LATEST NEWS

The RMA’s Quasi-Judicial Agencies Committee held first meeting

On May 30, 2023, the Quasi-Judicial Agencies Member Committee held their first meeting. This committee will run until September and will help gather information on several quasi-judicial agencies in Alberta, particularly how their approval processes impact rural municipal land use planning.

The following members have been selected to serve as district representatives:

• District 1: Kelly Christman, County of Newell


• District 2: Brent Ramsay, Red Deer County


• District 3: Doug Drozd, County of Barrhead


• District 4: Tyler Airth, Big Lakes County


• District 5: Cindy Trautman, Camrose County

Any questions about the committee can be directed to these representatives or to the committee chair, Vulcan County Reeve and District 1 Director, Jason Schneider.

At the first meeting, the committee identified key themes that they would like to explore throughout the upcoming months and determined key stakeholders that will be invited to speak at future meetings. The committee plans to meet with quasi-judicial agencies and other relevant associations in June and July. The RMA will update members on the committee’s process and next steps periodically.

A survey on member experiences with quasi-judicial agencies will be sent out to RMA members next week.

Karrina Jung
Policy Advisor
780.955.4085
karrina@RMAlberta.com   

Wyatt Skovron
Manager of Policy & Advocacy
780.955.4096
wyatt@RMAlberta.com

Sign up for the final free asset management for elected officials workshop in Vermilion

The RMA, ABMunis, and IAMA are hosting the final elected officials workshop of the year on June 8, 2023 in Vermilion. Asset management is an important tool for councils to understand the link between infrastructure and service delivery. It also helps councils to make data-informed, community-minded decisions. This one-day course will allow elected officials to peer into the asset management process and learn more about the benefits. Although the workshop is mainly focused on elected officials, CAOs are encouraged to attend as well to get a sense of the strategic side of asset management.

At a minimum, by the end of this workshop, elected officials will have achieved the following:

• Develop an understanding of the asset management process to support your work as an elected official


• Connect with other elected officials and share asset management experiences

Registration for our Vermilion workshop is still open! The session will include a light breakfast and lunch, as well as refreshments throughout the day.

For more information and to register visit RMAlberta.com/advocacy/asset-management-training

This initiative is delivered through the Municipal Asset Management Program, which is delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and funded by the Government of Canada.

Karrina Jung
Policy Advisor
780.955.4085
karrina@RMAlberta.com   

Wyatt Skovron
Manager of Policy & Advocacy
780.955.4096
wyatt@RMAlberta.com  

The Alberta Emergency Management Agency is encouraging municipalities to begin applications for the Disaster Recovery Program

As a response to the ongoing wildfire situation in Alberta, the Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) is encouraging impacted municipalities to begin applications for the Disaster Recovery Program (DRP). While details of how and when financial assistance will become available in different areas of the province is still being determined, more localized information is expected in the coming weeks. Beginning to fill in the DRP application will allow municipalities to track eligible costs as they are incurred and will allow for a more efficient process when funding support is officially announced.

The RMA has also received additional information from the Government of Alberta (GOA) related to funding:

• The localized nature of the wildfires across the province creates a challenge in the current approval process and application timelines for DRP financial assistance. The AEMA recognizes that a flexible approach will be essential in ensuring that effected communities are supported. While the DRP application process includes a 30-day municipal application deadline from the disaster event start date, the GOA has emphasized that adhering to this deadline is likely unrealistic given the ongoing nature of the fires, and that they will pursue a flexible approach in terms of application timelines. They have emphasized that not meeting the 30-day deadline will not disqualify an impacted municipality from accessing funding.


• In addition to the DRP, the Municipal Wildfire Assistance Program (MWAP) is also available as a potential financial support program for impacted communities outside of the Forest Protection Area. At this point, the GOA has not determined if and how the DRP and/or MWAP will be used to support recovery costs in different localized areas. The GOA recommends that all municipalities use the DRP application form, and if MWAP funding is ultimately used in a specific municipality, AEMA will provide support in adapting the application as needed.

The DRP application can be accessed through the Disaster Financial Assistance and Recovery Support webpage under Municipal and Metis Settlement DRP Application. Please note that the application may not load in a web browser and may need to be downloaded directly to a desktop.

The RMA Wildfire Assistance Program Guide 2023 provides an overview of financial assistance available.

For specific questions about program eligibility, application processes, etc., members are encouraged to contact the AEMA by phone at 1-888-671-1111 or by email at drp.info@gov.ab.ca. Members can also contact an AEMA regional office for questions about local conditions. The RMA will share additional provincewide information with members as it becomes available.

Kallie Wischoff
Policy Advisor
855.319.2245
kallie@RMAlberta.com

Wyatt Skovron
Manager of Policy & Advocacy
780.955.4096
wyatt@RMAlberta.com 

The guide provides rural municipalities with an overview of how the special lien can help to recover unpaid taxes and where it fits with other tax recovery tools

In 2021, the Government of Alberta amended the Municipal Government Act to clarify that municipalities have a special lien on linear and machinery and equipment property used by oil and gas companies. While the special lien provides municipalities with another tool that may help in recovering unpaid oil and gas property taxes, many RMA members expressed confusion on how to utilize special liens to recover taxes and how a special lien aligns with other tax recovery tools.

