Okotoks council wants to see legislation withdrawn that it says would increase red tape and give the Province unprecedented power to intrude into municipal business.
In a letter dated May 17, Mayor Tanya Thorn wrote to Ric McIver, minister of municipal affairs, asking that Bill 20, the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, be rescinded in its entirety.
Although some amendments are expected before the bill is passed, Okotoks council discussed the legislation during a recent council meeting and unanimously voted to ask that it be repealed.
“Given the fundamental flaws in this legislation and the lack of comprehensive discussion, we request that this legislation be repealed,” Thorn wrote.
Bill 20 is “vast and complex” and includes provisions that would undermine local elected officials, she wrote.
The legislation makes major changes to local elections and to how municipalities operate, and civic leaders have spoken out against the bill since it was introduced last month.
Thorn said the most concerning parts of the bill would grant the Province unprecedented power to remove a councillor, force any bylaw to be repealed or amended, or impose a provincial supervisor to oversee municipal operations or finances.
“This creates an environment where councillors are more accountable to provincial leaders than to their constituents,” she wrote.
Half a dozen other impacts of the legislation, including changes to campaign finance and election rules and measures that could delay election results and increase costs, are mentioned in the letter.
“Although the Province aims to reduce red tape, this bill introduces considerably more, resulting in increased costs for taxpayers and additional burdens on municipalities,” Thorn wrote.
Thorn welcomes a fresh start to the legislation that considers input from municipalities.
Alberta Municipalities, an organization of towns and cities across Alberta, called for the bill to be scrapped on May 8.
