Official administrators for municipalities

Role of official administrators

The appointment of an official administrator is an extraordinary measure that is used by the Minister of Municipal Affairs to support good governance within Alberta’s municipalities.

The use of an official administrator in a municipality is most used when:

• a municipality loses quorum on its governing council
• to support an orderly transition of governance in cases of municipal restructuring such as amalgamations or dissolutions
• to supervise a municipality and its council where significant governance concerns are apparent

Current official administrator appointments

Section 575 of the Municipal Government Act states that, so long as the appointment of the official administrator continues:

• no bylaw or resolution that authorizes the municipality to incur a liability (borrow money) or to dispose of its money or property has any effect until the bylaw or resolution has been approved in writing by the official administrator, and
• the official administrator may at any time within 30 days after the passing of any bylaw or resolution disallow it, and the bylaw or resolution so disallowed becomes and is deemed to have always been void.

Towns of Black Diamond and Turner Valley

Official administrators were appointed for the Towns of Black Diamond and Turney Valley on May 25, 2022, in response to provincial Cabinet’s approval of their voluntary amalgamation effective January 1, 2023 to become the Town of Diamond Valley. Their appointments remain in effect until the new Town of Diamond Valley council can hold its first organizational meeting, expected in early 2023.

City of Chestermere

An official administrator was appointed for the City of Chestermere on September 28, 2022, in response to governance concerns. After every Council meeting, the official administrator submits a report to the Minister of Municipal Affairs which outlines which resolutions or bylaws were allowed or disallowed, along with the reasons any were disallowed. See letter to Chestermere mayor (PDF, 57 KB).

Meeting minutes

• September 6, 2022 (PDF, 157 KB)
• September 13, 2022 (PDF, 110 KB)
• September 20, 2022 (PDF, 438 KB)
• September 27, 2022 (PDF, 472 KB)
• October 4, 2022 (PDF, 189 KB)
• October 18, 2022 (PDF, 130 KB)
• November 1, 2022 (PDF, 140 KB)
• November 8, 2022 (PDF, 104 KB) (Organizational Meeting)
• November 8, 2022 (PDF, 147 KB) (Regular Council Meeting)
• November 15, 2022 (PDF, 138 KB)
• November 29, 2022 (PDF, 184 KB)
• December 6, 2022 (PDF, 181 KB)
• December 9, 2022 (PDF, 336 KB)
• December 13, 2022 (PDF, 108 KB)
• December 20, 2022 (PDF, 806 KB)
• January 17, 2023 (PDF, 132 KB)