Premier Danielle Smith faced more than 1,000 mayors, councillors and municipal officials — many frustrated with her government's recent legislation, at the Alberta Municipalities fall conference in Red Deer on Thursday. Smith and Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver received a polite, yet tepid, reaction from the crowd to their speeches. Alberta Municipalities president Tyler Gandam said his members, which come from the 265 cities, towns and villages that represent 85 per cent of Albertans, are frustrated with measures in Bill 18 and Bill 20 — two controversial bills passed by Smith and her United Conservative government in the spring, as well as cuts to funding.
Alberta Municipalities blasts province for Bill 20 'power grab' The measures include allowing political parties to run candidates in municipal elections in Edmonton and Calgary, a ban on the use of vote counting machines in municipal elections and a prohibition on municipalities entering into funding agreements with the federal government without provincial consent. The changes caught many municipal leaders off-guard. Then there are the funding issues.
Municipalities are angry the province refuses to pay one hundred per cent of the grants it submits in lieu of property taxes on municipal buildings. Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi is frustrated the province continues to pay municipalities only a portion of taxes owed on provincial buildings. (Michelle Bellefontaine/CBC) The grants were cut nearly in half by former p.