Municipal leaders convene in St. John’s for MNL’s 66th AGM

Karen Oldford, the Mayor of Labrador City will chair her first annual general meeting as President of MNL in St. John’s this week. More than 800 people will participate in the annual convention and trade show that will take place from October 6 – 8 at the St. John’s Convention Centre.

Agenda items on this year’s convention program include a summary of the Premier’s Forum on Local Government which will be held this week on Wednesday, October 5th, just prior to the convention. Delegates will also hear about respectful workplaces, lessons from Fort McMurray and the need for a national floor strategy, an update on the federal wastewater regulations, and Dr. Keith Storey’s research on population trends for Newfoundland and Labrador for the next 20 to 30 years. The city of St. John’s Councillor Art Puddister will kick off the conference on Thursday evening’s opening ceremonies sponsored by Newfoundland Power. President Oldford is excited to welcome Keynote Speaker Ed Morrison, the regional economic development advisor at the Purdue Center for Regional Development associated with Indiana’s Purdue University.

MNL’s Tidy Towns awards for community beautification will also be handed out on Friday, October 7th during a luncheon ceremony.

MNL is also excited to launch a new website this week. The new website has a clean uncluttered design and enhanced content that focused on the association’s advocacy work. “We’re excited about our new website and it’s improved functionally,” said MNL President Karen Oldford. “Our new site has to work for members who have access to broadband as well as for those without, and all without sacrificing functionality or style. The new site is a tenth the size of the old one and loads in half the time.” The new website went live on Friday, October 1, 2016, as part of a soft launch and is located at the same address www.municipalnl.ca.

Minister of Municipal Affairs, Honourable Eddie Joyce will formally address delegates during the AGM on the morning of October 8th. Clark Somerville, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities will also bring greetings during the AGM. Premier Dwight Ball will address delegates during the annual Appreciation Banquet on Saturday evening. The Department of Municipal Affairs will also honour long-serving municipal leaders at the appreciation banquet on Saturday evening.

Elections will take place on Saturday afternoon for the positions of Avalon, Central, Eastern and Labrador regional directors. Northern Regional Director Dale Colbourne (St. Lunaire-Griquet) and Western Regional Director Roger Barrett (Reidville), were uncontested in their bid for regional directors.

A full convention agenda can be found on the MNL website or downloaded on the guidebook app. Media are invited to attend all sessions. Please contact Gail Woodfine upon your arrival for a media kit and access pass.

The trade show component of the convention will host more than 50 exhibitors and highlight corporate sponsors such as Cal LeGrow, Newfoundland Power and Vigilant Management.

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