Local MLA still waiting for improvements to property rights

Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills MLA Nathan Cooper says he's still waiting for the provincial government to improve property rights for Albertans.

A few weeks ago, Cooper, the Wildrose Party's property rights critic, asked the provincial NDP government to repeal contentious sections of bills 24 and 36.

In essence, critics say, the two bills give the provincial government the power to deal with land it wants – or wants for industry – without providing the compensation landowners say they deserve.

“The government has complete control of land use in the province. It can block access to the courts for property owners and limit their rights to compensation,” Cooper said. “The NDP isn't standing up for landowners so long as it allows these draconian pieces of legislation to remain on the books.”

Cooper says despite raising the issue as recently as a few weeks ago, little has been done.

“We ask the questions and they promise to do something and we'll ask another question again – probably not till the springtime now (because the house is rising for the Christmas break),” he says.

Cooper notes when in opposition, the NDP demanded that changes be made to those bills and others they said encroached on the property rights of Alberta residents, so he's cautiously optimistic the party -- now in government -- will make those changes.

“Hopefully over the break, they'll actually bring forth legislation to do what they said they were going to do,” Cooper told the Albertan. “They said that they're going to fix Bill 36 and Bill 24 and a few of the property rights bills that remain outstanding.”

Cooper was asked how the provincial government will introduce those changes. In one giant “omnibus” bill?

“Well, who knows,” he asked. “They just have said that, ‘we have fought for the rights of landowners for the last number of years and we're committed to making a change' and so we hope that they actually are.”

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