Small communities spotlight: message from Angela Duncan, Small Communities Committee Chair

Earlier this month, AUMA’s Small Communities Committee, made up of elected officials and CAOs from small towns, villages and summer villages from across Alberta, met.

As AUMA Vice President of Villages and Summer Villages and chair of the committee, I am pleased to provide highlights from the meeting.

Ambulance

Representatives of Alberta Health Services’ Emergency Medical Services division joined the committee to discuss questions and concerns we have about ambulance services in small communities. AHS agreed to let us share their presentation, during which they answered questions such as the definitions of and response times for rural and remote communities (see slide 17 onward).

AUMA is following up with AHS on several items, such as map accuracy and transfer times at Emergency. Stay tuned to the Digest for more information on these items. We also hope to feature a session on EMS at our upcoming Convention in September.

Nurse Practitioners

Based on a resolution passed by members in 2015, AUMA advocated for the Government of Alberta to allocate funding to models of remuneration that support the integration of nurse practitioners within the Alberta healthcare system. As limited progress was made on the resolution before it expired, the committee is recommending AUMA’s Board sponsor a resolution at AUMA’s 2020 Convention calling on the province to remove the legislative and funding barriers that impede greater integration of nurse practitioners into the healthcare system.

I encourage you to visit our resolutions webpage if your municipality is interested in sponsoring a resolution.

Policing

AUMA acknowledges that our members have a range of opinions on police funding. I’d like to thank everyone who has either reached out to me directly or otherwise communicated with AUMA on this matter. Engagement is essential. Despite our diversity, AUMA members are united on the need to increase police resources and improve justice system processes to reduce crime.

I encourage you all to attend our Municipal Leaders Caucus in March, which will include a conversation with representatives of Alberta Justice and Solicitor General, along with the RCMP. If you are unable to attend, please send your questions and comments to me, or another board member, so we can bring them forward. Our email addresses are available on the AUMA website.

Broadband

AUMA sees broadband as an essential ingredient for economic development. With input from the Small Communities Committee, AUMA is pursuing advocacy with the federal and provincial governments, as well as tangible broadband projects. For example, we are a member of the Federation Enhanced Rural Internet Committee (FERIC), which is submitting a proposal to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)’s Rural/Remote Broadband Fund to deliver broadband by leveraging existing natural gas right of ways to provide service in traditionally underserved areas of the province.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about topics discussed at the Small Communities Committee. AUMA’s Advocacy team is also available at advocacy [at] auma.ca (advocacy[at]auma[dot]ca).