The Political Trenches: Local Government At Work · The Political Trenches

Look Back On 2025

·49 min·3 clips

FCM released a long-awaited report on rural municipalities at its May 2025 convention in downtown Beaumont.

1. The Political Trenches: Local Government At Work looks back on the top municipal stories of 2025. 2. Chris and Ian lead the episode as the show's co-hosts, and Ian frames the year from the perspective of cross-Canada municipal work. 3. The episode asks which municipal issues actually shaped 2025 and what local leaders should watch in 2026. 4. Ian chooses tariffs as his second most significant story and points to Saint John, Calgary, and Windsor as heavily affected municipalities. 5. He says the main problem is unpredictability about when tariffs arrive, what they cover, and how long they last. 6. He names manufacturing, petroleum, and agriculture as sectors where municipal economies felt the pressure. 7. Chris argues that the tariff fight pushed municipalities out of their usual jurisdictional lane and into broader advocacy. 8. Ian says similar tariff concerns appeared in Australasia and the EU, which made the issue feel international rather than isolated. 9. Chris shifts to rural advocacy and cites the Federation of Canadian Municipalities report released in May 2025 in Beaumont. 10. The report's themes include oil and gas, critical minerals, broadband, cellular service, and roads infrastructure. 11. Chris says rural Canada needs a seat at the table when federal and provincial decisions are made. 12. He questions the federal definition of rural as municipalities under 100,000 people and names Airdrie and Beaumont as examples. 13. The episode also covers Wheatland County's open letter to western Canadian municipalities about leaving FCM. 14. Chris says Wheatland County later pulled out of FCM, which he treats as a warning sign for the organization. 15. Ian selects local media decline as another listener-submitted issue and describes shrinking community newspaper coverage. 16. He says editorial control has shifted from local to provincial, national, and in some cases international ownership. 17. The tone is conversational and argumentative, with Chris and Ian regularly challenging each other's rankings and assumptions. 18. The format mixes year-end recap, listener submissions, and on-air debate about municipal advocacy. 19. Best for listeners tracking Canadian municipal politics, rural advocacy, and local governance. 20. Skip if you want entertainment over policy-heavy local-government discussion.

As heard by us

A steady year-end municipal roundup that turns 2025's pressures into useful context.

Look Back On 2025 reads like a municipal year-end check-in that keeps local government at the center instead of treating it as background noise.

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Why you'd press play

For when you want a candid year-end read on municipal pressure points.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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