Dear editor,
During this election season there has been statements made by both PC and Wildrose Party candidates about the City of Calgary having veto power over decisions made by the Calgary Regional Partnership. I believe these statements are incomplete and need to be grounded on the full facts.
First, our partnership is committed to achieving our regional decisions through consensus. Arriving at consensus has been a successful practice since this group voluntarily came together in 1999. In very rare cases, when consensus may not be reached, we have a decision making process in place to make regionally significant decisions:
A vote must contain at least two-thirds of the CRP’s 14 municipal members, or in other words, 10 out of 14 municipalities need to vote in favour; and a vote must contain a majority (50%) of the region’s population.
Calgary represents close to 85% of the CRP’s population so any positive decision would require the city’s consent. However, any five of the 14 CRP member municipalities, no matter how small, could effectively block a decision by the City of Calgary. Therefore, Calgary cannot impose its will on the region, but neither can regional decisions be made without Calgary’s support.
The process is a democratic model striking a balance between the principles of one municipality/one vote and representation by population. The candidates may not be aware that this is the same decision model the Province of Alberta has legislated for the municipalities of the Capital Region Board in Edmonton.
The Calgary Regional Partnership is important to the long-term planning of the Calgary region. Membership in the partnership is voluntary, with local municipalities driving the work we do. Rather than go at it alone, municipalities can use knowledge that resides in other communities and share in the economic benefits that result from this type of collaboration.
Our local governments work together to resolve problems and develop common solutions for their communities. As mayor of a mid-sized town there is nothing worse than having to direct limited municipal resources on services that could have been better delivered by collaborating with other municipalities.
There is no catch-all solution for all the challenges that come with a growing region. But we will be much farther ahead by working together and sharing our knowledge for the betterment of our communities. The future of our region depends on it.
Bill Robertson,
Mayor, Town of Okotoks;
Secretary Treasurer, Calgary Regional Partnership
