ABmunis committees get underway, working on your priorities

The Alberta Municipalities Standing Committees meet four times a year to advance advocacy priorities. Here is one thing from our first meetings that each committee chair chose to highlight.

Peter Demong, Chair of Sustainability and Environment

At our first meeting we were visited by Assistant Deputy Minister Stacey Smythe from Alberta Environment & Protected Areas. She spoke of the large-scale water shortages facing many areas of Alberta, the forecast for next year, and the steps the provincial government is taking to prepare for a potential severe drought in 2024. After hearing her presentation, the committee decided to prioritize updating ABmunis' water conservation policy.

Krista Gardner, Chair of Municipal Governance

After each ABmunis convention our committee reviews our resolution policy to ensure that the resolution submission process and voting sessions are as good as possible. We had a great discussion on options for tweaking our resolution processes.

Keren Tang, Chair of Economic Strategy

The highlight for me was how engaged the group was with all the external presenters. We heard from Matt Jones, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade, received an update on the housing warranty program, and learned about NAIT’s Advanced Skills Centre. The enthusiasm was exciting to see. This shows that municipalities have a lot of input when it comes to economic development on all fronts.

Andrew Knack, Chair of Safe and Healthy Communities

The committee, made up of some returning members and some new members (including me), are excited to work together to try and advance issues that members have been advocating on for quite some time. We discussed different approaches the committee can try, in order to help improve health services, mental health, and support for the most vulnerable.

Deborah Reid-Mickler, Chair of Small Communities

The committee focused on ensuring that our work plan for the year really reflects the key issues and priorities of all our communities. We had robust discussions on housing shortages, grant funding, infrastructure, water, health care and EMS. With some key strategic updates, we also made sure that any resolution updates that affect the smaller communities are reported to the committee.

Dylan Bressey, Chair of Infrastructure and Energy

The committee has submitted comments to the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) as it drafts a report on the orderly, efficient, and economical development of electricity generation in Alberta. We also heard from the Alberta Construction Association on the Prompt Payment Act, escalating construction costs, their desire to have better advance knowledge of the provincial capital plan, and alternative project delivery methods.

Stay tuned throughout the year for further updates the work of our committees including their efforts to advance adopted resolutions.  In case you missed it, here is a report card on resolutions adopted in 2020, which recently expired.