Olds councillor has message for retired MP to pass on

OLDS — Former Red Deer-Mountain View MP Earl Dreeshen is compiling a list of local issues to take to the next federal government and an Olds councillor has a suggestion for him.

Earlier this year, Dreeshen announced that he will not seek re-election in the upcoming federal election. Now that the election has been called for April 28, the Red Deer - Mountain View riding he represented does not exist any more. Dreeshen now lives in the newly-created Red Deer riding. 

Olds is in the newly-created Ponoka-Didsbury riding.

During a delegation at the Town of Olds March 10 council meeting prior to the writ being dropped, Dreeshen offered to take any concerns Olds council has to the MP for the new riding when that person is elected in the next federal election.

Coun. Darren Wilson suggested that Dreeshen inform that person of the financial strain municipalities are under.

“The municipalities throughout Canada desperately need a new physical growth framework, a new revenue sharing agreement,” Wilson said.  

“I’m sure you’re well aware of all the challenges municipalities are facing and the fact that we own or are responsible for 60 per cent of infrastructure, yet our funding, both provincially and federally, is considerably much less than that.”

Wilson asked that if (federal Conservative Party of Canada leader) "Pierre (Poilievere) becomes the new prime minister, you would echo that we desperately need a new revenue-sharing agreement.”

“Item number one,” Dreeshen replied.

During his discussion with council, Dreeshen, a member of the Conservative Party, hinted that the Liberals have taken several Conservative talking points and adopted them as their own.

“All of the things that we've been talking about, like axing the tax and building the homes and balancing the budget and stopping the crime seem like a good idea all of a sudden,” he said.

“I've always tried not to be overly partisan when I come here, but that's what elections are about.”