Keep provincial, municipal politics separate, cities say
Referendum, Senate votes would cloud municipal election: Edmonton mayor
EDMONTON Alberta cities are calling on the provincial government to keep next year’s municipal elections separate from political questions regarding equalization and Senate representatives, fearing they will overshadow local issues.
More than 95 per cent of Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) members voted Thursday to call on the province to keep the October votes focused on local politics. This decision comes a day after the provincial government suggested an equalization referendum and an election on Senate representatives, both recommendations of the Fair Deal Panel report released Wednesday, could be held in conjunction with the municipal elections slated for next year.
Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson argued the additional votes would threaten the legitimacy of local governance and tilt the conversation from local to provincial and federal issues.
“Local priorities are set and absolutely it would be overshadowed if these other questions and politics come into it,” he said. “Let our own issues be front and centre and the issues between mom and dad stay away from the kids’ table.”
But Timothy Gerwing, spokesman for Municipal Affairs Minister Kaycee Madu, said holding referendums at the same time as local elections makes sense.
He said the 2018 independent Calgary plebiscite on hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics cost $2.2 million, four times more than if it was held alongside a municipal election.
“Holding referendums simultaneous to local elections is a common practice that exists in jurisdictions across North America,” he said in a statement to Postmedia Thursday. “It saves time and money and leads to increased voter participation, which is a good thing. Holding a referendum at a separate time would cost tens of millions of extra dollars.”
Nonetheless, AUMA president Barry Morishita said the organization will be reaching out to Madu asking for the votes to be spread out.
He said it’s not that the other two questions aren’t important, but the AUMA feels they each deserve time in the spotlight so residents can engage on the issues separately. Referendums on issues impacting other levels of government at the same time could influence candidates to leverage these questions rather than focusing on local concerns, Morishita said.
“We don’t dispute at all the importance of referendums for Albertans
to consider and vote on. What we are saying is there is a time and place for each one. They deserve focus and consideration specifically,” he said. “Respect our process and we’ll fully support a process the province wants to do with a referendum.”
The association also discussed the potential for changes to legislation governing local elections after the province launched a public survey in February for feedback on potential gaps.
Gerwing said the survey received more than 5,000 responses, which the government is reviewing.
“The government is also reviewing the results of the direct stakeholder meetings conducted with voters, community advocacy groups, municipalities and municipal associations like the AUMA,” he said in the statement. “We hope to provide an update on this legislation very soon.”
Any changes to the Local Authorities Election Act will need to be passed by the end of this year to come into force for the 2021 elections.