MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - Deputy reeve Greg Harris’s name will be submitted for consideration to sit on a new review committee being set up to examine the impacts of decisions made by quasi-judicial agencies such as the Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB) on rural municipalities.
The move came by way of motion at the recent regular scheduled Mountain View County council meeting, held in person and online. Harris is the councillor for Division 2.
The quasi-judicial agency review committee is being formed by the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA), which represents 69 rural municipalities, including Mountain View and Red Deer counties.
The committee will help the RMA membership better understand how development approvals and other related decisions made by quasi-judicial agencies such as the NRCB, Alberta Energy Regulator, and the Alberta Utilities Commission affect rural municipalities, council heard.
“Although a core responsibility of municipalities is to manage local land use planning and development decisions, provincial quasi-judicial agencies approves certain types of development, such as renewable energy development, oil and gas wells and pipeline, and confined feeding operations that can have major local impacts,” said Wyatt Skovron, RMA manager of policy and advocacy.
“To better understand the impacts that provincially regulated development approvals have on rural municipalities and the experience that rural municipalities have had in participating in development review process led by such agencies, the RMA is forming a member committee.”
The new committee will be made up of five elected officials from RMA member municipalities.
Deputy reeve Greg Harris said he could be a good fit for the committee.
“I’ve spoken with officials at RMA just to compare essentially my CV (curriculum vitae, a history of academic credentials) with what they are looking for and it seems compatible,” Harris told council. “I have a fairly long background in sitting and dealing with quasi-judicial and I have a certificate in administrative justice, so I would like to participate.
“I would do everything I can, if any, my absences (to work on the committee). I anticipate it to be mostly virtual meetings and so I can try to structure those around so I don’t miss stuff here.”
Reeve Angela Aalbers said the new committee would be helpful.
“I think this is going to be a really interesting committee, and I think it’s great that RMA is setting this up. I think it is excellent,” said Aalbers.
The RMA committee is expected to begin its work starting next month.
Council carried a motion that it supports submitting an application for Harris to participate in the new committee.
Coun. Alan Miller did not attend the March 29 council meeting.
