ATHABASCA – If subjects like electoral recall, conflict of interest laws, government transparency and the possibility of political parties in municipal politics interest you, the Government of Alberta wants to hear from you, with a pair of surveys available online.
The surveys, launched Nov. 7, are seeking input from the public on the Local Authorities Elections Act (LAEA) and the Municipal Government Act (MGA).
Local councils haven’t had the opportunity to discuss the proposed changes, but Athabasca County reeve Brian Hall said the potential of partisan politics in municipal politics was something that alarmed him personally.
“Municipal councils are smaller groups of people, and they work on a consensus-building basis,” said Hall. “That partisanship is unnecessary at our table. Another issue could be influences from outside the region to advocate a certain point of view based on the particular set of views.”
Alberta Municipalities (ABmunis), an organization that represents summer villages, villages, towns, cities, and other specialized municipalities, has been vocal in its opposition to political parties at the local level. During a Nov. 16 press conference about the surveys, ABmunis director and City of Edmonton councillor Andrew Knack, said a recent ABmunis survey found 68 per cent of individuals preferred to see municipal candidates run as individuals.
“Only 24 per cent indicated that they would like to see candidates run as members of political parties. More than 80 per cent agreed that municipal officials who are part of a political party would vote along party lines, and not necessarily in the best interest of the community.”
During the September ABmunis’ convention, 95 per cent of members voted in support of leaving parties out of municipal elections — 80 per cent also said they want the provincial government to prohibit all forms of partisanship from local elections and politics.
Transparency
Another topic on the survey was privacy; currently, municipal councils have limited ability to discuss things outside of the public eye, with closed sessions being limited to topics covered by the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP).
Transparency has been a focus for Athabasca County this term, and Hall said the proposed changes would do little to shift that. While he acknowledged there are times when frank discussion may be limited, Hall said it’s all part of the job.
“Councils need to do their work openly and transparently, the ratepayers deserve that,” said Hall. “There are times where there’s some value in having a private conversation around some topics, and it can be nice to have some higher-level brainstorm in a more relaxed atmosphere, but the reality of the job is that we’re accountable to our ratepayers. We should be doing business in a way where they know how we’re doing it.”
Hall also pointed out the questions didn’t mean a change was incoming; under FOIP, councillors have a “reasonable amount of space” to discuss those types of topics.
“It’s important to remember that even when things occur under the umbrella of closed session, the motions must occur in public, and for a number of them, like draft bylaws, they’ll still end up in a public debate.”
-With files from Dan Singleton
