A new bill would give the Alberta government more power over municipalities, including granting cabinet the power to remove councillors from office, and forcing councils to repeal bylaws the province doesn’t like.
Bill 20, the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment, was tabled in the legislature Thursday afternoon.
The bill would also allow the creation of municipal political parties, but it comes in the form of a pilot project only affecting Edmonton and Calgary.
Bill 20 proposes many other changes to the Local Authorities Election Act and the Municipal Government Act to reinforce the province’s authority over municipalities.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The bill would also allow the creation of municipal political parties, but it comes in the form of a pilot project only affecting Edmonton and Calgary.
Cabinet has had the power to force municipal councils to amend or repeal land-use bylaws and statutory plans for 30 years.
Cabinet would also gain the ability to tell municipalities what to do in protecting public health and safety, although the government already exercised that authority in 2022 when it prohibited cities and towns from passing or extending their own masking bylaws.
Aaron Paquette, an Edmonton city councillor, suggested on social media that the new rules would be a threat to municipal politicians who didn’t share the same views as the governing United Conservative Party.
“I’m left asking why they have inserted themselves into municipal government in a manner that actually strips the voting public’s right to elect the council they deem to be the best to serve them.”
Kyle Kasawski, the NDP Opposition critic for municipal affairs, said it’s inappropriate for the provincial cabinet to decide when to fire a councillor or a mayor.
The original article contains 649 words, the summary contains 177 words. Saved 73%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!