'So damn undemocratic': Edmonton mayor reacts to legislation granting province power to fire councillors or veto local bylaws
A bill that would empower the Alberta government to remove elected municipal officials or strike down local bylaws is an "attack on local democracy," says the capital city's mayor.
Bill 20, the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, was announced Thursday and makes dozens of amendments to the Local Authorities Election Act and the Municipal Government Act (MGA).
- UCP able to remove councillors and axe city bylaws in new sweeping bill aimed at municipal politics
- 'So crazy': Nenshi critical of Alberta bill giving extra powers over municipalities
"I don't know who has asked for this," Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi told CTV News Edmonton Friday. "I don't know what problem the province is trying to solve when there are so many other priorities that they should be focused on."
Ric McIver, minister of municipalities, claims the bill will increase accountability and transparency in local elections.
However, Sohi and other critics called into question the transparency of giving cabinet ministers power to fire elected council members behind closed doors.
"When the province writes laws, it puts it through the legislative system where it can be debated," said Eric Adams, a constitutional law expert at the University of Alberta.
"When a law hands that power to the cabinet, then that legislative scrutiny falls completely away and now it's the cabinet themselves," he continued. "Realistically, the premier and the premier's office exercises the most of that power."
Current legislation allows the province to remove a sitting municipal official under certain circumstances.
McIver said it has never been used and did not offer specifics where the broader powers would be needed, but he did promise they would only be used in "the public interest" only as a "last resort."
When asked about limitations or guidelines to protect against abuse, McIver said," I believe the public will hold us to account in the greatest way possible, the next general provincial election."
'An authoritarian approach'
Lisa Young, a political scientist at the University of Calgary, said Bill 20 and Bill 18, which forces municipalities to get provincial approval to engage directly with the federal government, suggest the United Conservative government is seeking more power to enforce its preferences.
"There's a real sort of consolidation of power within the provincial government and a desire to impose a set of values on various institutions in the province," Young said. "It's not consistent with the notions of freedom that we've heard."
- Alberta tables gatekeeper bill on federal funding, cites housing money as last straw
- Academics, rural municipalities raise concerns about Alberta's Bill 18
- 'It's bonkers': Edmonton MP reacts to Smith's plan to veto federal-municipal deals
Sohi also believes the bill goes against the principles espoused by the premier and her cabinet.
"I'm actually surprised that a government … that takes pride in people staying in their lane, is coming in with such an authoritarian approach to regulating local governments, and basically saying that if we feel that you're not toeing the line, we can actually fire you," Sohi said. "That is so damn undemocratic."
Adams said the new powers create an "extraordinary scenario," but not one that can be challenged constitutionally.
"We might wonder whether or not that's a good idea in terms of giving the province really an open-ended power to exercise that control, but do they have that control? The Constitution says that they do."
The Alberta NDP have also criticized the proposed amendments, saying they are "dangerous" and "overreaching." None of Edmonton's twelve city councillors responded in support of the bill when asked about it Friday.
McIver repeated Friday that Bill 20 intends to make local elections more transparents and hold local officials more accountable.
"Municipalities will continue to govern affairs within their jurisdiction and the legislation strikes a balance to give Cabinet the ability to step in when municipal bylaw actions crosses into provincial jurisdiction.
"We remain committed to fairness and due process and will continue working with local authorities to ensure Albertans have the effective local representation they deserve."
For more information on Bill 20, visit the Government of Alberta website.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Chelan Skulski
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada to announce plan to reach NATO target, spend 2% of GDP on defence: sources
After facing months of pressure, senior government sources tell CTV News that Canada will unveil its plan on Thursday on how to reach its NATO commitment to spend two per cent of its GDP on defence.
His brother was found dead, his mother was arrested before this baby was found crawling by a highway
A Louisiana sheriff says a one-year-old 'miracle baby' survived two days of sometimes stormy weather before a truck driver spotted him crawling along a roadside the day after his four-year-old brother was found dead and his mother was arrested in Mississippi.
Coolers seized from Vancouver encampment during heat wave
Rangers seized two coolers from a person living in a tent in Vancouver's CRAB Park Tuesday as a heat wave scorched the city, the park board has confirmed.
Frank Stronach's granddaughter seeks company docs related to misconduct allegations
The granddaughter of billionaire businessman Frank Stronach is asking an Ontario court to order the family business to disclose any documents that might exist related to complaints of sexual misconduct against him and settlements involving complainants.
Video shows police officer taking firefighter's hose, spraying people in East Vancouver
The Vancouver Police Department is defending the actions of an officer who was recorded taking a firefighter's water hose and spraying two people in the head on Canada Day.
Actor George Clooney, a high-profile Biden supporter and fundraiser, asks president to leave race
Movie star and lifelong Democrat George Clooney added his voice to calls for Joe Biden to leave the presidential race on Wednesday, just weeks after headlining a fundraiser that brought in a record single-night haul for the president's reelection campaign.
Ellen DeGeneres is 'done' after her Netflix special
Ellen DeGeneres has reportedly said she's ready to tap out of performing. The former daytime talk show host let that be known during a recent standup show at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa, California.
Costco to increase annual membership fee to $65 this September
Costco is increasing its annual membership fees in Canada and the U.S. this fall to $65.
Family of 3 killed in tragic collision on B.C. highway, RCMP say
A family of three was killed in a tragic head-on collision with a tractor trailer in B.C.'s Fraser Valley this week, authorities have confirmed. The deceased are two adults and an infant.