The Government of Alberta is requesting public feedback on the MGA Councillor Accountability Review and the LAEA through online surveys
The Government of Alberta is currently engaging on the possible changes to councillor accountability requirements within the Municipal Government Act (MGA), and to several sections of the Local Authorities Elections Act (LAEA). The MGA provides the legislative framework supporting councillor accountability once a councillor is elected. This survey focuses on the following:
- Municipal councillor training requirements
- Allowing a council to meet in private
- Authority to remove a councillor
- Disclosures by a municipal councillor, including conflicts of interest
- Disqualification rules for municipal councillors
- Municipal councillor recall thresholds
The LAEA provides the legislative framework for municipal and school board elections in Alberta. It governs processes and procedures for election workers, voters, and candidates and sets out procedures for the nomination period, the election, and the post-election period. It also includes provisions regulating campaign finances, third party advertising, and the role of the Chief Electoral Officer of Alberta in local elections. A review of the LAEA occurs after every municipal election. This survey focuses on the following:
- Voter eligibility
- Voter list
- Political parties
- Advance voting
- Runoff elections for Chief Elected Officials.
Both surveys are open to the public and will take 10-15 minutes to complete. Individual submissions will not be shared publicly. The submission portal for each will close on December 6, 2023. As both issues are very important to municipal governance, the RMA encourages members to complete both. More information regarding the scope of the reviews and the survey links can be found online.
Wyatt Skovron
Manager of Policy & Advocacy
780.955.4096
wyatt@RMAlberta.com