Province set to reveal revamped Municipal Government Act

The NDP government will unveil amendments to the Municipal Government Act on Monday, setting off a period of major changes to the powers of the province’s municipalities and the relationship between them and the province.

But new tax powers for cities will not be among the changes coming Monday. Calgary’s Ward 3 Coun. Jim Stevenson, a member of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association board, said the alterations to the MGA are the product of consultations between the province and municipalities, and there should be few surprises Monday.

“When I say I don’t see any big surprises on this, I just mean that where we’ve got to in negotiations and discussions, the province has seemed to follow that,” he said Friday. New amendments expected to be introduced Monday include provisions for parental leave for municipal councillors and new requirements for cities to consult with neighbouring First Nations on issues of regional development.

But changes to the Municipal Government Act — Alberta’s second-longest piece of legislation — were first introduced in the spring of 2016, followed by extensive consultations. The first version of the bill set out potentially contentious expectations around co-operation and cost-sharing between municipalities on a regional level, as well as introducing a new levy for developers for libraries, police stations, fire halls and community recreation centres.

Stevenson said the major issues around regional development — proposed new growth management boards (GMBs) — will be discussed in the coming weeks with Municipal Affairs Minister Shaye Anderson.

And Monday’s legislative amendments won’t deal with the issue of city charters — documents that would grant new rights and responsibilities to Calgary and Edmonton — but that issue is also expected to be addressed this spring through regulations.

A government official speaking on background said the controversial issue of new taxing powers for Alberta’s largest cities won’t be dealt with Monday.