A new bill would give the Alberta government more power over municipalities, including granting cabinet the power to remove councillors from office, and forcing councils to repeal bylaws the province doesn’t like.
Bill 20, the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment, was tabled in the legislature Thursday afternoon.
The bill would also allow the creation of municipal political parties, but it comes in the form of a pilot project only affecting Edmonton and Calgary.
Bill 20 proposes many other changes to the Local Authorities Election Act and the Municipal Government Act to reinforce the province’s authority over municipalities.
I could see Trudeau use disallowance if this law is passed and was used to remove a democratically elected member. It could be the constitutional case that ends total provincial control over cities.