RMA Committee on Quasi-Judicial Agencies

To better understand the impacts that provincially-regulated development approvals have on rural municipalities and the experience that rural municipalities have had in participating in development review processes led by such agencies, the RMA is forming a member committee.

Although a core responsibility of municipalities is to manage local land use planning and development decisions, provincial quasi-judicial agencies approve certain types of development (such as renewable energy developments, oil and gas wells and pipelines, and confined feeding operations) that can have major local impacts. Examples of quasi-judicial agencies include the Alberta Utilities Commission, Alberta Energy Regulator, and Natural Resources Conservation Board.

The committee will be comprised of five elected officials from RMA member municipalities, and chaired by a member of the RMA Board of Directors. As the RMA is expecting a large number of applicants for participation on the committee, only one applicant per municipality will be considered. We will do our best to ensure the committee includes a broad range of experience and regional representation. Those not selected to the committee may be contacted to provide input and share local examples associated with the issue.

The committee will begin its work in May and run until September, meeting once a month or as needed.

The application period for the committee closed on April 14, 2023.

To learn more about the committee’s scope, composition, deliverables, and remuneration policy, review the committee terms of reference.