Town council raises concerns over provincial legislation

In the June 24 meeting, Pincher Creek’s town councillors met with representatives from Alberta Municipalities to discuss concerns around provincial Bill 18 and Bill 20 in addition to instances of downloading costs afflicting Pincher Creek.

Duchess deputy mayor Deborah Reid-Mickler and Edmonton city councillor Andrew Knack are directors of Alberta Municipalities (AbMunis) who have been in consultations with the provincial government to advocate for the needs and concerns of communities like Pincher Creek.

Bill 20, which consists of changes made to the Local Authorities Elections Act and the Municipal Government Act by Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver, was one top-of-mind concern.

“The whole of what’s going on in this bill just erodes our ability to make decisions,” said Mayor Don Anderberg in a previous meeting.

Some of the changes made to LAEA include limiting an elector’s ability to vouch for an individual’s age, residence and identity to only address, allowing union and corporate donations, prohibiting automated voting equipment, and giving the minister authority to postpone municipal elections during emergencies.

Changes to MGA include making the minister responsible for validating municipal recall petitions, giving cabinet authority to direct a municipality to take specific action to protect public health or safety, and enabling the cabinet to require a municipality to amend or repeal a bylaw.

In a June 10 meeting, Pincher Creek town council discussed opposition to these changes and considered drafting a letter to the minister.

“I just have a philosophical position against making it harder for people to vote,” said Coun. Sahra Nodge, noting her opposition to some amendments including limits on vouching.

To Nodge, this legislation unduly affects people for whom official records are not as easily available, like seniors such as her dad.

“Top-down government is what’s happening here,” said Mayor Don Anderberg.

He noted that he recently heard about a survey from Calgary showing an increased demand for municipalities to provide services that are provincial responsibilities.

AbMunis representatives are also advocating for communities on issues stemming from Bill 18, which would require prior approval from the provincial government of any federal agreement municipalities might pursue.

“We’re hoping that we can provide them with information that will help them to put good regulations in place to make sure that the bill works the way they want it to work and doesn’t provide barriers to communities getting their work done,” said Reid-Mickler to council.

“We’re seeing increases in downloading the cost across the board,” she said, relating to her experiences as an Albertan deputy mayor.

Anderberg shared his concerns about the difficulty council has seen connecting with ministers and MLAs, in addition to significant financial responsibilities that have fallen onto Pincher Creek.

Pincher Creek is the only municipality of its size that funds the RCMP detachment building, according to Anderberg. Additionally, Pincher Creek’s daycare is dependent on funding from the municipality and lacks adequate provincial support.

Coun. Nodge highlighted that while the area has been identified in a Tourism Alberta plan to increase visitors, it is not being adequately supported to maintain its services as a tourist destination.

“With increased visitors to the area, we are seeing increased costs for areas that we fund, specifically around emergency services and search-and-rescue and the hidden costs of having more use in our area and more people in our area,” she said.

“We want to welcome people here,” said Nodge. “However, I think when the government does identify areas for specific growth, there does need to be mechanisms to counteract some of the costs that municipalities have with that.”

Coun. Gary Cleland noted that he has also seen programs set up by higher governments without provincial resources or financial support, so the municipality ends up having to hire extra staff to facilitate new programs.

Reid-Mickler told council that learning about these issues in Pincher Creek will help AbMunis advocate for the needs of this community as it consults with the government on regulations of these bills.

Mia Parker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Shootin' the Breeze