Call for 2022 Requests for Decisions & Resolutions

Alberta Municipalities provides two types of opportunities for members to seek input from peers on whether the association should act on an issue that is of potential priority for municipalities throughout Alberta: Requests for Decision (RFDs) and resolutions.

RFDs at Spring Municipal Leaders' Caucus (MLC)

Spring MLC is scheduled to take place on March 9 and 10, 2022, at the Edmonton Convention Centre. RFDs are intended for emerging issues that cannot wait to be debated at Convention in the fall.

The RFD process is less formal than that of resolutions:

• Members fill out an RFD template and send it, along with proof of council endorsement, to advocacy [at] abmunis.ca by Friday, February 18.
• Proof of endorsement can be as simple as copying and pasting the relevant motion into the body of an email and indicating the date of the council meeting or sending a link to council minutes.
• Unlike resolutions, support from a seconding municipality is not required.
• Alberta Municipalities reviews the RFD and may work with the submitting municipality to ensure it has a clear recommendation and supporting background.
• Submitted RFDs are shared through The Weekly newsletter and an email to registrants about one week before MLC.

At Caucus:

• The sponsoring municipality speaks to its RFD, and members in attendance are invited to share their views and ask questions.
• The sponsor may agree to revise the originally proposed action because of the discussion.
• Elected officials of Regular Member municipalities who are registered to attend MLC are eligible to vote.

Approved RFDs are assigned to one of Alberta Municipalities' standing committees, which then makes recommendations to the Alberta Municipalities Board on next steps.

One of the key differences between resolutions and RFDs is that Alberta Municipalities has more flexibility in terms of the action it takes on adopted RFDs, and unlike resolutions, can modify the recommended action or request before submitting it to the province or federal government for a response.

Resolutions at Convention

Alberta Municipalities’ annual Convention & Trade Show will take place from September 21 to 23, 2022 at the TELUS Convention Centre in Calgary. Alberta Municipalities' Resolutions Policy outlines the formal process for submitting, reviewing, publishing, debating, amending, and voting on resolutions. This year, the deadline for submitting a resolution, along with proof of council approval, to resolutions [at] abmunis.ca is May 31. Alberta Municipalities has developed a guide and template to help municipalities with the resolutions process.

Resolutions tend to receive more profile than RFDs, because they are discussed at annual Conventions, which have a higher member turnout than MLC, and because of the formal process involved in their adoption and implementation.

RFDs and resolutions are both excellent ways to bring an issue to the attention of municipalities across Alberta and other orders of government. Still, they are not the only ways to share information on important issues with Alberta Municipalities. For example, we appreciate when members write to us or copy us on letters sent to the provincial and federal governments. Alberta Municipalities’ Board members also appreciate hearing directly from members in their regions. We won’t be able to help address every issue for every municipality, but we can serve you better when we hear about your issues and priorities. We appreciate good news, too!