Top 10 feature stories for 2025
There was a wide range of pressing topics to cover for local governments in 2025. Municipal World’s top 10 online feature stories for the year provide insights and angles on some of these issues (and a glimpse into what your colleagues were reading). We hope you enjoy.
1. The library is not a department: Why public library boards matter
Jonathan Scott, Ward 2 councillor in the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, is past vice-chair of the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library Board and a staunch supporter of the independence of library boards. Photo: Paul Novosad
At age 14, one of the earliest summer jobs available in Bradford was at the local library. Pages shelved books, assisted patrons, and tidied up after story time. For teenagers in a small town, the role offered more than employment – it provided a front‑row seat to the community’s beating heart. Read more…
2. Mayor Cynthia Block: Breaking barriers, building trust in Saskatoon
Cynthia Block, a former journalist and news anchor, was elected as the mayor of Saskatoon on Nov. 13, 2024, becoming the city’s first female mayor. Photo: Cynthia Block
The role of mayor can seem daunting to those unfamiliar with the daily functions of a municipality. Mind you, this isn’t the case for Saskatoon Mayor Cynthia Block, who spent most of her adult life preparing to take her seat behind the mayor’s desk. Read more…
3. Mayor Cathy Heron: St. Albert mayor bows out of city hall – maybe
St. Albert Mayor Cathy Heron recently announced she wouldn’t be seeking a third term as mayor. The decision, she said, was an easy one, but also emotional. Photo: Cathy Heron
Cathy Heron was elected to her second term as mayor of St. Albert, Alta., in 2021. Heron celebrated her election night victory by throwing out her campaign materials the very next day, knowing she wouldn’t need them again. Read more…
4. Municipal World recognizes 2025 Local Government Award honourees
The honourees of Municipal World’s 2025 Local Government Awards include Lisa Pastro (left), director of operations for Westbank First Nation; Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward (middle); and Rob Adams, CAO of the Town of Erin, Ont. (right).
The honourees of Municipal World’s 2025 Local Government Awards include a woman serving as director of operations in her home community in British Columbia; the mayor of a Southern Ontario city recognized as a leading voice for equity, civility, and safety in government; and a veteran CAO with more than three decades of municipal leadership experience. Read more…
5. Ontario’s professional planners launch guide for climate adaptation
Climate change has been recognized as a key consideration in land use planning. This is why the Ontario Professional Planners Institute has partnered with others in creation of the Climate Change Adaptation Practice Guide. Photo: Adobe Stock
Communities across Ontario are experiencing the impacts of climate change. Rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events are affecting built, ecological, cultural, and socio-economic systems. Read more…
6. Vancouver’s Broadway Plan reflects transit-oriented development trend
Vancouver council recently approved updates to the city’s Broadway Plan that will see major construction developments along one of the city’s key roads. The council also adopted the Broadway Public Realm and Streetscape Plan, and the Civic District Plan. Read more…
7. Ontario at a tipping point with 80,000 homeless: AMO study
Ontario is at a tipping point in its homelessness crisis. A new study reveals more than 80,000 Ontarians were known to be homeless in 2024, a number that has grown by more than 25 per cent since 2022. Photo: Association of Municipalities of Ontario
Robin Jones has seen the impact of homelessness firsthand, both in her policing career and now as mayor of the Village of Westport and president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). Read more…
8. Vancouver bringing in changes to parking fees, regulations
Vancouver council has unanimously approved changes to parking fees and regulations to enhance traffic flow, reduce congestion, and better support sustainable transportation. Photo: Adobe Stock
Vancouver council has unanimously approved changes to parking fees and regulations. The city says the changes will enhance traffic flow, reduce congestion, and better support sustainable transportation throughout the city. Read more…
9. Mayor Danny Breen: St. John’s mayor embracing collaboration in race for a third term
St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen has announced that he will be seeking re-election for the city’s top job this October. Photo: City of St. John’s
He had other options, and he considered them, but Danny Breen has decided he wants to keep his current job – mayor of the City of St. John’s, Nfld. Read more…
10. AMO reveals Reconciliation blueprint for municipalities
Tawi:ne Consulting Inc. principal Sara Loft (left) and associate Olga Semenovych presented the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s landmark Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan during the recent AMO conference. Photo: Redbrick Communications
In a landmark effort to advance Reconciliation between Indigenous communities and municipalities across Ontario, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) has unveiled its Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan (IRAP). Read more…
These are just a few of the 2025 highlights, with more great content published every week. Happy reading! MW
✯ Municipal World Insider and Executive Members: You can access the complete set of Digital Editions for Municipal World magazine from past years (plus so much more!) in our Research Article Vault.
Related resource materials: