Alberta's outdated definition of “community” and the ensuing inequity between municipalities could eventually be coming to an end.
The City of Cold Lake is leading the charge, bringing forward a resolution at this fall's AUMA (Alberta Urban Municipalities Association) meeting, challenging the province's “antiquated model” in the hopes of re-defining regions as “complete communities” and repairing the inequitable distribution of tax revenues throughout the province.
Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland said communities in Alberta are evolving and so should the definition of communities and way they are funded.
“Municipal boundaries have become nothing more than a hindrance to economies, environments, and communities that have residents that clearly live, work and play across these boundaries,” said Copeland.
“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.”
Cold Lake council passed a motion at the May 22 special meeting to send out the resolution to municipalities, with an explanation of the purpose and direction council hopes to see the AUMA take.
Copeland said it was not a push for change solely on the part of Cold Lake, as he said several municipalities came forward to encourage the city to take the lead in initiating change.
“Other municipalities have asked that we lead the way on this one. We know there is a lot of support for something like this in Alberta, with success stories like Sherwood Park, and other municipalities in desperate need, calling for change, like Grande Prairie,” explained Copeland.
Cold Lake Coun. Bob Buckle said at the May 20 corporate priorities meeting, where the draft resolution was first presented, “We have credibility on the issue and it reflects what we've been saying for a long time. It makes sense that we take the lead on this one and I am certainly in support of this.”
Prior to the city receiving industrial tax revenues from the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range in a deal with the provincial government and surrounding municipalities in 2012, Copeland said Cold Lake was unsustainable and was nearly “forced to shut down development.”
Although the city is on a better financial standing now, council has continued to lobby the government to alter the way industrial taxes are distributed in Alberta, with a specific aim to see more fair distribution of industrial tax revenue between the counties or municipal districts and the urban centres within them.
Copeland pointed to the municipal model in Sherwood Park as a positive example of revenue sharing. The urban centre of Sherwood Park is actually defined as a hamlet and is legally part of Strathcona County. The urban centre, while providing city-like services to the surrounding county, itself benefits in the sharing of the county's large industrial revenues. A similar scenario is occurring in Lac La Biche.
He said comparable models could be applied to regions throughout the province.
Cold Lake's mayor added he had not yet had a chance to meet with councils in the city's neighbouring municipalities, but said he would be reaching out to them in the coming weeks, once the proposed resolution has been sent out.
Copeland said the best-case scenario would be to have the resolution passed at the AUMA meeting this fall and influence new provincial legislation to help re-define communities and make them sustainable.
