“I am concerned about the repeated public comments from the federal government and federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Sean Fraser indicating they will continue to deal directly with municipalities.
“This morning, Minister Fraser even hinted at his government’s interest in meddling with provincial and municipal decision-making around short-term housing. This is just the federal government’s latest attempt to bypass Alberta and other provincial governments and overstep their authority.
“Our government intends to protect and ensure Alberta’s constitutional right to oversee the governance of Alberta’s municipalities.
“As our nation’s first ministers recently discussed at the Council of the Federation, this may mean that Alberta tables legislation similar to Quebec, which requires the federal government to engage in negotiations with our province, rather than side-stepping us by engaging only with municipalities.
“We will continue to stand up for our constitutional jurisdiction while also making sure that we can work with our municipalities to get the best deal from the federal government.”
Quick facts
- Municipalities in Alberta are created and governed by the Municipal Government Act.
- Premier Danielle Smith recently met with her first minister colleagues, and all agreed that all premiers need to be united in ensuring all have an envelope of funds that go to each province on equal footing for their per-capita share.