Southern Alberta community leaders met with Alberta’s Minister of Municipal Affairs to discuss concerns impacting the region and a collaborative way forward.
On July 24, Minister Dan Williams met with representatives from MLA Chelsae Petrovic’s office, the MD of Willow Creek, along with the Towns of Nanton, Claresholm, Stavely, and Fort Macleod.
“Minister Williams joined us for a productive conversation about what matters most to our communities,” the Town of Fort Macleod said in a Facebook post. “We appreciate his time and commitment to hearing directly from local leaders, and for making the effort to visit in person to better advocate for our region.”
Topics discussed included provincial school requisition, property taxes, policing costs, infrastructure funding, building safety codes, reduction of red tape, and changes to the Municipal Government Act (MGA).
Changes to the MGA of concern include eliminating the council code of conduct, which requires municipalities to issue development permits for projects that are approved by the province.
“We appreciate the Minister's willingness to speak openly and frankly and look forward to working collaboratively with Municipal Affairs and as a region,” the MD of Willow Creek said in a Facebook post.