WHEREAS the AAMDC responded to member direction to examine the impacts of forced regionalization on municipal autonomy through the development of a position paper; and

WHEREAS at its October 2011 meeting, the AAMDC Board of Directors approved the position paper and directed that it be put before the membership for adoption as the AAMDC’s official policy;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that members of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties endorse the position outlined in the paper entitled Finding Local Solutions: Examining the Impacts of Forced Regionalization.

Local governments in the Province of Alberta have an enviable record of working together to address service delivery needs within their region. Historically they have recognized that by combining forces in a cooperative effort they can effectively and efficiently find and implement regional solutions without compromising the integrity of individual municipalities. The success of these regional alliances has not been without challenges but the collective will and spirit of cooperation has been such that solutions have been secured. There have also been times in the past when the provincial government has seen fit to impose regional solutions. These approaches, most notably regional planning commissions, have produced results but not without dissatisfaction and discord among the participants. Imposed or forced regionalization invariably resulted in the fostering of long-standing resentment and the belief that they, individually, had not been treated fairly or equitably. With this in mind and in response to member direction through Resolution ER1-11S, the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties (AAMDC) has prepared a position paper entitled Finding Local Solutions: Examining the Impacts of Forced Regionalization. The paper is available for review at www.aamdc.com.

The AAMDC presented the final paper entitled Finding Local Solutions: Examining the Impacts of Forced Regionalization to the membership at the Fall 2011 Convention. Notification of the availability of the paper on the AAMDC website has been distributed to members via member bulletin. Based on the completion of this paper, the AAMDC deems the status of this resolution as Accepted.