‘Dangerous precedent’: AB Munis president piles on criticism of Bill 20

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The president of the association representing 265 Alberta towns, cities and villages didn’t mince words Monday in describing the group’s opposition to Alberta’s proposed new legislation, Bill 20, the Charter Amendment Act of Municipal Affairs.

Tyler Gandam argued the recently introduced legislation “has already created an atmosphere where some of our members fear repercussions” if they openly disagree with the provincial government.

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“Bill 20 is an attempt by the provincial government to gain more power and exert more control over how people choose to live in their own communities,” Gandam, who is also mayor of Wetaskiwin, said during an AB news conference Munis.

“Alberta municipalities are concerned that the bill will intimidate and even silence legally elected officials who dare to criticize the provincial government.”

Introduced in the legislature last week, Bill 20 would give the province additional authority to intervene in municipal matters. The legislation would give the cabinet the power to recall a municipal councilor (or force a referendum on the matter) while also allowing it to overturn a municipal bylaw.

The legislation would also launch a pilot project to establish local political parties in Calgary and Edmonton for elections in October 2025. Candidates for council and mayor are currently running as independents in the two cities.

‘Bill 20 puts local governments up for sale to the highest bidder’: AB Munis president

AB Munis has opposed the idea of ​​municipal political parties for several months, claiming the government’s own consultation indicated more than 70 per cent of Albertans do not want political parties at the municipal level.

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But at his Monday news conference, Gandam piled on criticism of other elements of the bill, including campaign finance reforms and a ban on electronic vote counting machines in municipal elections.

The new law would “fundamentally redefine the model of our local democracy,” Gandam argued, while setting a “dangerous precedent” for future provincial governments of all political stripes.

AB Munis president also stated that the bill “does almost nothing” to improve transparency regarding the disclosure of campaign donations. He noted that the proposed changes would allow corporations and unions to donate up to $5,000 to an individual candidate.

And if the bill passes in its current form, he worries that local elections will end up focusing on what the most influential corporations and unions want, rather than voters’ priorities.

“Independent candidates risk being outspent and drowned by candidates from parties that enjoy the financial backing of corporations and unions,” Gandam said. “Basically, Bill 20 puts local governments up for sale to the highest bidder.”

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‘This is something everyone was asking for’: Smith

At an unrelated news conference on Monday, Premier Danielle Smith defended the proposed legislation, arguing that her cabinet would only exercise the right to fire elected councilors or repeal bylaws “very sparingly.”

“There have been cases over the last 18 months where members of the left have asked us to remove council members, and there is no mechanism to do so,” he said. “I don’t know when there might be cause in the future for a province to step in and remove a council member, but that’s what we had in mind. “This is something that everyone was asking for at some point about 18 months ago.”

Bill 20 upholds the constitutional jurisdiction of the Alberta government, Smith added, and “adds some more guidance” around the powers the province technically already has.

“The process we go through as a government is to listen and observe the problems that arise,” he said. “If we don’t have mechanisms to address them in legislation, we create them.”

‘We need collaborative partners in provincial government’: MCMC

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In addition to AB Munis, the opposition NDP and the mayors of Calgary and Edmonton, other interested parties have spoken out on Bill 20 since last week. They include the Calgary Chamber of Commerce and the Alberta Mayors’ Caucus of Midsize Cities (MCMC).

Deborah Yedlin, the chamber’s president and CEO, said the proposed changes would “run counter to businesses’ need for stability and regulatory certainty” when making investment decisions.

He added that the chamber encourages the provincial government to “focus on legislation that attracts people, jobs, investment and opportunities” and to consult key stakeholders on the proposed amendments, “as they could significantly impact competitiveness, productivity and prosperity of Alberta.”

The MCMC, which represents 24 Alberta municipalities, suggested Bill 20 is the result of relations becoming more strained at all levels of government.

“To manage the complex issues we all face, we need to see greater effort to remove barriers and foster more positive, transparent and open relationships between municipal and provincial associations,” the group said Monday.

“We firmly believe we need collaborative partners in provincial government, meaning those who can trust locally elected officials to act in the best interests of Albertans.”

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