THE CORPORATES

MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Council

FROM: E.W. Mabbett
Alderman

F.C.M. Report

The F.C.M. Conference held this past week in Regina was their 44th
Annual Conference. I attended their 30th Annual Conference in 1967 and 3 can
tell you they haven't improved their business format that much over the years.
I understand this past year some 170 or better Mumicipalities have withdrawn
from the organization. It may well be that all the blame should not be directed
at the F.C.M. alone, but it should also be the responsibility of the Federal
Covernment to co-operate far better with the local level of Government. The
new executive have again pledged to try and make the F.C.M. a more viable
association, however, not being negative, we have heard this same theme before.

; The first full day was taken up by the Constitution :and a. short
period on R.C.M.P. policing matters. J don't need to elaborate on the. constitution
as we have heard nothing but it from the Federal Government sessions for months, and
Tam sure that at the local level of Government their is little we can du ai tits
time. The R.C.M.P. costs, etc., are of great concern to local Government, however
it seems that F.C.M. really didn't get into the real nuts and bolts of this issue
and research out the whole policing problem, be it R.C.M.P. costs or the high
costs of Municipal pelicing in Cities with their own forces. I am sure that far
more work was done on this subject by our own U.B.C.M. than was undertaken by
the F.C.M.

The next day and a half was taken up by Energy Conservation with work-~
shops for the Large cities and workshops for the smaller cities, followed by
plenary sessions on matters arising from said workshops. In this regard again
energy conservation is very important and should be discussed, however Alderman
Gates and myself attended a session in Vancouver recently put together by the
University of B.C., which was far better presented. For one example F.C.M.
had a panel of professionals excellent in their field, but they were in my
estimation doing a sales pitch to a great extent on the various types of energy
available to us, coal, fusion, petroleum, nuclear. It is nice to listen to these
professionals, however with the Limited time we have at these conferences, T think
the vast majority of dclegates are far more interested -in what they can do in the
day to day operations of their Municipalities to save on energy and also kecp
the costs in-line. Tt was stressed that at ourlevel of Government we should bo
doing our share with the help of senior Governments in publicizing the necessity
of eneryy conservation both in the home and at our place of employment, be it
gasoline conservalion, insulation, electrial ete. The resolutions which there
were some 40 were gone over very quickly and some of them were of great importance
to us and should have reeeived far more input from the delegates, but time would
not permit this to happen.

vere ef2.