ABmunis panel tackles issues head-on on Real Talk
Alberta Municipalities continually works on issues that are important to our members, who represent the communities in which more than 85 per cent of Albertans live.
President Cathy Heron (Mayor of the City of St. Albert), Director Janet Jabush (Mayor of the Town of Mayerthorpe) and Director Trina Jones (Mayor of the Town of Legal) sat down with Real Talk host Ryan Jespersen on May 12 to discuss three key issues that affect our members and the millions of Albertans they serve. They discussed:
- The possible creation of an Alberta Provincial Police Service (APPS) to replace the RCMP
- The dire state of Alberta’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system
- The provincial government’s recent amendments to the Municipal Government Act (MGA) that remove local governments’ ability to create certain types of public health bylaws.
Here are some insightful excerpts from Thursday’s in-depth discussion:
On the possible creation of an APPS – “The people in my community and the surrounding area are ‘all in’ on the RCMP. I haven’t talked to anyone that sees any kind of value in not having the RCMP be the police force that looks after us in this neck of the woods.” – Director Janet Jabush (Towns West)
On the dire state of Alberta’s EMS system – We have a system that is spiraling out of control where you can’t retain paramedics; you can’t attract them. We’ve got ambulances that cannot be staffed. So, it’s not just the dispatch part of the system. It’s an entire systemic issue with ambulances.” – President Cathy Heron
On recent amendments to the MGA – “They (the provincial government) disagreed with the big cities, and therefore they changed the legislation. I think it sets a dangerous precedent for governments moving forward…” – Director Trina Jones (Towns East)
Click here to watch the whole panel discussion.
