Portage la Prairie political leaders are in Ottawa for an annual gathering of municipal officials from across the country.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) conference runs until June 4 with Portage Mayor Irvine Ferris, and city councillors Wayne Wall and Liz Driedger in the nation's capital to network and discuss issues with other local officials and leaders from different levels of government.

“The theme of this year's conference is 'shaping Canada's future,'” says Driedger. “That's obviously a broad topic. But some of the issues that some of the big city mayors have already been dealing with and talking a lot about this week is the (opiod) crisis and how to address that in big cities.”

“And, of course, that filters down to the smaller cities and us too,” she continues. “That is a growing concern that obviously affects policing and safety issues.”

Driedger says these national conferences present an opportunity for local leaders to solicit concerns about certain issues. The city councillor is interested consulting with federal leaders about the ongoing infrastructure challenges facing Portage.

“For everybody across Canada, not just here in Manitoba, that will be a top concern,” she notes.

Driedger adds, councillors use the opportunity to debate issues on an informal basis. Often, networking with other municipal leaders provides a fresh perspective to local issues and can have an impact on decision-making around the council table.

“It is always really good to sit down with leaders from other municipalities,” she adds. “It definitely affects the communication within council .... whether that's just bringing some new ideas forward or if it's looking at our challenges in a different light.”