The County of Barrhead is seeking equality in charitable gaming dollars between urban and rural municipalities.
Councillors voted Sept. 19 to approve a resolution aimed at establishing an Alberta Association of Municipal Districts &Counties (AAMD&C) advisory committee to support the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) in reviewing charitable gaming in Alberta.
County CAO Debbie Oyarzun noted the disparity between funds granted to urban and rural municipalities through casinos is an issue of equality the county has been championing since 2009.
“It [inequality] has been discussed at previous Pembina Zone meetings but while the government acknowledges the issue, there hasn’t been a lot of momentum gained on the file,” Oyarzun said, adding recommendations have been made in the past but none have as yet been implemented.
Similar resolutions were put forward at zone meetings in 2002 and 2003 respectively, but Oyarzun said both expired.
“Both the AGLC and the minister of finance have acknowledged the problem and say they are working on it but the struggle for council has been with respect to how the county can help,” she said, noting the AAMD&C has struck advisory committees in the past on a variety of other issues — indigenous affairs for example, and striking such committees is a common practice.
“We needed council to approve this particular resolution however so that we could take it to the next zone meeting in October and if it gets passed at that level, we’ll be able to take it further,” she said.
“We want to be treated the same and the discrepancy between urban and rural municipalities feels like discrimination,” Lee added.
