Alberta | Minister of Municipal Affairs Ric McIver issued the following statement outlining the government’s intent to amend the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, 2024.
The Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, 2024 will make local elections processes more transparent and local elected officials more accountable to the people they represent.
Albertans deserve to have faith in the local officials elected to represent them. When a councillor has betrayed the public trust and it’s in the public interest to remove them, swift action should be taken to remove them. As municipal councillors and mayors are locally elected by their constituents, Alberta’s government recognizes this authority should only be used as a last resort, which was always the intent of this legislation.
To ensure this is abundantly clear, we will be working with municipalities to propose amendments to the legislation and clarify that this would only be used in very limited circumstances. Alberta’s government remains committed to fairness and due process and will continue working with local authorities to ensure Albertans have the effective local representation they deserve.
Additionally, this legislation sets out a process through cabinet to repeal or amend municipal bylaws. This is quite serious, and we would not do this lightly. We will also be working with municipalities to propose amendments for the legislation and clarify that this would only be used in very limited circumstances related to areas that are primarily overseen by the province, like health care, education, the provincial economy or public safety.
The role of an elected official is one with tremendous responsibility and expectations. The Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act will strengthen the accountability of locally elected officials and councils while balancing the need to support local autonomy in areas of municipal oversight.