UMC Bay Roberts

Get your nametag, grab a morning hot beverage, and reconnect with municipal colleagues as you start the day.

Coffee and tea provided by the Town of Bay Roberts.

Opening Business 

• Call to Order 
• Land Acknowledgement 
• Round of introductions 
• Approval of agenda 

Bay Roberts Mayor Geoff Seymour will share about the vital role volunteers play in the success of the town’s signature events, including the Annual Songs, Stages & Seafood Festival, Light the Lamp, and other community celebrations. This presentation explores how volunteer contributions enhance event delivery, strengthen community engagement, and generate positive economic impacts through tourism, local business support, and community pride. 

Participants will discuss key issues and topics they are working on in their communities. 

Refreshments provided by the Town of Bay Roberts. 

MNL staff will lead concurrent sessions for members to discuss the Multi-Year Capital Works Program and the Municipal Capital Works Program. 

Lunch provided by the Town of Bay Roberts. 

A discussion on the Build Communities Strong Fund (BCSF) and its subcomponent, the Provincial Targeted Infrastructure Fund (PTIF) by outlining how they work, their eligibility criteria, and recent program updates. The session will showcase practical examples to illustrate how these funds may be used to support local and regional infrastructure needs. Presented by Fahlon Drake (Department of Municipal and Community Affairs). 

YWCA St. John’s completed consultations with parents and caregivers from equity-deserving groups across N.L. to understand the unique challenges facing families in accessing child care. Through a human-centered design approach, community led solutions identified childcare as critical social infrastructure. This interactive presentation identifies ways child care access can increase economic opportunity, addresses workforce issues and directly impacts poverty reduction and well-being.

Join YWCA St. John’s to learn more about these findings, better understand the role municipalities can play in supporting increased child care access, and add to the conversation by sharing with YWCA the unique child care challenges your municipality faces.

Presented by YWCA staff team members Deanne Howlett, Director of Strategic Development and Childcare and Maria Gentle, Executive Director. 

MNL staff will review any action items identified throughout the day and revisit any items noted for the “parking lot” which may require further action/discussion. 

The Town of Bay Roberts welcomes delegates to enjoy a tour of the Community Gardens followed by a barbecue and live entertainment. Plan to join your colleagues for this fun evening. Transportation will be provided by the Town. 

Learn about MNL’s new Regional Economic Development Program, the Regional Prosperity Partnership. MNL’s Western and Eastern Regional Economic Development Facilitators, Abdul-Latif Alhassan and Bojan Fürst will present on the program and the activities already underway.

Participants will have a chance to provide input and feedback to further inform programming around regional economic development opportunities, challenges, and priorities. Municipalities will also be able to arrange dates for individual municipality visits with their respective regional economic development facilitators. 

MNL staff will lead this brief discussion to explore opportunities for municipalities to grow their communities and economies through housing-related policy, planning, and initiatives. 

Refreshments provided by the Town of Bay Roberts. 

MNL staff will provide updates on MNL’s current resolutions, highlighting issues of importance to urban municipalities including MYCW, Municipal Elections Act, WSER, and more. 

This time is set aside to discuss issues of importance to urban municipalities; facilitated by the MNL team. Discussion topics may include short-term rentals, public safety issues, physician recruitment, and funding success stories.

MNL staff will provide an overview of the key discussions from the meeting, revisit the challenges noted by municipalities, and recap key action items. A discussion on the location for next/upcoming UMC gatherings will also be tabled during this final session.