The ballots are barely counted and already a key City of Edmonton politician is making waves about the capital region, revenue sharing and annexation.
Last week Edmonton city councillor Ed Gibbons said Edmonton needs a fairer deal in the region, especially when it comes to development and that almighty political motivator, tax revenue. Gibbons, also with a wish list of annexation ideas, said, “It’s time to go for the gusto.”
Claiming that Edmonton gets the shaft at the Capital Region Board table is a stretch. Edmonton is the big fish in the pond, and it’s capable of throwing its weight around. When Parkland County wanted to diversify its tax base by developing an industrial park, Edmonton played a key part in torpedoing the plan.
Gibbons, who describes himself as a former farmer but plays the city slicker role pretty well, also said last week that Edmonton should get a bigger share of the region’s lucrative industrial taxes, which mainly go to the capital region’s four rural counties. This, undoubtedly, has set off alarm bells for the newly-elected council in Sturgeon County, which will be home to the $6 billion North West upgrader.
While Gibbons’ notion might not play well in the country, he does make a valid point. The City of Edmonton is a hub for many people who live in the surrounding counties. They make their living in the city, and they use the infrastructure and amenities. A strong and vibrant Edmonton is in the best interest of everyone living in the capital region.
Edmonton has made its plans quite clear. Over the next four years it intends to get aggressive in the areas of annexation and revenue sharing. In order to achieve its goals, it will have to work with the 23 other municipalities that sit on the CRB.
The CRB has one stated goal – to make the best decisions possible for the citizens of its communities and the region. Therein lies the problem with the CRB – it cannot achieve its stated goal because there are 24 different communities in the region that have 24 different sets of priorities, 24 divergent interests and 24 different opinions on what should happen in the region.
It’s folly to think the region’s municipalities can check their self-interests at the door and work for the betterment of the region. Edmonton isn’t the only municipality in the region that has desires to grow.
St. Albert would also like to grow, and in order to do so it has to co-operate with Sturgeon County. Sturgeon County, of course, has its own plans for growth, and these don’t happen to coincide with St. Albert’s or Edmonton’s plans.
If the region is to progress, the newly-elected politicians are going to have to figure a way out of this quagmire. Unfortunately, the current system of governance will make that just about impossible.
