The councils from the Town of Athabasca, Athabasca County and the Village of Boyle met up for a tri-council meeting June 21, the first such meeting to happen since 2012.
The meeting was hosted by the Town of Athabasca council at the Athabasca Regional Multiplex, where they discussed a variety of issues, including grant cooperation, Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) funding, as well as the upcoming law legalizing cannabis.
Mayor Colleen Powell, who presided over the meeting, said the meeting went really well.
"We have lots of really good people on all of these councils," Powell said. "The discussion on the Regional Economic Development Alliance (REDA) was really interesting, and how we are going to formulate an economic development approach in the future."
"We emphasized the need to work together on issues of mutual importance," Athabasca County reeve Doris Splane added. "Whether it's the cannabis legislation or the assessment appeal boards, it's always about working together."
Village of Boyle mayor Colin Derko said the meeting went fantastic, saying the biggest thing was them getting together to discuss the issues and see some common ground in order to help each other.
"It's been too long since we have had one, so it's about time we did it," Derko said. "I am a huge advocate of our councils working together, and I am quite proud of how our councils do work together. I have been to many provincial meetings, and I do not see any other groups working together the way these three councils do."
During the MSI discussion, Boyle CAO Charlie Ashbey mentioned that the MSI Formula suffers some serious flaws.
"For each community, it is determined based on 48 per cent capita, 48 per cent Education Tax Requisition, and four per cent kilometres in roads," Ashbey said during the meeting. "The fact the education tax is in the equation means the wealthy get wealthier. Looking at the case of the Municipal District of Greenview, when they are assessed per capita, they have the highest MSI funding in the province, while communities in this region do not have nearly as much."
Ashbey mentioned that the formulas could work if there was a bit of a clawback a little from the top in the education tax, it would be more equalized among the municipalities.
"I think the formula is a bit simplistic," he continued. "If you look at the amount of money they have in surplus, $190-million, and they still get more than $10-million in MSI."
During the discussion on cannabis, Powell said each municipality have some similarity in approach in how to deal with the new legislation that legalizes recreational pot starting October 17.
"If they are not allowed to smoke it in public in Boyle, for example, but they think they are allowed to do it in Athabasca, they would be wrong," she said. "We need to talk to each other, saying this is where we are going, so that people do not get caught flat-footed. And this needs to happen sometime before October."
County coun. Dwayne Rawson, a former RCMP officer, suggested that they control cannabis like they do liquor.
"You just put it all in the same bylaw," Rawson said. "Make sure it says that it is illegal to consume cannabis in a public place."
He said all three communities should be of the mindset to completely ban this in a public place.
Fellow county coun. Dennis Willcott said that they should not make any rules that can not be enforced.
"That's what inevitably happens to all rules that are made," Willcott said. "You make them, but you can not police them. The bylaw enforcement officer can only do so much. I do believe that cannabis should not be smoked outside of a restaurant or a playground, but if they do it in their own home, including at an apartment, law enforcement should stay out of it."
Mayor Powell said while her council did discuss land-use bylaws surrounding cannabis use, it's what happens outside that they still need to work on.
"This is still what worries me," Powell said. "We could still get into a ball of wax over this, but we still need to get this one done."
Overall at the meeting, both mayors and the reeve all said it went really well.
"We are looking at holding another one in fall 2018," Derko said. "It's my hope that each of the entities take turns in hosting the event. Who knows, maybe Boyle will end up hosting it."
