MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY – Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) officials have given Mountain View County council an update on the association’s activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The review came during the April 8 council meeting, which was held by teleconference.
The RMA represents 69 rural municipalities, including Mountain View and Red Deer counties. It advocates on behalf of its members with the provincial government.
Councillor Angela Aalbers asked if the RMA has taken a position on the current dispute between rural doctors and the provincial government.
“Typically we have tried to stay back in this by leaning on our position statements,” said RMA president and Mountain View County councillor Al Kemmere. “We’ve modified our position statements to identify how important rural medicine is to the province.
“I find it unfortunate that we can’t get the two sides together to talk about this. I want to do what I can to pull them back together and we are pushing it that way. My job is to get them together.
“It’s a big item right now and I want to make sure that the rural voice that is being used right now gets to the minister (of health) so that the minister and his people can have a good understanding of the impacts.”
• RELATED: Sundre physicians provide details of hospital service withdrawl
Physicians at Sundre’s Moose and Squirrel Medical Clinic recently said they plan to give Alberta Health Services 90 days notice that they will be withdrawing their privileges from the Sundre hospital acute care and emergency department in response.
Hospitals are vital to rural communities and it remains important that physicians remain in those communities, said RMA board member Paul McLauchlin, who is the reeve of Ponoka County.
“This is a very serious thing for rural Alberta,” he said.
Coun. Aalbers told the delegation that the pandemic has highlighted shortcomings in rural internet conductivity.
The RMA continues to call on various levels of government to help improve that conductivity, said Kemmere.
“It is an items that is now in everybody’s face,” he said. “It is an important item and we have to focus on those highly needed essential service (such as hospitals).
“We are asking to deliver schooling in our communities and teachers are having huge challenges getting their digital classrooms out to the rural environment. It’s another great example of the challenges with rural conductivity.”
Kemmere said RMA officials have been holding ongoing teleconference meetings with MLAs and other government officials during the pandemic.
Other topics discussed during the one-hour RMA delegation appearance included provincial government funding to rural municipalities, borrowing bylaws, and social distancing during the upcoming summer camping season.
Council received the RMA delegation presentation as information.
