ST. PAUL – Kevin Wirsta, an elected councillor with the County of St. Paul, has entered his fourth year as part of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) board of directors, representing District 5.
Representing a region stretching from Edmonton, east to the Saskatchewan border and up to Fort McMurray, Wirsta represents over 11 municipalities in the district.
With a new president elected in late October – Kara Westerlund of Brazeau County – Wirsta expresses his congratulations to the new president and the RMA's future.
“RMA is in a great place,” he said. “Kara [Westerlund] and [Vice President] John [Burrows] will take us to new heights.”
Burrows was elected last year during the District 1, District 3, and District 5 elections.
“They’re very well-rounded . . . and not scared to move ahead for the members we serve,” said Wirsta, explaining that serving without fear is critical to the RMA’s mission of advocating for rural municipalities.
The job involves working together as one “to come up with a solution” to the issues, he said.
Asked for some examples of what issues the RMA is advocating for presently, Wirsta said unpaid oil and tax is a big issue that needs to be addressed.
“You got these zombie companies that are not paying their taxes and municipalities are left hanging,” he explained.
Another pressing issue, he said, is the regionalization of the healthcare system and Victim Services. According to Wirsta, the RMA is concerned that regionalization of services does not serve members adequately.
Of course, the RMA also has pushed for more action to address rural crime, he said.
“We’ve tried, we’ve advocated, and we pushed it.”
He adds, “It is now basically up to the provincial government to push it to the federal government,” suggesting dealing with rural crime involves laws needing change at the federal level.
