Alberta municipalities want more infrastructure funding from province
By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on September 27, 2023.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com The Alberta Municipalities organization will be presenting a resolution at its convention in Edmonton this week calling on the province to increase funding by $1 billion to municipalities.The convention and trade show runs today through Friday in Edmonton. The organization represents municipalities where 85 per cent of Albertans live and its services are used by more than 300 of the province’s 334 municipalities.
It works with elected and administrative leaders in Alberta communities “to advocate for solutions to their common issues which we categorize as economic, environment, governance, infrastructure or social,” says the organization.
It has been supporting Alberta communities since 1905. This week the organization is hosting more than 1,100 delegates from across the province in the capital.
ABMunis president Cathy Heron, who is also the mayor of St. Albert, told media Tuesday that Alberta Municipalities wants the province to increase its support for local infrastructure.
Currently that funding comes from Alberta’s Municipal Sustainability Initiative which has allocated more than $15.2 billion since the program launched in 2007. In 2024, the MSI is being replaced by the Local Government Fiscal Framework which the province says will include $722 million in capital funding.
Heron says that isn’t nearly enough.
The convention features different sessions during the next three days. The number of delegates will make for one of the largest ABMunis gathering in a long time, Heron said.
On Thursday afternoon 26 resolutions proposed by members will be addressed by delegates.
One resolution, that Heron will be speaking on, calls for the government to increase LGFF funding which covers infrastructure in the province.
The board wants it set at $1.75 billion, more than a billion dollar increase.
“I know that sounds like a lot of money but we really honestly feel if we’re going to achieve some of the province’s objectives through their Alberta’s Calling campaign and to be one of the best provinces in Canada to live and work, we need funding in municipalities to make that happen,” said Heron.
Historically, the province has received a sufficient amount of dollars, with statistics showing municipalities used to get about $400 per capita and now that’s down to $150 per capita.
“That’s a significant decrease in the support that municipalities get from the province so we’re asking for that to be re-instated. Based on what we think we should get from what we used to get and we calculated inflation et cetera, 1.75 is going to be a number you’ll frequently over the next three days,” added Heron.
Lethbridge has a substantial contingent of elected officials at the convention including Deputy Mayor John Middleton-Hope along with councillors Belinda Crowson, Nick Paladino, Jenn Schmidt-Rempel and Jeff Carlson.
The convention will feature numerous sessions on topics including infrastructure, roadblocks to economic development and growth and the causes of social disorder and what works to resolve them.
One session called “Fight for Your Right Not to Party: Defending the Local in Local Elections” will address an issue ABmunis is concerned about – the introduction of political parties at the municipal level which it believes could undermine the ability of councils to fulfill their roles while diminishing municipal autonomy.
“One of the things that local government quite prides themselves on is the fact that we are non-partisan, that we can enter council chambers with an open mind for a debate,” said Heron.
Heron said when party politics are involved in debate, elected officials vote on party lines or thought process “so it doesn’t really, in my opinion, lead to good governance of a municipality,” added Heron.
She said she expected vocal and heated discussions at the session.
Heron said a poll shows that Albertans overwhelmingly that Albertans don’t want party politics at the local level and there will be a resolution on the floor calling on the province “not to go down that road.” Follow @albeebHerald on Twitter 4
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