The provincial government this week announced that Alberta is rolling back its re-opening, as variant cases of COVID-19 surge in a third wave. Premier Jason Kenney announced cases could top 2,000 a day by the end of the April.
Though this newsletter is focussed on the municipal elections in October, we couldn’t help but notice a quarter of the United Conservative Party caucus now appears to be in revolt. Many of the revolters are from more rural parts of the province.
Given that one of the variants was in Edson, the reaction of the mayor, Kevin Zahara, was notable. It seems he wasn’t told:
The return of stricter rules is tough news. Thankfully, Calgary resident John Smiley lived up to his name with his updated ‘where to drink in Calgary’ decision-tree.
TL;DR, where should you drink? A: Stay at home.
Lethbridge Council Would Like to Keep Being Paid
On April 8, Lethbridge City Council voted down a motion before them that would cease payment between nomination day (September 20) and election day (October 18). The motion failed 7-2, with councillors pointing out that their work with constituents continues on during this political dead zone.
Not All Cops, But Apparently Some of Them
Edmonton City Council this week voted on recommendations from the Community Safety and Well-Being Task Force, which has called for reforming the Edmonton Police Service.
Council voted unanimously in favour of having city administration work with police to develop a strategy to put the 14 recommendations, such as changes to the city bylaws and policies to stop the criminalization of poverty, into action.
A subsequent vote on a motion on funding, to explore bringing the city’s police budget in line with other cities and to be tied to performance, passed but with an 8-5 vote.
Haruun Ali, who’s running in Edmonton Ward papastew, shared some personal experiences with police when he lived in assisted income housing:
Plenty of people agree with the taskforce. They say constantly inflating police budgets are not an effective answer to solving the city’s social ills.
Rob Houle, a member of the task force, spoke out as rumours circulate about a letter from the Edmonton Police Association, that sources suggest says the report is biased.
For more on municipal budgets and the police, co-editor Dani Paradis dug into the subject of police funding in an article in The Yards late last year.
Not to be forgotten: this week, the province also moved ahead on Bill 63 — the Police Amendment Act.
Representation by Population
This week, a conversation with Edmonton’s Daveberta was about whether the rural areas of the province are overrepresented by MLAs, or whether the legislative assembly should be increased. From there, the conversation moved to the size of city councils. Council’s numbers have stagnated in Edmonton since the 1960s.
A Lethbridge resident chimed, noting that the size of the council has not changed even while the size of the city has doubled.
Polls Polls Polls
Friend of Rage, Paul Faire, tweeted out a history of Calgary mayoral opinion polls as a send off to Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi.
Yikes, pollsters.
Rocky View County Denied Specialized Municipality Status
Airdrie Today reports that the Alberta Government has denied the Rocky View County Administration’s application for specialized municipality status.
Reeve Dan Henn told Airdrie Today:
“We’re disappointed, since being a specialized municipality would have allowed us to be more equitable and adaptable in meeting the needs of residents and businesses, but it is not the only path forward. Council will continue to work under the Municipal Government Act (MGA) to maintain and enhance the quality of life of residents and ensure the competitiveness of our business community.”
A specialized municipality designation, according to the Government of Alberta website, is a “unique municipal structures that can be formed without resorting to special Acts of the Legislature. Often, specialized municipalities allow urban and rural communities to coexist in a single municipal government.”
“I don’t think the minister turned down our request simply because it is RVC,” Henn said to Airdrie Today. “Communications we got back from [Minister of Transportation Rick Mciver] – who ultimately made this decision – said perhaps instead of having different styles of municipalities in the province, the MGA may need some tweaks or amendments.”
There are six specialized municipalities in Alberta: Lac La Biche County, the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass, the Municipality of Jasper, Mackenzie County, Strathcona County, and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.