about 550 people attended the two-day session in June, and it is planning additional training sessions this fall. The department also says it remains committed to providing advice, guidance, and training to local governments.