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WHERE IT ALL STARTS.
A specific duty of a municipality as outlined in the Municipal Government Act is to foster the well-being of the environment. For RMA members, this is especially important given that rural municipalities cover 85% of Alberta’s land mass. This means that land-use planning and stewardship are important functions for all rural municipalities. Stewardship includes protecting the integrity of Alberta’s land, water, and air.
The RMA and its members have regularly worked with the Government of Alberta and environmentally-focused organizations to develop policy and program approaches to support municipalities in balancing economic development with environmental stewardship.
Albertans are proud of Alberta’s vast, wild, and natural environment, and it is one of Alberta’s most precious assets. Through effective land-use planning in rural areas, the Government of Alberta and rural municipalities balance the ecological needs of Alberta’s natural environment with the economic growth and rural community development.
Alberta’s rural municipalities have the local knowledge to balance the competing land-use interests in Alberta. The Government of Alberta should continue work with to rural municipalities to understand local, regional, and provincial land-use concerns. Through effective collaboration, Alberta’s environmental resources can be protected while allowing for the growth and development in rural areas that helps drive Alberta’s economy forward.
Several of the issues that the RMA is currently focused on are: