Minister touts regional partnerships
Municipal Affairs minister in Hat and area to promote planning partnerships
Alberta’s Municipal Affairs minister said he is hearing politicians in smaller centres are warming up to the idea of getting a framework in place to bolster and manage regional planning partnerships.
“It’s been a real collaborative effort and that’s the whole theme of the legislation,” said Minister Shaye Anderson prior to an afternoon meeting with a combined council members from the city, the Town of Redcliff and Cypress County.
His ministry is proposing canoes to the Municipal Government Act, which, this fall, would likely see multijurisdiction boards created to plan out joint-benefit agreements and give wider say to regional players in land designation. “There are a ton of really good examples right now of people working together on water and waste water projects. People coming into a city, from a county for example, because that’s where the rec centre is. This is about … (saying) ‘We need to be better for our constituents, and be more efficient with the services we provide,’ and we can work together to do that.”
“To have agreements in place, it makes sense.”
Rural politicians have traditionally bristled at the idea of hiving off services to regional partnerships or giving up planning jurisdiction near their borders.
When first introduced, the idea of promoting growth management boards, similar to those in Calgary and Edmonton, was somewhat of a political hot football, with opposition critics deriding centralized power dictating to rural communities.
Anderson says over time that has faded as local leaders see the possible benefits.
The three local neighbouring jurisdictions have had a tri-party planning agreement in place since 2008. Known as the Intermunicipal Development Plan, it is scheduled for regular update this year, but that won’t proceed until MGA amendments are known.
Anderson took over the portfolio in mid January, taking over as well a years-long review of the Municipal Government Act, a vast piece of legislation that governs how local government operates.
Suggested updates to matters such and taxation and public engagement have been released in blocks for further comment. The final major piece, dealing with regional collaboration and dispute resolution processes, will be made public this fall.
Anderson, the MLA for Leduc-beaumont, near Edmonton, said this week was his first trip as minister to southern Alberta. He toured Lethbridge on Tuesday, then began his day Wednesday with a meeting with the Alberta Potato Growers Association in Taber.
In Medicine Hat he spoke with members of the Southeast Alberta Watershed Alliance and Medicine Hat Community Housing Society, as well as city, town and county councillors in the afternoon. He concluded the day in Bow Island.
“It’s always been important for me to get out and meet people and see with my own eyes and hear with my own ears,” he said.