Alberta First resolution accepted with amendment

By Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean Times Contributor

Over 40 people were in attendance at Wheatland County council’s regular meeting on Tuesday morning for the Alberta First resolution debate.
Wheatland County Councillor Jason Wilson first introduced the resolution on Nov. 5. Council requested additional feedback after the Dec. 3 meeting and offered an opportunity for county residents to have their say, either online or in person at Tuesday’s meeting.
Several county residents at the meeting spoke in favour of the resolution, including Allan McLelland. “I believe all levels of government need to collaborate, regardless of whether they’re federal or municipal. I think it addresses problems we’ve had in the past.”
Those against the motion were mostly concerned with the final paragraph regarding the referendum on separation. They also expressed concern about the over-reliance on the oil and gas industry to pay the bills, loss of services due to the unsustainable provincial tax structure, downloading responsibilities to municipalities and a perceived unwillingness to join the “future economies.”
“This is not the time to stop working; we are not reliant on oil and gas. We have opportunities here,” said county resident Marcus Leman.
Resident Marcy Field suggested council focus on matters at hand such as the downloading of responsibilities from the provincial government. “You were elected to find solutions to the challenges we face here,” she said.
Council debated the pros and cons of the resolution. “The biggest concern we’re hearing is that the final paragraph has branded us as separatists,” Councillor Donna Biggar said. She then proposed an amendment to remove the paragraph from the resolution, which was passed by a vote of four to three. The resolution itself was then accepted in its amended form by a vote of four to three.
The resolution will now be brought to the central zone meeting of Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) where Wheatland County will propose it for sponsorship in January. If the resolution receives sponsorship, it will be brought to the RMA meeting in the fall of 2020 for the same.
RMA acts as an advocate on behalf of rural municipalities with other levels of government.