Cultivating Greener Communities: Insights from the FCM Sustainable Cities Conference

I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Sustainable Communities Conference (SCC), presented by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), in Fredericton. The event brought together leaders from government, academia, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations from across the country to share experiences and explore solutions. Through presentations on nature-based strategies, the power of partnerships, and the importance of Indigenous knowledge and worldviews, the conference reinforced the vital role municipalities play in driving sustainability and creating greener, healthier, and more resilient communities. 

Building Community Canopies Through Collaboration

As the Program Manager at Tree Canada for the Growing Canada’s Community Canopies (GCCC) program, one of the most meaningful moments of the conference was participating in the day-long GCCC learning forum, hosted by our partners at FCM. This forum brought together municipal representatives—city councilors, mayors, and municipal staff from communities applying for GCCC funding—alongside Tree Canada and FCM staff and urban forest coaches. The gathering fostered connection and meaningful dialogue, providing a platform for municipalities to share their unique contexts and plans for expanding their urban tree canopies. 

Left to right: Yvonne Richie, Capacity Development Advisor at FCM, Michael Petryk, Lead of Urban Partnerships at Tree Canada, Astrid Nielsen, GCCC program coach, and Mark Pajot, GCCC program coach.

Expert Guidance for Greener Cities

Capacity development is a cornerstone of the GCCC program, and Tree Canada invited several of our urban forestry professionals and practitioners to participate in the forum. Through a World Café-style learning session, these expert coaches offered personalized guidance on climate resilience, biodiversity, monitoring, and strategic planning. The collaborative format created an engaging and supportive environment where municipalities could explore innovative approaches to community canopy growth.

Fredericton: A Model for Urban Forestry Innovation

One particularly inspiring session featured forestry representatives from the City of Fredericton, who shared their municipality’s holistic approach to urban forestry. Their Parks & Trees division manages around 20,000 street trees and hundreds of thousands more in parks, along trails, and in natural forests. Fredericton is known for its abundant tree canopy and the strong public and governmental support it receives. This is fostered through regular dialogue with other city departments, wide-ranging community engagement initiatives, and a robust urban forest management plan. Of particular interest was Fredericton’s innovative net-zero tree nursery operation, which grows trees indigenous to the region—a model many other municipalities expressed enthusiasm to replicate.

City of Fredericton staff presenting at the SCC learning forum.

Fredericton was part of the first cohort of municipalities to apply for GCCC funding when the call for tree planting projects launched in May 2024. With ambitious goals and a well-established urban forestry team backed by strong community support, Fredericton is an example of a municipality committed to protecting its existing canopy and planting for future generations.

Strengthening Commitments to a Greener Future

Throughout the conference, I had the privilege of engaging with a diverse range of NGO representatives, Indigenous leaders, academics, urban forestry practitioners, and city officials. These wide-ranging conversations, combined with motivating panel presentations, wise words from Indigenous Elders, and thought-provoking keynote speakers, deepened my commitment to Tree Canada’s mission to inspire, educate and enable Canadians to plant and nurture trees to improve lives and address climate change. Our role within the GCCC program is to support local governments and their community partners in growing their tree canopies for long-term success. This conference reaffirmed the importance of that work.

Left to right: Christine Earnshaw, Program Manager of GCCC, Sheila Murray, Project Director, Community Resilience to Extreme Weather (CREW), and Nicole Hurtubise, CEO of Tree Canada.

It’s heartening to see so many people stepping up to build sustainable communities while addressing climate change and biodiversity loss. The ideas, stories, and connections shared at the conference remind us that collaboration is key. By working together, we can support initiatives that foster climate resilience and deliver meaningful social and environmental benefits.