Mountain View County (MVC) councillor Al Kemmere has been re-elected by acclamation to a second term as president of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties (AAMDC).
His election to another two-year term came during the association's convention in Edmonton on Nov. 16.
The AAMDC represents 69 rural municipalities, including Mountain View and Red Deer counties. It works with the province and other stakeholders to promote rural communities.
Kemmere says being re-elected association president will allow him to continue building valuable relationships with provincial government representatives and others.
“I think it helps in different aspects,” Kemmere told the Gazette. “The big difference now is we have a government that we've worked hard with to develop the relationships that we've got and help inform them of what our role is in the province.
“I think we can build on that even more now with that understanding and the relationships that have been built.”
There are numerous issues the association plans to work on over the coming months, he said.
“The viability of agriculture is always a concern for our members,” he said. “The whole agricultural component between the drought at the beginning of the year, and the challenges that are coming with harvest, and then even the issue of the impacts of the TB situation.”
The new carbon tax, set to come into effect on Jan. 1, is also an issue of interest and concern to association members, he said.
“We have had numerous resolutions come up about that, to come up with a better understanding of the impacts of the carbon tax and the outcomes of it, and figure out how our municipalities don't get negatively hurt in this whole process, and by default our residents at the same time,” he said.
“We have to find ways to mitigate the impacts or to explore opportunities as much as anything.”
The updating of the Municipal Government Act, a process that is now underway, is also of interest to the association, he said.
“The reality is the Municipal Government Act is still one of our key focuses of interest, and following that through the regulations and then the implication of those regulations,” he said.
“Bill 6, or the Occupational Health and Safety Act as it is referred to now, is another item (of interest). We want to try and minimize the impact of those regulations on the viable agricultural sector.
“And one of the things that seems to be gathering more and more momentum is the Species at Risk Act, which is a federal act, and the impact it has on the members.”
In her keynote address at the AAMDC conference Premier Rachel Notley congratulated Kemmere on his re-election.
“You've been a great advocate for rural Albertans and I'm happy that my government can keep counting on you as our partner,” said Notley.
The MVC councillor for Division 7, Kemmere was elected to the AAMDC board in 2010 and first elected president in 2014.
"The viability of agriculture is always a concern for our members,"Al KemmereAAMDC president and county councillor
