High Prairie hosted an open house June 21 for the Municipal Government Act review. Left-right are Village of Donnelly Mayor Myrna Lanctot, Municipal Affairs Minister and Lesser Slave Lake MLA Danielle Larivee, M.D. of Smoky River Reeve Robert Brochu, Town of High Prairie Mayor Linda Cox, Big Lakes County Reeve Ken Matthews, and Town of Slave Lake Mayor Tyler Warman.

Richard Froese
South Peace News

Local municipal councils offered views on the proposed Alberta Municipal Government Act when Municipal Affairs Minister and Lesser Slave Lake MLA Danielle Larivee attended an open house June 21 in High Prairie.

More and stronger regional partnerships with inter-municipal collaboration frameworks are being promoted as a key component of the modernized MGA.

“Based on feedback, we will make changes to amend the act before the legislation is presented in the fall,” Larivee says.

“Our government is delivering on its promise to modernize the MGA to make it a responsive piece of legislation that gives municipalities and businesses the tools and resources they need to build strong communities and a more resilient and diversified economy for Alberta,” says Larivee.

Early next year, further consultations will be held for municipalities to review the regulations of the MGA, she says.

“I’m reserving my view on the proposed MGA until the proposed regulations are presented,” says Big Lakes County Reeve Ken Matthews.

The county currently has four inter-municipal agreements. However, proposals would require the county to have seven more, which Matthews says could cost the county about $200,000 to develop.

Under agreements currently existing, Lari- vee says municipalities could basically meet the criteria of a checklist.

“A lot of municipalities have already done good work on collaboration,” she says.

Frameworks would benefit the Town of High Prairie.

“We already have the basis of an ICF in our inter-municipal agreement with Big Lakes County but the proposed ICF will be a bit more formal and there is discussion that ICFs might be required with Metis Settlements that are using services of another municipality,” Mayor Linda Cox says.

“The continuing review of the MGA is a recognition that councils have important responsibilities and accountabilities to their residents as well the importance of the province and municipalities to collaborate and work together.”

She also supports splitting non-residential property classes into subclasses with taxes at different rates.

A possible subclass might be brownfield or parking lot or a difference between small businesses compared to large industrial commercial.

While the proposed MGA states that linear tax would remain in the municipality, mostly based in rural municipalities, that could be shared as Town of High Prairie Councillor Michael Long asked the minister.

“It could be done as part of cost-sharing in the framework,” Lari- vee says.

“This will allow municipalities to have a conversation about what is best for the region.”

All changes to the MGA, including regulations, will be proclaimed before municipal elections in fall 2017.