To improve reporting on resolution advocacy, the RMA is releasing a monthly bulletin highlighting recent and upcoming actions undertaken on select active resolutions.
The Monthly Resolution Update Bulletin is a way of routinely highlighting a selection of the over 70 currently active resolutions, offering members a more detailed insight into the work being carried out on their behalf. For the latest formal statuses and reactions to all resolutions, view the RMA’s Resolutions Database.
The April 2025 edition of the Monthly Resolution Update Bulletin features the following resolutions:
Resolution 7-22F Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework Reform & Resolution ER1-23F Limiting Third-party Services in ICF Agreements
There has been significant interest in confining and tailoring the scope of Intermunicipal Collaboration Frameworks (ICF) by our members. RMA members first endorsed Resolution 7-22F: Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework Reform in 2022, calling for the Government of Alberta to define services that must be included when developing ICFs. After an initial judicial review of ICF legislation that declared some services “third-party services,” RMA members then endorsed Resolution ER1-23F seeking clarity from the government for the scope and limit on the inclusion of various “third party services.” In 2024, the Court of King’s Bench released the Whitecourt decision which attempted to clarify the scope of inclusion for both mandatory and third-party services.
Earlier this month, the Government of Alberta released the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act (Bill 50) which – if passed – would clarify what matters must be addressed in ICFs and what third-party matters may be included. Bill 50 would mandate the inclusion of matters related to transportation, water and wastewater, solid waste, emergency services, and recreation in ICFs. Failure to agree on these matters would result in binding arbitration on matters still in dispute. Where there is disagreement outside these areas, the matter may be dropped. The clarity on mandatory and third-party services is a welcome development for RMA members.
At present, qualified organizations seeking to register a conservation easement on a given area of land are required to notify municipalities as per the Alberta Land Stewardship Act. Resolution 1-25S seeks to require that rural municipalities are consulted regarding impacts to local infrastructure and land use planning resulting from a forthcoming conservation easement. Resolution 1-25S calls for consultation between qualified organizations and municipalities to be mandated through the amendment of the Conservation Easement Registration Regulation.
RMA sent this resolution to the Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas and awaits a response. In the meantime, RMA will continue research on this resolution by reaching out to members and seeking information and data on conservation easements in Alberta. Together, these next steps will help RMA measure and demonstrate the specific impacts of conservation easements on municipalities in relation to infrastructure disruption and planned maintenance and enable RMA to advocate for legislative change to require consultation between qualified organizations and municipalities.
RMA members endorsed Resolution 14-24F: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Coverage for Community Peace Officers Under the Workers’ Compensation Act at the Fall 2024 Convention. Urban municipalities have sponsored an identical resolution through ABmunis. The RMA resolution highlighted that although Community Peace Officers – many of whom are employed by municipalities – have responsibilities similar to other first responders and regularly face high risk traumatic incidents that could lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), they are not considered first responders or awarded the same presumed PTSD protection under the Workers Compensation Act. This special protection, proposed in the resolution for Community Peace Officers, means that when other first responders, including police officers or paramedics, are diagnosed with PTSD, they are not required to prove that their PTSD is a result of their work. Presumed coverage results in system efficiencies and would help CPOs get the help they need sooner.
RMA has partnered with ABmunis and the Alberta Association of Community Peace Officers (AACPO) to advocate for this change. To date, the organizations have sent a letter to the Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade asking him to reconsider his response to our resolutions. The Minister’s initial response indicated that his ministry saw the value Community Peace Officers contribute to community safety, but that his ministry did not have any plans to change the legislation. In addition, RMA, ABmunis, and AACPO released a joint infographic that explains the problem and the traumatic nature of the work that CPOs do. Our organizations continue to collaborate and call on the Government of Alberta to provide CPOs with this protection in recognition of the critical ways CPOs serve Alberta communities.
Stay tuned for future editions of the Monthly Resolution Update Bulletin, where we will continue to feature updates on selected resolutions.
Wyatt Skovron
General Manager of Policy and Advocacy
780.955.4096
wyatt@RMAlberta.com