'The list is long': New RMA president cites important items 2025

Kara Westerlund, Rural Municipalities of Alberta president, discusses her organization’s biggest priorities for 2025 with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Michael Higgins: Let's start on Donald Trump returning to the White House and the hyper focus on his threat of a 25 per cent tariff. The federal and provincial governments are rolling out a rapid response. Where does this register on the radar of your member municipalities?

Kara Westerlund: I definitely would have to start out by saying, and acknowledging, that it's certainly a concern with our members and our municipalities based on the possibility of the impacts on all of Alberta's resource industries who are incredibly active in the rural communities and the rural landscapes.

I think it's worth saying that we want to be partners in seeking solutions to reduce industry costs and support the diversification, but that it's important to note that municipal assessment taxation changes is not the reasonable solution to offset industry challenges due to broader international issues.

So I will leave it there. We're going to tread carefully. Obviously, we're going to keep our eyes close to our neighbors to the south to see what's happening there, and how provincial and federal governments are going to react.

MH: You took part in the transportation minister’s news conference announcing a significant cutback in municipalities operating photo radar. What do you expect this decision to mean for RMA members?

KW: It affects a few of our members, not as many as our urban neighbours, but definitely there are a few of us that are affected directly with this announcement. I think it's important to know that photo radar is going to be continued to used, as the provincial government has said, in those high-risk areas, obviously construction zones and school zones.

Time is going to tell how that's going to turn out. There's a little bit of scientific data and background on it to continue in those locations. Honestly, I'm an Albertan and I drive in communities where there's photo radar, and dare I say, it's a bit of a welcome relief not getting a ticket in the mail two weeks later and being more annoyed rather than changing my driving habits.

MH: As the fall sitting of the legislature wound down, the opposition raised concerns over government intentions to stop operational funding for Rural Economic Development Alliances (REDAS). Is this something you're anticipating, and if it happens, what kind of impact would it have?

KW: We have several resolutions from our members that call on the Government of Alberta to create the memorandum of understanding with the REDAS and municipalities to redevelop the clear purpose and program structure, inclusive of (a) stable, long-term collaborative approach to the funding.

So in the meantime, the resolution also calls for sustainable funding to bridge REDAS to the long-term MOU as well. So we'll continue to keep our finger on the pulse of what's going to happen and how things are going to shape in the future.

We definitely want to be at the table when those talks are there and to make sure that the province is well aware of the importance of these REDAS in our communities and the substantial differences that they are making in our communities.

MH: How much progress are you making with the provincial government on the long-running, contentious issues of funding for essential infrastructure, bridges, roads, and unpaid taxes from the oil and gas sector?

KW: It continues to be an uphill battle from our point of view. I’ve been on the board for seven years, I've been an elected official for 14 years, the issue of unpaid taxes has been an issue I've been dealing with. So it's a long-standing issue.

We continue to bang our head against the wall. I mean, the solutions are easy. You and I both know what happens if we don't pay our taxes, and we know the process there. I think it's about time that we just step up and treat everybody fairly.

The solutions are on the table, so let's just get to work. There's going to be some pain in those results, obviously, but enough is enough. Rural Alberta is, honestly, we're sick and tired of dealing with this issue. We've provided a number of solutions to this issue, so let's get on with it.

MH: Despite the provincial government forecasting a $4.6 billion surplus in the recent budget update, how worrisome is the finance minister's warning of future deficits?

KW: It's definitely worrisome. How concerned are we right now? We're not overly concerned. A lot can change in six months to a year, three, or five years. So we're going to remain optimistic.

Is it being thrown out there as a distraction? I'm not quite too sure yet. I'm more interested in the surplus and what's going to be done, and how that money is going to be put to good use for all of Alberta and all Albertans.

MH: If we look forward into the new year, what tops the list of 2025 priorities for the Rural Municipalities of Alberta?

KW: The list is long so I'm not going to try and sugar coat that for Albertans, but some of the key issues going into 2025, obviously, is going to be linking police funding models to policing service levels in our communities. Senior and affordable housing in rural Alberta, obviously that's tied into just affordability overall for Albertans. The charitable gaming model reform, I know that's a topic that we've talked about in the past, and some of the core municipal issues that we're going to be spending significant time and focus on, is the assessment model review, the mature asset strategy, outcomes. There's been several key meetings held on those topics.

Also the Inter Collaboration Framework changes, political parties in local elections in Edmonton and Calgary, and what that's going to mean for rural Alberta in the future, continued advocacy related to the unpaid taxes and liability management of the oil and gas industry, which we touched on earlier, and another big piece for many of us is 2025 means a municipal election in the fall so I know many of us are preparing for that, and what that's going to look like looms large.