On Thursday, the Provincial Government introduced Bill 20 which amends the Municipal Government Act (MGA) and the Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA).

Those who pay attention to Alberta politics were expecting this Bill to contain a single major and deeply unpopular change: the introduction of political parties into municipal elections. At a recent Alberta Municipalities Convention, the Premier said parties are needed largely because of alleged problems with big money being spent in municipal politics.

However, instead of that one anticipated change, Bill 20 includes MANY changes not just to municipal elections but also to municipal governance. These DRASTICALLY weaken local democracy across Alberta. And if the Premier was worried about corporate and unions spending money in elections before, she should be terrified now: they are poised to be able to donate directly to candidates.

Bill 20 is an incredibly troubling piece of legislation. The most problematic part of it: by taking away power from voters and assigning it to the provincial Cabinet, it fundamentally weakens Council as local democratic bodies.

Read More

I’ve really appreciated the many conversations I’ve been having with residents about stormwater. Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to ask questions and share your thoughts. Especially if you have been willing to do so in person at the Open House or by meeting for coffee.

An observation: most of the concerns I’m hearing aren’t necessarily about the specifics on how we finance the expenses for stormwater. Instead, objections to a Stormwater Utility Model are often (but not always!) ACTUALLY about wider concerns with the City’s budget in general. Which is fair! I think more can be done to communicate it well. And there will always be lots of debate about where the right balance is between keeping things affordable and maintaining the levels of service residents need and expect.

Next week, I’m hoping to make a post with some thoughts on the City’s overall budget and approach to spending. I look forward to more conversation about that.

But here, I’m going to focus on stormwater alone.

Read More

Big progress on indoor recreation and the Avondale School Site happened last night!

With the demolition of the Leisure Centre, our region has lost 1/3 of its indoor field capacity. Additionally, we have never had a field large enough to support the highest levels of competition in a variety of sports. So along with other municipalities and sporting groups, Council has been talking a lot about indoor field space.

Earlier this month, Council endorsed borrowing up to $10,000,000 to build an indoor recreation facility. Last night, Council endorsed Avondale (ie: where the Leisure Centre and old Composite High School sit) as the site to build on.

This is exciting for me! Literally the first political position on anything I took when I started campaigning way back in 2017: "the Leisure Centre should be replaced when it is torn down."…

Read More

Municipal Policing: there’s been a lot of talk about it this week!…

…Grande Prairie is my home. I am raising my kids in Grande Prairie. I’m passionately involved in nonprofits and co-own a business here. Most of my dear friends live in this region. I want us to have the best community possible. And I do believe a municipal police model best supports a safe and financially healthy city.

The RCMP is a remarkable model for federal and rural policing. But once a community hits a certain size and complexity, there are big flaws to contract policing. Many RCMP-policed cities have identified big advantages to forming their own police services. And urban policing is putting an incredible strain on the RCMP. 

80% of Canadians receive policing from non-RCMP services. In my strong opinion, it makes sense for us to join them. A Municipal Police Service will allow us to better meet the expectations I've heard from residents. It will also help us get better value for the tax dollars we spend on policing.

I know that many of you reading this will disagree. Strongly….

Read More