Alberta Party response to Question 01

Question: How will you recognize the needs of Calgary and Edmonton, and how do you see this reflected in a new legislative framework for the cities? 

Answer: The Alberta Party believes that municipalities provide services that most Albertans rely on every day. The current relationship between the provincial and local governments limits the potential of municipalities to provide essential services. The Alberta Party is committed to building a new partnership which:

• Recognizes municipalities as an equal order of government;
• Ensures that municipalities have access to stable, predictable and adequate funding;
• Gradually shifts education funding away from the property tax system and gives municipalities exclusive access to their property tax base;
• Explores other alternatives to the property tax system.

Given that a majority of Albertans live in Calgary and Edmonton, it follows that the provincial government should acknowledge the services being provided in these two cities. The Alberta Party will recognize all municipalities as an equal order of government, and will create Large City Charters for Calgary and Edmonton in order to recognize their unique needs. The ‘Big City Charters’ will recognize the unique challenges of governing and operating our two major cities.

These charters will clearly outline the roles, responsibilities, revenue generation and partnership between the Government of Alberta and the civic governments of our major cities.



Question: Is the Municipal Government Act adequate to meet the needs of the large cities?

Answer: No. The Municipal Government Act entrenches the paternal relationship the province has over municipalities in Alberta. It does not allow the opportunity to recognize municipalities as equal orders of government, but rather forces them to act at the whim of the province and to compete against each other for grants and infrastructure funding. The Alberta Party believes that the Municipal Government Act needs to be significantly altered or replaced so that it can meet the needs of all municipalities, including our big cities more appropriately.



Question: Would you prefer city charters or other legislative remedies to address this issue?

Answer: As stated above, the Alberta Party believes that in addition to Large City Charters for Edmonton and Calgary, that municipalities of all sizes – from big cities to small towns – should be treated as equal orders of government, which must be bolstered by legislation.

Alberta Party official website - www.albertaparty.ca