Two Comox Valley elected officials were voted onto the board of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities at the end of May.

Courtenay Councillor and Comox Valley Regional District vice-chair Will Cole-Hamilton will be joining CVRD Area A director Daniel Arbour, who is in his third year as an FCM Director.

The FCM is the national voice for Canada鈥檚 local governments in Ottawa.

鈥淎long with our colleagues, Daniel and I will be advocating for Ottawa to create and fund a national strategy to ensure that all Canadians have a safe place to call home, and to address the root causes of homelessness including mental illness and addiction,鈥� said Cole-Hamilton.

鈥淭his work, as well as our advocacy to renew key infrastructure funding programs will take a front seat this coming year,鈥� added Arbour. 鈥淔CM is also calling for a new fiscal framework to better equip local governments as we work on wicked problems, such as addressing the climate crisis and our transition to low carbon communities.鈥�

鈥淭here are only seven directors elected for all of BC, so having two of us from the Comox Valley will mean strong representation for the Valley at the national table,鈥� said Cole-Hamilton.

The seats are for the 2023-2024 term. The FCN meets quarterly to develop policy positions on key national municipal issues. Elections for the board of directors occur annualy.