Achi news desk-
Proposed legislation would give the provincial cabinet more powers over cities and towns across Alberta. Following the publication of Bill 20 on Thursday, political scientists and legal experts weigh in on how the province can and should exercise control.
The Alberta government has introduced legislation that will give it sweeping powers over municipalities across the province, including the right to fire councilors and overturn bylaws.
Bill 20, the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, contains two pieces of legislation: the Local Authority Elections Act (LAEA) and the Municipal Government Act (MGA).
If passed, the amendments to the Municipal Government Act will allow the Cabinet to sack a councilor “if it is in the public interest” or order a referendum to decide whether to sack a councillor, which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. .
The amendment will also enable the cabinet to require a municipal government to amend or repeal a by-law, as well as giving the cabinet the ability to postpone elections.
University of Alberta Law Professor Eric Adams says the law states that provincial and federal governments are considered equal. However, the same cannot be said for provincial and municipal governments.
Adams adds that this is not technically outside the province’s jurisdiction.
“The province is on very secure constitutional foundations. They can really rule those two cities or any city if they want. The province could make Edmonton and Calgary disappear if they wanted to through legislation. But just because you have power, of course, doesn’t mean it should be exercised,” said Adams.
“Certainly an unprecedented intrusion into the affairs of two great cities.”
Urban Affairs Minister Ric McIver said the new powers were justified to ensure fair elections and accountability from urban leaders, and would only be used as a last resort.
“The province also needs to be warned, to stay in our lane. We often remind the federal government and the municipal government to stay put and maybe from time to time the provincial government needs to be reminded,” McIver said.
The email you need for the day’s top news stories from Canada and around the world.
He said the criteria for removing councilors would be decided by Premier Danielle Smith’s cabinet on a case-by-case basis.
“I think the public would be very unforgiving of us if we made a decision to dismiss a duly elected councilor without good reason,” said McIver.
The proposed changes would also enable municipal political parties in the October 2025 municipal election, but only as a “pilot project” in Calgary and Edmonton.
Candidates are not required to register with a political party in order to run for office.
More than 70 per cent of Albertans said in a recent poll that they do not want municipal parties, so many are wondering why this is coming into being.
“Why those cities in particular? Obviously, they’re bigger, that’s for sure, but then why not Red Deer? What about Lethbridge? Those are our medium-sized cities. So it’s starting to look like maybe this is something specifically related to the government or the councils in Calgary or Edmonton,” said MacEwan University assistant professor of political science, Brendan Boyd.
Boyd says citizen trust levels are strong at the municipal level and the introduction of political parties could damage that reputation.
“Local government tends to be the highest, higher than the state or federal. One of the reasons for that I think is because they don’t get into party politics where they start voting along party lines rather than representing their constituents,” he said.
The bill has drawn a strong response from local leaders across Alberta.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said she has more questions than answers. While she welcomed criminal record checks for applicants, she raised concerns about other parts of the bill.
“This is a piece of legislation that requires a thoughtful and enthusiastic response. However, we have little or no details on things that will change the face of municipal governments,” he told reporters at a news conference on Thursday.
Edmonton councilor Andrew Knack says the changes being introduced are heartbreaking.
“This is why I don’t think it’s an understatement to use the term that it’s an attack on the democratic process. He goes out of his way to try to create fear and to prevent people from representing the residents we were elected to serve as well,” said Ward Councilor Nakota Isga. Andrew Knack.
Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi says the province should focus on issues that are priorities for Edmontonians and called the measure an attack on local democracy.
“The province shouldn’t be coming in and threatening mayors, saying if we don’t think the way the province thinks and we pass bylaws the province isn’t like it, that they are going to step in and fire us in the guise of public interest as they define public interest. That is not something democratic,” Sohi said on Thursday.
Adams says there’s little municipalities can do to fight the legislation, so they may have to inspire change in other ways…
“The appeal will be in some ways to voters and perhaps especially to those voters in Edmonton who are not represented around that cabinet table,” said Adams.
— with files from the Canadian Press and Global News’ Paula Tran and Adam MacVicar
& copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
