MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - With the new Provincial Priorities Act (PPA) now in effect, Mountain View County plans to monitor grant agreements it may enter into with the federal government, says chief administrative officer Jeff Holmes.
“We have not identified any immediate action required for the county but will continue to monitor this requirement as future grant opportunities arise,” Holmes told the Albertan.
Under the PPA legislation, which came into effect on April 1, some agreements between the federal government and provincial entities, including municipalities, must receive provincial approval.
Municipalities must submit information on all new agreements with federal entities, including new agreement amendments, extensions and renewals.
Agreements valued under $100,000 must be submitted to provincial Municipal Affairs but do not need approval; agreements valued between $100,000 and $5 million require ministerial approval.
There are some exceptions where provincial approval is not required, including agreements for the purpose of responding to a disaster.
Didsbury mayor Rhonda Hunter provided a statement to the Albertan regarding the new legislation.
“As you know, as of April 1, 2025, all municipalities will be required to submit information on all new agreements with the federal government, agreement amendments, and agreement renewals, along with a copy of the agreement, to the province of Alberta's Municipal Affairs, regardless of the monetary value of the agreement.
“In speaking with our administration team, an example of this legislation’s impact on our town is the Canada Summer Jobs grant which we budget for annually, with revenue of $6,300 coming to the Town (of Didsbury). If we are successful with this application again this year, we would be required to have the grant agreement go through the government of Alberta’s PPA process.
“With this being a new legislation that has now gone into effect, it is not entirely clear what impacts or obstacles we will face with this process; having said that, as agreements are processed under this act, the Town (of Didsbury) will and hopes to be able to gain insight regarding the impact on our operations.”
Town of Carstairs chief administrative officer Rick Blair says he does not expect the legislation to have much impact on the town.
“We have two small grants that are insignificant in the budget,” he said.
