To end their busy first month as elected officials, the newly elected Vermilion Town council were able to attend the 2021 Alberta Municipalities (formerly the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association) Convention in Edmonton both in person and virtually from November 17 to 19. Four councillors, Mayor Throndson and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Kevin Lucas spent three days in Edmonton connecting with other municipal governments, private sector leaders and provincial politicians as they attended valuable workshops on some of the inner workings of a municipal government.
Not only were councillors given the opportunity to attend informative sessions on subjects like strategic planning, establishing a strong council, cyber security, and how to advocate for small communities, they were able to establish some important connections with other municipal leaders from throughout the province. The valuable chances to establish rapport and starting relationships with provincial ministers and staff were also seized by councillors throughout the convention.
Mayor Throndson stated that there were many benefits from the council’s attendance, including the newly elected council having an opportunity to get to know and learn about each other, as well as seeing firsthand the importance of networking and advocating for the people and the Town of Vermilion. The councillors attended as many different sessions as they could so that they brought back a well-rounded wealth of knowledge to use as they dive into their four-year tenure as councillors.