DIDSBURY - The Town of Didsbury's council has approved a new municipal planning commission bylaw, which includes a new provision that all seven members must be residents of Didsbury.
The move came by way of motion at the recently regularly scheduled council meeting, following the work of an ad hoc committee appointed by council to review the former MPC bylaw and other related bylaws.
The municipality’s development approving authority, the commission is made up of seven members, two being members of council and five being members at large. It considers development applications made under the land use bylaw.
Bylaw 2025-02 Municipal Planning Commission replaces the subdivision authority bylaw, the development authority bylaw, the former municipal planning commission bylaw, the subdivision authority bylaw, and the joint municipal planning commission bylaw.
Coun. Dorothy Moore said, “I was very impressed with what administration did with regard to amalgamating all the pertinent information from all these other bylaws. (The new bylaw) is concise and it is really clear.”
According to a briefing note presented to council, the new Bylaw 2025-02 contains many notable differences from the former municipal planning bylaw, including the following:
• The new bylaw clarifies, for greater certainty, that development authorities are established in the land use bylaw for tracking purposes and consistency.
• The new bylaw establishes the municipal planning commission as the subdivision authority.
• The term of an MPC member is being reduced from two year to one year. By reducing the lengthy of term, there is the opportunity for administration to received applications for the MPC every year to engage the community in the opportunity serve on the commission.
• Addition of a clause that enables council to remove a member of the commission.
• Addition of a clause that removes a member, appointed in their capacity as a member of council, from the commission once they cease to be a member of council.
• Includes a more robust provision for declaring pecuniary interest.
• Addition of a provision that requires that members of the commission be a resident of Didsbury.
The updated bylaw states that, “If a member has pecuniary interest in a matter before the commission, or if the member is aware of any reason which may lead to a possible bias when hearing the matter, the member shall declare an interest or likelihood of bias to the commission, leave the room where the meeting is being held, and shall abstain from discussion and voting on the matter.”
