LAKELAND - A day after the Alberta government announced plans to go ahead with sweeping legislation that will directly affect municipal governance, Lac La Biche County’s Mayor Paul Reutov wanted a little bit of time to get fully briefed on the plan before commenting.
Town of St. Paul Mayor Maureen Miller didn’t need any time. She's been watching for years as provincial officials have slowly moved forward with the legislation despite objections from municipal officials like herself and others from across the province.
Miller, who has served as the St. Paul mayor since 2017, is frustrated by the announcement of Bill 20. She responded quickly and candidly when asked for her reaction.
“They need to quit meddling in our business,” she told Lakeland This Week on Friday.
A day earlier, Alberta’s Minister of Municipal Affairs Ric McIver tabled the bill in the provincial Legislature. The proposed legislation would allow political party affiliations to be included on the candidate ballots in the October 2025 municipal elections in Calgary and Edmonton. Calling that a pilot-project, the party links could then be mandated for all municipal elections starting in 2029. The proposed legislation would also give provincial cabinet members the power to remove elected municipal council members from office. The legislation also gives cabinet the power to veto municipal bylaws.
Miller says the proposed legislation is an over-reach. She said it appears to give the provincial government “super powers” over and above checks and balances already existing in municipal government through the Municipal Government Act, the Local Authorities Election Act, local bylaws and municipal policies.
“I can see if a municipality has gone completely rogue with no engagement and is trying to put bylaws in place that are negatively impacting that community or will impact that community into the future. So I could see if a process wasn’t accurate that the (provincial) government should be able to come in and correct the process — but the processes are in place. That process is already protected within the MGA,” she told Lakeland This Week. “The only reason can see that they would have those super powers to come in and override a community’s bylaw was if a community was going to end up devastated down the road because of poor leadership.”
The proposed legislation not only raises an extra level of governance that isn't needed, it also raises suspicion.
“We’ve got so much oversight already… So that makes me nervous in what are they trying to protect that hasn’t happened,” Miller said, adding that she’s not alone in her feelings about the apparent over-reach.
Last year municipal leaders from across the province responded to survey and questions put out by Alberta Municipal Affairs relating to the election ballot issue and other provincial involvement in municipal levels. The answers, said Miller, were an overwhelming no from all corners of the province.
“This is the only level of government that is non-partisan. And it has to stay that way,” she said.
Municipal leaders from across the region and across the province are expected to discuss the proposed legislation in the coming weeks. Miller says her council has already made their feelings known – but with the new legislation being tabled despite their opposition, it may take another round of discussions. She feels the provincial associations that represent urban and rural municipalities will again be taking the issue to provincial leaders.
Mayor Reutov’s response to the legislation will be updated when it is received.
The next sitting of the Alberta Legislature is on May 6. It is not known if Bill 20 will be on the day's agenda.
