Province mandates regional growth participation

Sharon McLeay
Times Contributor

 

Opting out has been eliminated for Wheatland County, as it pertains to participation in regional planning and growth development.
Previously, participation in the Calgary Regional Plan had been on a voluntary basis and Wheatland County did refuse to participate, as it didn’t agree with the voting and veto structure.
“You need two thirds of the population and there is only one municipality that holds that card,” said CAO, Alan Parkin. “That works out to about 1.3 million people, so you need Calgary on your side every time to secure the vote. There are three rural and seven urban, so unless you have an urban supporting your vote, you are dead in the water.”
On Dec. 6, the second round of discussions on the Modernized Municipal Government Act was passed through provincial legislature and on Dec. 8, Municipal Affairs Minister Daren Bilous delivered the mandatory participation edict, for area municipalities to participate in the Calgary Metropolitan Regional Planning and Growth board that would replace the Calgary Regional Partnership. Bilous is hoping for a cooperative spirit and that all members will come to the table and set contentious issues aside for the greater good.
“I did receive a request from the minister to meet in January,” said CAO Alan Parkin.
Parkin said he would be meeting with other municipal representatives to gain a better consensus and clarify any issues within the mandate. He will bring that information back to council in January 2017.
There was some discussion that Wheatland County could argue that it is not adjacent to Calgary’s border, so would not qualify to be part of the plan. Municipalities under 5,000 people are not included as part of the board, but residents in those municipalities wondered how their voice would be heard in regional planning matters. Parkin said that those populations would have to have their views presented by another municipality, like Rocky View County, which have a seat at the table.
At the recent public hearing for Wheatland County Land Use Bylaw (LUB) review, residents asked if their elected council would be representing them at a regional level and standing firm on issues such as preservation of agricultural land and landowner rights. They also wondered if participation in the regional planning board could be vetoed by a majority of residents, if a plebiscite was attached to ballots in the 2017 elections.
Councillors replied that they always looked to uphold their residents’ best interests, but information on how the metropolitan plan will work was not totally defined yet. Councillors wondered how current decisions related to the scope of the regional plan and future decisions made by that board.
“What we are doing today might be affected by this,” said Councillor Brenda Knight. “To me, it changes the picture. We have statutory documents in place and have standard practises. There are precedents in place … if some things are taken away; it is harder to take them back. I wonder if we should wait on some of these decisions.”
“As the regulations move forward, they will be pretty substantial,” said Parkin. “They are pretty vague right now.”
Council asked that a letter be sent to Municipal Affairs to clarify the voting structure and clarify whether the mandate applies to Wheatland County, as their boundary is not directly adjacent to Calgary city limits.
All land west of Hwy. 21 was set to be under the Regional Planning and Growth board scope. Albertans can still give input on the Modernized Municipal Government Act, by accessing forms at www.mgareview.alberta.ca and submitting them to Municipal Affairs by Jan. 31.