The provincial government's controversial land use bills have become a hot topic in the race to replace Ed Stelmach with several PC leadership candidates suggesting the bills need a tweak.
Bills 50, 36 and 19 have angered many rural Albertans who are concerned about the impact the bills will have on their property rights.
Bill 50 allows the provincial cabinet to declare an electrical project a piece of critical infrastructure, sidestepping the need for an assessment. Bill 36 creates long-term planning mechanisms for all of the province's river basin area and Bill 19 allows the province to assemble land for critical infrastructure project like ring roads and water reservoirs.
Bill 50 in particular, which paves the way for transmission projects such as the Heartland power line, has come up on the leadership campaign trail.
A U.S. Embassy cable from 2003 also came out through Wikileaks last week, suggesting then-Alberta Energy Minister Murray Smith raised the idea of exporting electricity to the United States, but noted the transmission infrastructure was not in place. The leak was subsequently circulated by the Wildrose Alliance and the NDP.
Former finance minister, Ted Morton released a statement last week, pledging to revisit Bill 50 and conduct an independent and impartial review if he becomes party leader.
"While I have never doubted the need for additional transmission capacity, I have never been persuaded of the need for two DC lines between Edmonton and Calgary. I was not persuaded as a private member. I was not persuaded as a cabinet minister, and I am still not persuaded today."
Local MLA Doug Horner, another leadership challenger, said he is also concerned about the bill, but believes the overall objective makes sense.
As premier he would want to make sure the projects are still needed and he also questioned the need for a Calgary-Edmonton line, but said there is no need to revisit or repeal the bill.
"It is a matter of revisiting those decision processes and ensuring that we did get it right."
Horner said he also remains open to revisiting Bill 36, but believes it is a fair piece of legislation that is important for the province's long-term growth.
"If there is anybody that loses an existing right that they have, then we need to address that."
Communication problem
MLA and leadership contender Doug Griffiths said the problem with all of the bills is the government thrust them onto a populace that didn't know they needed them.
"The government gets into trouble every single time that it comes up with a solution to a problem the public didn't know existed," he said. "You have to explain the challenges first and then let them be part of the solution."
Griffiths said he favours a more open approach to government that would have gone to citizens for input because it would have muted the controversy they face today.
"You get more positive reception for that if you have an open discussion."
Former Washington envoy Gary Mar said he has heard from the public on the issues and also believes it is a consultation problem.
"What I hear is that this package of legislation still needs some time, that the objectives of the legislation are good and that many people have worked to make it better."
He does not believe any of the bills need to be scrapped, but favours revisiting them.
"You are going to have to put together a bill that is similar in terms of objectives so let's not start from square one," he said.
The latest challenger into the race, Rick Orman, who was last in government in 1993, said he would scrap Bill 36 if elected as premier.
Phone calls to leadership candidate Allison Redford were not returned.
