Reeve Ed Rondeau says the MD of Bonnyville council is adamantly against the regional governance resolution put forth by the City of Cold Lake.
“I am not very excited about it because it leads to more than regional government. It leads to the destruction of the MD of Bonnyville as we know it,” said Rondeau.
Cold Lake council officially submitted the resolution to the AUMA (Alberta Urban Municipalities Association) at the end of May, which will be brought forward for a vote at the group's next meeting in the fall.
The intent of the resolution is to urge the government to change the province's outdated definition of a community and adopt a more modern approach of a “complete community”.
The resolution defines a “complete community” as a region “that incorporates urban centers including rural counterparts as a community node where people live, work, play and do business.”
Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland said communities in Alberta are evolving and so should the definition of communities and the way they are funded.
“Municipalities across Alberta are struggling and we always talk about ways to make communities sustainable. This resolution would give the AUMA specific direction to lead the way in doing so,” explained Copeland.
“Many mayors and councilors have been talking at conventions and other meetings. There is a big concern among the urban municipalities and something has to change. The province isn't increasing MSI (municipal sustainability initiative) money and the federal government isn't providing any new funding for municipalities. A lot of the big urban municipalities are basically collecting their funding from residential taxes.”
While Copeland sees the resolution as a way to garner funding for urban centers, Rondeau sees it as a maneuver to take funding away from rural municipalities.
“All it is is a money grab,” said Rondeau. “They wouldn't even be talking about the MD of Bonnyville if we didn't have something they want and what is that something we've got that they want? It's money. They are trying to find a way to take away our money.”
As of June 4, Copeland said he had contacted around 25 different mayors from across Alberta about this resolution trying to garner support for the project to ensure it passes a vote at the AUMA meeting, which will be held Sept 24 to 26 in Edmonton.
“The purpose of the resolution is to bring foreword discussion. Nothing like this, in my 10 years, has ever come across the convention floor. It only seems to come across at the watering holes,” said Copeland. “Our council has been approached by other municipalities to bring forward a resolution.”
Co-sponsoring the resolution is the Town of St. Paul council, with the mayor saying he feels that it is the right time to spark conversation around regional governance and what it could bring.
“What our council thought is that this resolution is going to open up the discussion on municipal governance and where it goes to the future. It is going to start a conversation to move it forward. It will help bring forward new thinking and new ideas,” said St. Paul Mayor Glenn Anderson.
“Bringing a resolution forward and getting other municipalities talking is the only way you are going to get the necessary change to improve things. The Municipal Government Act (MGA) is under review and is being redone. This is the perfect time to discuss this.”
Although St. Paul supports the resolution, Anderson says it doesn't mean they support the idea of regional government. He said they are just looking to get the conversation moving ahead.
According to Copeland, Strathcona County has the resolution on its agenda and plans to debate whether to support it at an upcoming council meeting.
Copeland said the county's support would be “a heck of an endorsement” for the resolution, as he considers Strathcona “the perfect municipality.”
Bonnyville Town Council also plans to have a discussion around the resolution at the next regular council meeting on June 10 to decide whether or not to support it. Mayor Gene Sobolewski offered his initial thoughts on the resolution feeling it was headed in the right direction.
“I think the heart and the spirit is where it needs to be,” said Sobolewski. “I have had some discussions with Cold Lake and some discussions with some of our folks. I think some of the language might be a little bit on the strong side, but on the hole I think the purpose is to try and promote and get dialogue started with the whole notion of the province and municipalities beginning to have serious dialogue of the inequities, not only in assessment, but more importantly in the delivery of services.”
On June 6, Rondeau, on behalf of MD council, released a two-page rebuttal to the resolution and are looking for support against the idea of regional government, feeling that it would be a negative for rural municipalities in the province.
“(Copeland) is going under the umbrella that this is global. This is provincial, but it is provincial in the sense that a whole bunch of the urban people are trying to figure out how to get the assessment out of the rural municipalities to bring it to them,” said Rondeau.
“In Lac La Biche, if you asked the people if it has worked out, the people living in town and close to the town will say yes and the people living outside the town will say no. The people outside of town have lost their services, their representation, and their voice and all of the capital dollars get spent within the urban community. Go to Fort McMurray and talk to Anzac, Wandering River and Conklin and ask if they are happy with it. They are not. They are not getting anything. I think there is way more to lose than to gain here.”
The City of Cold Lake, on the other hand, feels regional governance is the way of the future and is prepared to lead the way to spark change.
“We need to put the silos away and stop talking about roads, sewer pipes and sidewalks. We need to all come together as a greater community,” said Copeland. “We feel (regional governance) is the future and that is why we put it forward.”
