UCP gets more power, but that’s a good thing when the enemy is fire

Article content

The UCP government is tasked with centralizing power over everything from university research to municipal elections to local agreements with Ottawa.

On Thursday they argued again, introducing measures to change the date of the next election, assert control over the emergency response and give themselves more power over Alberta’s water and its distribution.

Article content

Article content

Some of these changes seem almost entirely positive, although the broad authority over water will have to be viewed with skepticism.

In a severe drought water becomes very political. Residents of one area could be alarmed when the province transfers water to another basin.

But even that change is defensible if the result is fair supply across the province, not local favoritism based on support for the government.

There are already claims that the decision to hold the next election in October 2027, rather than May, is just an excuse for the UCP to govern for five more months.

Some are already calling for the date to be moved to October 2026, thus giving the Government less time rather than more.

They are right, but politics is not the main element here.

Premier Danielle Smith gave a harrowing description of how she was in charge of firefighting last year when the legislature was suspended for the campaign, and couldn’t even use a government phone because of campaign rules.

The fires disrupted local campaigning and even voting. Albertans never got the full campaign they deserved.

Article content

Article content

Smith noted that our disasters typically come in the spring and early summer months: the Slave Lake Fire of 2011, the Great Fort Mac Fire of 2016 and last year’s conflagrations.

It makes sense to eliminate the possibility that an incumbent government will have to deal with another spring crisis.

There is nothing radical about the October elections. Several other provinces hold their provincial elections that month, including Quebec and BC. Federal elections are scheduled for October 20 next year.

Overall, the government is bringing the outdated and fractured firefighting system into the era of megafires that cross the borders of cities, counties and entire sectors of the province.

Once the legislation is passed, the province will be able to intervene when a fire shows no respect for government jurisdictions.

“We have no interest in engaging in firefighting in areas that are completely under control within the boundaries of an individual municipality, and that they can handle,” Smith said.

Article content

“But as soon as it threatens to cross the border or suddenly threatens to get out of control, then we have to be prepared to intervene. These are the kind of decisions that have to be made quickly,” he added.

During last year’s fires there were many cases of poor communications, missing data, confusing reporting and a slow provincial response.

Much of that was due to jurisdictional confusion. Municipalities have first responsibility in emergencies, but were often overwhelmed by fire and smoke.

The new legislation will give the province power to enter immediately.

Smith said: “For some reason, we don’t have the authority to step in first when it comes to cross-jurisdictions.

“We have to demonstrate a complete collapse or complete failure on the part of local firefighting agencies to intervene.

“What this does is give the Ministry of Forestry and Parks a direct line of sight over all the Crown land that it was responsible for, whether it’s a woodland area or a grassland area.”

Minister Todd Loewen said the province has a record number of firefighters available, despite union claims that crews are not coming on board.

He talked about night vision planes that can carry out firefighting at night. New tactics have already put out fires that could have gotten out of control last year.

Sometimes centralization isn’t so bad.

Don Braid’s column appears regularly in the Herald

X: @DonBraid

Article content