The new draft Municipal Government Act is a 248-page document that would put most people to sleep. But make no mistake about the importance of this legislation. When completed, it will guide development in communities across the province decades into the future. The legislation will update the rules that direct the actions of Alberta’s 344 municipalities in every aspect of what they do including planning, development, governance and taxation.
The provincial government tabled the first draft of the Modernized Municipal Government Act last week, the first revision in 20 years. The process began seeking municipal input in 2012, still, local politicians say it is only a good first draft but it needs work yet. Critics say the act is vague or leaves unanswered questions in some areas. Some of the unanswered questions of concern to St. Albert include how offsite levies will be applied, how school sites will be selected and how land conservation rules will be applied.
The draft legislation remains a work in progress. The most recent opportunity for stakeholders to provide input launched June 2 with a series of Open Houses. Municipal Affairs will visit 20 communities across the province with the next local stop in Edmonton June 13 at Chateau Louis Hotel.
Among other things, the act has noble goals to require municipalities to offer training for elected officials, to spur cost-sharing for projects that benefit entire regions, to create partnerships between neighbouring municipalities to draft regional plans to guide their individual and joint actions.
These are tall orders. Done well, the act has the potential to improve co-operation among municipalities who are used to competing for limited provincial funds. Done poorly it has the potential to further deepen the discord among competing municipalities.
The act speaks to the intention of having regions work together to achieve common goals such as transportation. Municipalities that butt up against one another have two years to come up with inter-municipal agreements that demonstrate a common understanding of how to take their projects forward. If they fail to reach a voluntary agreement the province will send the matter to arbitration for resolution within one year.
The first step is getting the legislation right. The public open houses provide an opportunity of residents, businesses and other stakeholders to lend their voices to what they consider important in municipal government. What do you want your community, your region, and your province to look like in the future? The legislation lays the foundation for how municipalities operate, how municipal councils function and how citizens and businesses can work with their municipalities.
If you can’t participate at one of the public sessions check http://mgareview.alberta.ca/ for details and contribute your ideas is an online survey at http://mgareview.alberta.ca/get-involved/
This legislation will have far-reaching impacts into the future. This is too important to be asleep at the switch.
