The mandate letters represent significant new direction across the Government of Alberta, much of which may have significant impacts on rural municipalities and communities.
Last week, the Premier issued a new round of mandate letters. RMA has previously provided members with analyses of the mandate letters in prior releases.
Below is an initial summary and analysis of the new round of released mandate letters, with a focus on directives relevant to rural municipalities. RMA will share further details and information as it becomes available.
Multiculturalism
RMA is pleased to see encouragement for the Associate Minister of Multiculturalism to support Alberta’s diverse ethnocultural communities. RMA is eager to work with Associate Minister Yaseen to ensure that rural Alberta is a place where people of diverse backgrounds feel safe, included, and celebrated.
Settlement Services and Ukrainian Evacuees
The continued support for newcomers from Ukraine is crucial. It is important for this Parliamentary Secretary to lean on rural Alberta for support in these pursuits. Settlement agencies provide many great services to newcomers but are often in urban regions. Therefore, RMA encourages the Government of Alberta to find ways to support newcomers in establishing connections and finding a home in rural Alberta.
Water
Alberta is moving forward with large-scale water infrastructure investments to support agriculture and improve drought resilience, as outlined in the mandate letter directed to the Associate Minister of Water from the Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas. As these projects develop, it’s important to consider local watershed impacts, alignment with municipal infrastructure, and plan for long-term maintenance. The province is also reviewing its Wetland Replacement Policy to ease regulatory pressures on farmers, but any changes must continue to protect wetlands, especially in rural areas where they are vital for flood control and biodiversity. Additionally, modernizing the Water Act offers a major opportunity to strengthen water management. Involving rural municipalities in reforms around licensing, conservation, and inter-basin transfers will be essential to ensure inclusive and effective policy.
Small Business and Northern Development
This mandate letter provides many exciting initiatives that will benefit small businesses and northern development. The development of a northern strategy can provide many opportunities to highlight and promote the success of northern Alberta and all it has to offer, something that RMA would be pleased to be part of. RMA is also willing to work with the Government of Alberta on increasing the awareness of programs and services available to northern Albertans. In an effort to deepen relationships with northern Alberta municipalities, RMA encourages this Parliamentary Secretary to lean on our organization to foster these connections.
Indigenous and Rural Policing
The Parliamentary Secretary for Indigenous and Rural Policing is a new addition to the Government of Alberta. The initiative in this mandate letter to “engage with municipalities to develop choice in policing such as exploring options with the Alberta Sheriffs Police Service (ASPS) or an alternative contract service provider that supports the communities that they serve” is something that RMA is keen on understanding better. RMA is committed to working with MLA Dyck and Alberta Public Safety and Emergency Services to see how these alternative policing options are intended to work in practice in rural communities.
Constitutional Affairs
The Parliamentary Secretary of Constitutional Affairs’ new mandate letter focuses on monitoring federal legislation, identifying constitutional risks, and modernizing intergovernmental agreements, reflecting the Government of Alberta’s continued focus to actively assert provincial jurisdiction. These objectives align with recent legislative steps, such as the introduction of the Provincial Priorities Act, 2024 (Formerly Bill 18), which requires municipalities and other provincial entities to obtain provincial approval before entering into agreements with the federal government. While intended to align funding and agreements with provincial priorities, this framework has introduced additional administrative requirements and potential delays for municipalities when accessing federal support. Many rural municipalities depend on timely and predictable access to federal programs to support infrastructure, service delivery, economic development, housing, and climate and environmental priorities, and the combination of the Provincial Priorities Act and the Parliamentary Secretary of Constitutional Affairs’ new mandate could create further uncertainty and risk limiting municipalities’ ability to secure resources their communities depend on. RMA will continue to emphasize the importance of balancing provincial jurisdictional objectives with the need for municipalities to maintain efficient, reliable access to federal supports that are often critical to their communities.
Rural Health (North and South)
RMA continues to be a strong advocate for health care to be responsive to communities, for emergency care to be improved systematically, and ensuring that Albertans receive timely access to necessary procedures and is happy to see this included in the Hospital and Surgical Health Services mandate for Rural Health.
It is essential that MLA’s Wiebe (North) and Wright (South) work hard to fulfill the mandate to “support programs and initiatives in rural and remote communities that improve upon the equity of access to care in all sectors of the health care system, as outlined in the Rural Health Action Plan and the Alberta Health Workforce Strategy, while remaining engaged at the local level through the Regional Advisory Councils.” This is relevant to Resolution 1-24F: Attraction and Retention Strategy for Rural Health Care Professionals, which in part calls for the Government of Alberta to accelerate implementation of the Rural Health Action Plan.
RMA is committed to being a key partner in this work with these Parliamentary Secretaries and is looking forward to working with them in the future.
Health Workforce Engagement
The initiatives in this mandate letter are top of mind to rural Albertan’s. Access to primary care physicians, the recruitment and retention of health care staff, and the implementation of the Rural Health Action Plan are all aligned with RMA priorities. Resolution 1-24F: Attraction and Retention Strategy for Rural Health Care Professionals supports long-term sustainable funding to increase the total number of health care professionals in rural and remote Alberta.
The collaboration between the Parliamentary Secretary’s of Rural Health (North) and Rural Health (South), and Health Workforce Engagement has the opportunity to create many beneficial results and solutions. RMA will monitor these areas closely and keep members updated on the work that comes from these areas.
Wyatt Skovron
General Manager of Policy & Advocacy
780.955.4096
wyatt@rmalberta.com