In response to these concerns, the Government of Alberta provided the RMA with Alberta Community Partnership funding to support development of a special liens guide for rural municipalities. The RMA partnered with Brownlee LLP to develop the guide, which is now available on the RMA’s website. The guide, titled The MGA Special Lien: What it is and how to use it, includes an overview of the special lien and its purpose, other tools that can be used to enforce the payment of taxes secured by the special lien, limitations and challenges associated with the special lien, special lien case studies, and answers to common special lien-related questions.

To support members in utilizing the guide, the RMA and Brownlee will be hosting two identical webinars that will provide a walk-through of the guide and an opportunity for discussion and questions. To allow for open discussion, the webinars are only open to elected officials and staff of RMA member municipalities, and registration is required. Dates and times are below.

• Tuesday, June 13, 9:00 - 10:00 am


• Thursday, June 15, 2:00 - 3:00 pm

The registration links will be sent by email to all RMA mayors, reeves, and CAOs on Monday, May 29. Please share the links with elected officials and relevant staff.

Wyatt Skovron
Manager of Policy & Advocacy
780.955.4096
wyatt@RMAlberta.com

Immediately after resolutions are endorsed by RMA members, the RMA sends the resolutions to the relevant provincial or federal ministry or organization for an initial response. Based on the response received, the RMA assigns the resolution a status and drafts an initial reaction.

The RMA updates the resolutions database and issues bulletins with updates as responses are received. The RMA has received responses to several member resolutions passed at the 2023 Spring Convention. Given these responses, the RMA has drafted an initial reaction to the resolutions.

The government responses, statuses, and the RMA reactions can be viewed for each resolution on the RMA Resolutions Database:

7-23S	Revision of the Alberta Land Stewardship Act to provide for an Expiration Date in Conservation Easement Agreements
10-23S	Victim Services Delivery Model
11-23S	Reforming the Bail System to Address Rural Crime
13-23S	Municipal Access to Open Data
14-23S	Hydrogen Industry Support
15-23S	Capital Funding Support for Housing Management Bodies
16-23S	Applied Research Associations Funding

The RMA plans to release its 2023 Resolution Status Update - Volume 2 later in 2023, which will include statuses and reactions to all other spring 2023 resolutions for which a government response is received, as well as status and reaction updates to all other active resolutions.

Emmanuel Chukwuma
Policy & Research Analyst
587.689.5484
emmanuel@RMAlberta.com 

Wyatt Skovron
Manager of Policy & Advocacy
780.955.4096
wyatt@RMAlberta.com

The Resolution Status Update provides up-to-date information and progress updates for all active resolutions

The RMA is pleased to provide members with an update on advocacy efforts through the 2023 Resolution Status Update - Volume 1. This document, previously known as the “Advocacy Report Card,” has been re-titled to better reflect its intent: to provide an update on government responses and actions on RMA resolutions. The Resolution Status Update is an important part of the RMA’s efforts to be transparent and accountable to members, as it provides an update on the status of all active resolutions.

Section 1 of the Resolution Status Update includes the Government of Alberta’s responses to resolutions endorsed at the 2022 Fall Convention. Section 2 provides an update on all other active resolutions.

The RMA Resolutions Database has been updated to reflect the status changes and developments included in the 2023 Resolution Status Update - Volume 1.

The following resolutions were assigned new statuses in the 2023 Resolution Status Update - Volume 1:

Number	strong>Resolution Name	Previous Status	New Status
1-21F	Emergency Medical Services Capacity and Service Delivery in Rural Alberta	Accepted in Principle	Accepted
ER1-22S	Alberta Energy Regulator Action to Require Oil and Gas Companies to Pay Municipal Property Taxes	Incomplete Information	Accepted In Part
1-21S	Alberta Energy Regulator Directive 006 – Licensee Liability Rating (LLR) Program and License Transfer Process	Intent Not Met	Accepted
2-22S	Negative Impact of Carbon Tax on Rural Albertans	Intent Not Met	Accepted in Principle
2-21F	Disaster Recovery Program Cost Allocations	Incomplete Information	Intent Not Met

It is important to note that when a resolution has been assigned a status of “Accepted,” it is still reviewed for progress and updates during the semi-annual Resolution Status Update process. Following each review, the status may change depending on any developments that have occurred. Further, after resolutions expire, regardless of their status, the RMA continues to reference them when related issues arise.

Resolutions form an integral part of the RMA’s advocacy efforts. The RMA would like to acknowledge the work that the membership undertakes in drafting and debating resolutions that reflect issues of importance to rural municipalities. Endorsed resolutions provide direction for the RMA and enable focused advocacy efforts.

Emmanuel Chukwuma
Policy & Research Analyst
587.689.5484
emmanuel@RMAlberta.com

Wyatt Skovron
Manager of Policy & Advocacy
780.955.4096
wyatt@RMAlberta.com