Doesn’t fit small
Municipal Affairs official lists benefits of new act
A Montrose resident is warning the new Municipal Government Act could be problematic for Prince Edward Island’s smaller municipalities.
A St. Louis resident speculated Thursday that the new Municipal Government Act (MGA) will be problematic for Prince Edward Island’s smaller municipalities.
“It’s going to cause a problem. We’re going to see a lot of smaller communities dissolve,” said Larry Drouin. Drouin made the comment after listening to Green mount Montrose Community Improvement Committee chair, Dave Pizio, deliver an information session about the act.
The new MGA has already received royal assent in the provincial legislature but its proclamation is on hold awaiting regulations to be built into its framework.
Pizio made it clear he has serious concerns about the act.
“I believe the MGA, the way it’s coming down, is going to financially cripple and take away our small communities,” he told the 25 people in attendance. Most in attendance were from small municipalities and unincorporated communities in West Prince. Ron Rayner, chair of the recently expanded Community of Bedeque and Area,
also shared his concerns about the new act, suggesting it might even prove difficult to get a full slate of candidates in his municipality for the full-day municipal elections that the act has already mandated for P.E.I. in November 2018.
“I think it’s going to be a very, very tough road to hoe,” assessed Rayner, following the meeting. “Keep it as it is and leave us alone,” he summarized his view of the processes set out under the new act.
There was no position taken during the meeting but general acceptance of Pizio’s stance. Christine MacKinnon, acting director, Municipal Affairs and Provincial Planning, sat in on the presentation and commended Pizio on the job he did presenting the complex material.
“I’m so encouraged that you’re having this meeting tonight; it is important to talk about how you want things to be in the future,” MacKinnon commented.
She did, however, offer some clarifications. She pointed out the mandatory services under the new act are emergency planning, with a three-year window for implementation, and land use planning with communities afforded five years to get that plan in place. MacKinnon noted the work going on in eastern P.E.I., where seven municipalities are considering amalgamation.
“When they look at the administration for the seven existing municipalities and they pool that much money that they’re spending now on administration, they have almost the same budget as the Town of Cornwall. And you start to say, ‘what could we do together, if we made plans together, instead of competing with each other for things in our region?’” MacKinnon listed some benefits of municipal governments – a local voice and a means to apply for federal infrastructure funding.
“The legislation allows any existing municipalities to continue,” MacKinnon said, “but, over the next few years, the requirements and the expectations of those existing municipalities will increase.”
For a new municipality to be created, she said they would be encouraged to come together with enough capacity to provide base services.
Pizio said the new act will require municipalities, regardless of size, to maintain at least 20 office hours a week. He said his municipality of 258 people does not require that much administration.
Processing building permits would be a new service downloaded onto the municipality. He wonders why a CIC would need to take on that service when Access P.E.I. staff would still be responsible for the service in unincorporated area.
“I want them to recognize small communities. Don’t try to make chicken soup out of feathers. I’m not Charlottetown; I don’t have thousands of people. I want to remain as a small community. I’m viable. I’m able to do what the community wants,” Pizio insisted.