'Disrespectful': UCP pushing Bill 4 ahead despite Edmonton backing down on masks

Alberta's municipal affairs minister called Bill 4 the "elephant in the room" when he met with local leaders Wednesday, several of whom are not happy with how the government handled the situation.

On Tuesday Ric McIver tabled Bill 4, which would remove the ability of local councils to pass COVID-19 masking and vaccine requirements on property not owned by the municipality.

Hours later, Edmonton city councillors dropped that city's mask bylaw. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi wanted to keep it in place but said because of Bill 4 "that ability doesn't exist now."

McIver called the changes a "slight diminishment" of local power when he addressed dozens of councillors gathered for an Alberta Municipalities event in Edmonton Wednesday morning.

"The government of Alberta will maintain and defend our position on health issues in Alberta," McIver announced.

"Since most of you aren't doing that, it shouldn't change your life at all," he said of local mask and vaccine mandates. Edmonton's was the last local mask bylaw in Alberta.

But local leaders were not properly consulted on the changes to the Municipal Government Act (MGA), said the leader of Alberta Municipalities.

"I believe in a collaborative approach to government and I believe this was the exact opposite," Cathy Heron, also the mayor of St. Albert, said Wednesday.

"It sets a precedent for future legislative changes when all of the sudden a municipality and the government of Alberta disagree, and that's a precedent we don't appreciate."

Sohi also criticized McIver's move, and said the province was treating councillors "like kids" after Premier Jason Kenney initially encouraged councils to make the call on masks.

"Two years ago in the middle of the pandemic, the province expected us to step up and we did step up. We brought in a bylaw that worked really well. And now they want us to step aside. Unfortunately, they have the legal authority to do that," Sohi said.

'WHAT I CAN'T TELL YOU IS WHAT WE'LL DECIDE': MCIVER TUESDAY

The NDP opposition blasted the UCP for the changes to the MGA and the way McIver and Kenney have gone about it.

"Alberta has never had a government as condescending, arrogant and disrespectful as Jason Kenney and the UCP. No interest in listening to or collaborating with Albertans or their elected representatives," tweeted NDP MLA David Shepherd.

"Jason Kenney only cares about one thing: saving his own job. That's why he's attacking municipalities. That's why he accepts UCP MLAs participating in the illegal Coutts blockade. That's why his Chief of Staff is on leave. It's all about saving Kenney's career," NDP MLA Joe Ceci tweeted.

Edmonton City Council voted 8-5 to remove the mask bylaw, but the city may ask the province to approve another one under Bill 4.

Some councillors wanted to continue to fight the province on the issue, or at least force McIver to pass Bill 4 before removing the bylaw.

"Bill 4 will take time. Bill 4 may still be amended. We don't know what's going to happen to Bill 4 in the legislature," Coun. Michael Janz said in the meeting. "It's not going to be passed this week. It could still be weeks away from royal proclamation."

"I don't want to repeal this until it's absolutely necessary."

On Tuesday, McIver stated he might scrap Bill 4 if Edmonton backs down on masks and repeals the bylaw.

"We will think about it, what I can't tell you is what we'll decide after we think about it," he told reporters.

But on Wednesday, McIver said "the bill will proceed as planned."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson