That Council adopt the following resolution:
WHEREAS, the role of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) is to unite local
governments of all sizes; shape the national agenda; provide unique tools; build local capacity; defend municipality interests and connect local leaders.
WHEREAS, FCM has a Big City Mayors’ Caucus (BCMC) that brings together representatives
from 22 of Canada’s biggest cities, offering a forum for policy development on a range of issues affecting Canada’s largest centres.
WHEREAS, York Region’s two largest municipalities, the City of Markham (pop. 349,007) and
City of Vaughan (pop. 331,573) are within the population ranges of the current 22 BCMC
members, which range from the smallest municipality: St. John’s (pop. 212,433) to the largest:
City of Toronto (pop. 2,965,713).
WHEREAS, York Region communities rank among the most diverse in Canada, with 49% of the population self-identifying as belonging to a visible minority, in contrast to Ontario’s 29% and Canada’s 22%, respectively.
WHEREAS, as of December 2019, York Region, with an estimated population of 1.2 million
residents, 52,000 business establishments (employers), and 640,000 jobs is among Canada’s
largest and fastest growing municipal jurisdictions without representation on FCM’s BCMC
WHEREAS, citizens’ needs can be more inclusively reflected in federal policies and programs
through better representation of the Canadian population and York Region’s mosaic of cultures, stories, and voices can provide BCMC membership greater diversity and representation
THEREFORE be it resolved that:
1. York Region Council seek to have representation from the City of Markham and the City of Vaughan on the Big Cities Mayors’ Caucus (BCMC).
2. This resolution be forwarded to the FCM Board of Directors, in addition to the 22 current
BCMC members seeking approval of a BCMC expansion to include representation from
York Region.