The scope of Municipal Powers and the Environment

The following article is Part 1 of the Municipalities and Environmental Law Series developed as part of the Community Conserve project.  Community Conserve is a forum for Alberta municipalities to identify common environment and conservation issues, then pool their resources to address the.  It is managed by the Miistakis Institute and Environmental Law Centre with the support of AUMA and RMA.

Municipal decision-making is increasingly vital to effective environmental management. Today’s municipalities play a central role in developing human settlements and green spaces, managing water bodies, and regulating the ways in which these are impacted. In order to do so, they rely on several pieces of legislation, the most important of which is the Municipal Government Act (MGA).

Alberta municipalities derive most of their powers from the MGA. The Act provides municipalities with general powers to pass and enforce bylaws on a variety of issues, as well as more specific powers concerning land use and planning, the control and management of roads and water bodies, the authority to expropriate and annex land, and the power to raise revenues through taxation, among others. Municipalities are limited to exercising these powers for the select purposes set out in the MGA, which includes “to foster the well-being of the environment”.

For more information on the scope of general municipal authority and how these powers may be used with respect to the environment the Environmental Law Centre has developed a series of guides as part of the Community Conserve project.  The first in the Municipalities and Environmental Law Series is now out, titled “The Scope of Municipal Powers and the Environment."

WHAT’S COMING UP NEXT?

A white paper on how to better use Environmental Reserves (by the Miistakis Institute), and a model environmental assessment bylaw and primer (by the Environmental Law Centre).
You will see a new product released every two weeks all through to spring! Stay Tuned!

GET INVOLVED WITH COMMUNITY CONSERVE
Community Conserve only works if municipal personnel participate. Post ideas, and vote on the ideas already there – no registration required!