Bill 20 presents ‘more questions than answers’ says Hyggen
Mayor Blaine Hyggen says the City of Lethbridge will need time to evaluate the potential impact of the newly introduced Bill 20, the Municipal Affairs Statues Amendment Act, 2024.
The proposed bill makes changes to the Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA), which establishes the framework for the conduct of elections in Alberta municipalities, and the Municipal Government Act (MGA), which establishes the rules governing the conduct of local elected officials once on council, as well as the overall administration and operation of municipal authorities in the province.
During a media availability Friday, Hyggen said there was “a lot to unpack” when it came to the bill and they need time to “dive deep into it.”
“There’s been a lot of conversations since yesterday regarding this bill,” said Hyggen. “It’s a surprise to many of us. I spent last night until about 2 a.m. going through it and there are many pages and many changes.”
Hyggen said the city trying to understand the information, the possible implications and costs that might come with it.
“Mid-city mayors - there’s 26 of us that are mayors of cities of 15,000 or more - we’ve been in contact as well, so there may be a statement coming from mid-city mayors that’s being worked on right now as well.”
He said there are a lot of questions and a lot of frustration being expressed, and they need to learn more about the bill.
“It is first reading and that puts it on the table. However, when second reading comes we’re hoping that there’s a lot of conversation prior to passing of a second or third reading.”
Hyggen’s initial reaction when he saw the bill was one of surprise when he realized the amount of changes being presented. Based on conversations with Alberta Municipalities and other midcity mayors, he knew there was going to be some changes, but was not expecting so many.
“I’m sure I burnt out a couple highlighters already here till 2 a.m. trying to figure out what some of those changes are,” he Hyggen.
When asked about one of his concerns with the bill, Hyggen said he was worried about the cost that some of the changes might bring to the municipalities and how that will be addressed.
“We do a four-year budget, so we haven’t budgeted for this. We don’t know what this cost is going to be in 2025 when the municipal elections are in. It could be $200,000 or $300,000 or $400,000.”
He gave the example of electronic tabulators, which the bill is proposes to eliminate, and the possible cost that municipalities could acquire by going back to hand counting.
“What’s that going to look like? What’s the timeline for that? I can only imagine how long that would be. You hear about concerns around the world of having these tabulators, so I’m really interested in getting a better understanding on why some of these different comments and some of the changes are in there.”
When asked about some of his concerns in regards to specific city initiatives like the Land Use Bylaw, Hyggen said municipalities are better equipped to deal with their own bylaws, as they know what is best for their citizens.
“A land use bylaw should be municipal jurisdiction. It’s about staying in our lane. I would hope that the province sees that, as well. People that live here should have that input into a land use bylaw, tougher to have it from a provincial level if those folks are not part of the community.”
When introducing Bill 20 during a press conference Thursday, Minister of Municipal Affairs Ric McIver said Albertans expect fair and free elections, and through this legislation they are ensuring locally elected officials of councils are accountable.
He said that if passed, the bill will enable local political parties to participate in local elections including being identified next to the candidates name on a local election ballot.
“Our decision is focused on transparency,” said McIver. “I’ve said this many times through speeches to Alberta municipalities and the rural municipalities of Alberta, as well as in numerous individual conversations with local officials and municipal councils. Party official affiliation at the local level is something that happens already, particularly in the bigger cities.”
Hyggen said even though he has not gone through all the information yet, he has heard from residents on how they do not want to have political parties at a local level.
“I’ll be very honest, there’s positives and negatives and I know I might be shot down for saying that, but there’s many different things that they really have to be dug into and that’s why I’m hoping by the time the second reading comes these are fleshed out, because there’s more questions than answers right now,” said Hyggen.
During an unrelated media news conference, Lethbridge West MLA Shannon Phillips expressed her concern about
Bill 20 and the implications of it at a municipal level.
“This ability to dismiss any duly elected councillor with the stroke of a pen around the cabinet table is draconian, it is authoritarian and it is a massive overreach by the premier,” said Phillips.
She said the introduction of political parties into the municipal process, which could funnel dark money from Smith’s friends and insiders into the political process, is something Smith did not run on and is a widely opposed by Albertans.
“No one asked for this. What people are asking for protecting our pensions and repairing the damage that five years of the UCP have done to our health care system. That’s what she should be focused on, but instead we have a focus on her extremist agenda that no one asked for,” said Phillips.