A Collingwood councillor is continuing to leverage her local seat for national and international projects.
Collingwood Coun. Kathy Jeffery is the 2024 recipient of the Pam McConnell Award, one of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) international awards handed out annually.
She was also elected to the national board of directors for FCM for a two-year term at the municipal organization’s annual general meeting that took place May 30 to June 1 in Ottawa.
“It’s great. For me, it’s exciting to be working with the Ontario caucus in the national board,” said Jeffery.
Right now, Jeffery said the main focus of the board is dealing with the impact of the U.S. tariffs – work that will continue – but her mind is also on how federal opportunities can be leveraged by Collingwood.
“I push for connections (to) federal funding opportunities for Collingwood to be able to match them to our projects. We’ve been very successful at that,” she said.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is an advocacy organization with representatives from more than 2,100 municipalities across Canada. The organization provides support, learning and resources to municipalities, and also advocates to the federal government on key issues.
Jeffery has served as a member of FCM in different capacities, off and on, since 2005. She served on the organization’s committee of the whole last year, and has served on the national board in the past.
“These are highly sought-after positions on this board, so a couple of times, I missed out,” she said. “It’s a fickle thing. I’m one little vote.”
Jeffery was the recipient of the Pam McConnell Award at FCM’s meeting last year, although it was just mentioned at Collingwood council last week. The award is handed out to a municipal expert contributing to the advancement and promotion of gender equality in FCM’s programs.
Jeffery received the award for her work with the organization’s Women in Local Leadership project, which has resulted in three trips to Ghana since 2022 to educate and support women interested in local government positions, aiming to increase women’s capacity to get involved in local governance in their countries. The six-year project (2021-2027) is part of FCM’s portfolio of gender equality and women in local government initiatives. It is implemented in five countries so far: Benin, Cambodia, Ghana, Sri Lanka and Zambia.
Global Affairs Canada covers expenses for Jeffery to travel for the project. She was appointed to the post by FCM as an expert on women in government.
But the learning that happens in Ghana isn’t one-sided.
“You learn. It’s a knowledge exchange. I become a better ambassador,” she said. “You get just as much out of it as what you take over.”
Jeffery met Pam McConnell herself through FCM when McConnell was serving as deputy mayor of Toronto, and Jeffery considered her a mentor. McConnell died in 2017.
“I was humbled to be in that company. I’m pleased my work is making a difference,” she said.
