If We Make Councillors Take Training, NOBODY Will Run for Council… and Other BS

By Lorri Matthewson

“Being on council is tough enough — nobody will agree to take training on top of it.”

That is not true. I call BS.

No responsible person would assume they know how to govern a municipality without training on legislation, governance, regulations, or their roles and responsibilities. We provide training regularly to councils that are serious about development and sustainability. Most tell us it helps them a great deal. Only the ones threatened by knowing the rules resist them. The job is simply too big for anyone to “wing it.” The cost is too great.

“I’ve been doing this for 20 years; I don’t need nobody telling ME how to do my job!!”

If you are meddling in HR, following staff around, or deciding which specific employee gets a raise at the council table, you absolutely do need someone to tell you how to do your job — before you get sued and cost the community a butt‑load of money. Councillors wandering into operations pose the biggest threat to their community. We get calls every week from administrators on the verge of quitting because councillors threaten their jobs, evaluate them based on personal operational preferences, and otherwise refuse to stay in their lane.

If you are making decisions in private chat groups, if you don’t have any policies (or don’t follow the ones you have), or you allow your CAO to work without a contract or job description, you do need to learn about your roles and responsibilities.

If you allow people in your community to abuse your administrator, and you fail to make any decisions that matter while you micromanage operations, you do need training. You do.

If you know the rules and refuse to follow them, you are not a municipal leader. You might have great and wonderful skills, but without the rules, you are not governing. You are pushing your own agenda — and only in hindsight will we know whether it did the community any good.

If you are sitting around the table not knowing what to do when you’re not dabbling in operations, you do need training and support.

Training is fundamentally about protecting the municipality from avoidable harm. Training is not for “problem” councils. Training is for councils that care about their communities and want to do the best possible job. Training is for leaders who care more about the long-term sustainability of their communities than they do about a small group of people who would lovingly bankrupt a municipality to get the building or program they think is most important, in the complete absence of actual numbers on which to base a decision.

Our small‑population municipalities are required to operate with conflict‑of‑interest rules, meeting procedures, financial controls, procurement, records management, and the duty to act as a government. None of this is intuitive, and the rules are not guidelines.

Without training:

· Councils drift into personality-based decision-making, where whoever speaks loudest sets direction.

· Administrators are forced into the role of correcting misunderstandings and putting out fires caused by councillors operating outside their lanes.

· Administrators are pushed into overreach when a council struggles to decide.

· Councils chase issues reactively; priorities shift meeting to meeting, and nothing gets done. Long-term planning collapses.

· Councils wander into areas where they have no expertise and make decisions that land them in court. 

· Councillors make decisions that benefit only their own divisions or personal agendas.

· Municipalities miss important opportunities because they fail to act “at the speed of business.”

Training is not for problem councils; it is the opposite. Training is for responsible municipalities that understand that governance is more important than their operational preferences. Making council training part of the job — the same way it is for administrators, teachers, nurses, and every other public-facing role — protects your community’s ability to survive in the long term. Training ensures that every councillor, new or experienced, has the tools to make decisions confidently, legally, and consistently.

And it is an important job, especially now.

Our small‑population communities are essential to our provincial economies. We provide the services that keep the province functioning. We maintain the roads, water systems, waste management, recreation facilities, and housing that support agriculture, resource extraction, tourism, and manufacturing. These sectors rely on local infrastructure to move goods, attract workers, and keep operations stable.

This isn’t a little job. Strong governance is how we protect the economic value small populations generate. Our sustainability depends on the quality of our governance. Real leaders put the work ahead of their opinions, embrace training, and follow the process. Anyone unwilling to do that isn’t protecting the community — they’re putting it at risk.

I said what I said.

Matthewson & Co. offers flexible, high‑impact council training delivered both in person and online, giving your team practical tools and confidence to lead effectively. Visit Our Services | Matthewson & Co. for more information.

Our next Council Training webinar will take place on Wednesday April 8th. To register visit Council Basics for New, Returning and Future Councillors (2 Part Series) Tickets, Wednesday, Apr 8 from 11 am to 4:30 pm CDT | Eventbrite