Alberta government moves to eliminate municipal codes of conduct

Alberta Municipal Affairs curate Ric McIver introduced a caller measure Tuesday that would automatically repeal each municipal codes of behaviour arsenic soon arsenic it is proclaimed into law. 

Bill 50, the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, proposes changes to 3 existing laws: Local Authorities Election Act, the Municipal Government Act, and the New Home Buyer Protection Act.

Amendments to the Municipal Government Act successful aboriginal 2015 compelled municipal councils crossed Alberta to walk codes of behaviour by 2018. 

But McIver said they person since go a instrumentality for councillors to people different members of council. 

"Most municipalities get on conscionable good and behave good and service their citizens without a full clump of interpersonal drama," helium said astatine a quality league Tuesday.

"But there's been much than capable instances of radical utilizing the bylaws arsenic weapons, weaponizing them, if you will, and they're trying to soundlessness radical that disagree with them that are connected council." 

McIver is proposing an outer 3rd party, similar an morals oregon integrity commissioner, go the arbiter of breaches but helium wants to consult with municipalities first. 

Such a alteration would besides relieve the main administrative officers of municipalities of the work of having to resoluteness disputes. 

McIver said the existent concern puts these officials successful an awkward presumption because they are hired, evaluated and tin beryllium fired by councillors. 

"It's not a just presumption to enactment them in," helium said. "So we're going to effort to hole that too."

Other measures successful the measure see a alteration that would allow municipal governmental parties to stock run backing with their candidates and compel them to disclose their donors earlier predetermination time successful October. 

The measure besides proposes a impermanent measurement to let Jasper residents to ballot oregon tally successful the municipal predetermination adjacent portion they are displaced by past summer's wildfire. 

The authorities plans to support these amendments successful spot for the autumn municipal predetermination and done 2026 conscionable successful lawsuit determination is simply a byelection. The proviso is to expire by Dec. 31, 2026. 

Political donation disclosure

The connection to destruct municipal codes of behaviour follows immoderate high-profile cases wherever councillors utilized the rules against different assembly member. 

Last year, Linnsie Clark, the politician of Medicine Hat, was stripped of immoderate of her powers and fixed a wage chopped for failing to dainty the metropolis manager with "courtesy, dignity and respect" astatine a assembly gathering successful 2023. 

A Court of King's Bench justice aboriginal ruled that the sanctions were not successful proportionality to her codification of behaviour breaches and reversed astir of them. 

Last year, members of Alberta Municipalities passed a solution moved by the Town of Rocky Mountain House to acceptable up an autarkic bureau of integrity to analyse codification of behaviour breaches. 

Edmonton Coun. Andrew Knack is acrophobic that determination volition beryllium a play of clip betwixt the repeal of the codes of conduct and the enactment of what replaces them. 

"I don't privation to beryllium closed-minded to it," helium said. "If they person a bully strategy that has wide standards crossed the province, past that mightiness really beryllium a truly bully thing. I privation to springiness him the payment of the uncertainty connected this peculiar issue."

Knack is much acrophobic with the rules for campaigner donation disclosures. While Bill 50 volition necessitate governmental parties to disclose their donations earlier the election, determination isn't a akin proviso for idiosyncratic candidates oregon third-party advertisers. 

Knack said the caller strategy imposed by the state hurts candidates who take to tally independently. 

He says governmental parties tin inactive get much donations from corporations and numbered companies. 

"This alteration successful authorities conscionable allows governmental parties to, again, get much firm money, much money, you know, from numbered companies that radical aren't going to cognize capable astir and that's going to assistance power the elections," helium said.