SUNDRE – In a unanimous stand, town council wanted removed from the municipal election bylaw a definition for local political parties.
“I’m not really excited about some of these changes,” Coun. Owen Petersen said on Dec. 16 during a discussion about amendments to the town’s bylaw brought on by the provincial government’s changes to the Local Authorities Election Act.
Petersen was referring specifically to the inclusion of a clause defining local political parties as “a political organization, one of whose fundamental purposes is to participate in public affairs by endorsing one or more candidates in a local jurisdiction and supporting their election.”
Recognizing other amendments such as added definitions pertaining to campaign disclosure statements and expenses were beyond the municipality’s control, Petersen said political parties are being trialled only in Calgary and Edmonton and that “this has nothing to do with our municipality. So I guess my question is: why is it in there?”
Linda Nelson, the town's chief administrative officer, said “we are just defining it” and that nothing else in the bylaw pertains to it.
“I see that. I think I’m not in favour of this because I’m not in favour of the whole idea of political parties (in municipal governance),” said Petersen.
“This is a moment where I think the provincial government is out of touch with Albertans so they put it into the big cities,” he said.
“I don’t actually want that clause in there because I don’t want this trickling into our level here in rural Alberta, which we are exempt from because I still think that there is a chance to fight the province on political parties in municipal politics,” he elaborated.
Even though the definition at this point might seem harmless, the councillor argued it’s a slippery slope of language “that gets us used to this, which I am again very much opposed to.”
Nelson suggested the clause could for now simply be removed with further advice sought from legal counsel to determine whether the definition actually needs to be included at this time.
Mayor Richard Warnock wanted to know where the other members of council stood on the matter and initiated a roundtable discussion.
“We battle over this stuff all the time, but I’m actually in agreeance with councillor Petersen,” started Coun. Chris Vardas, adding the definition should be removed if it doesn’t need to be included.
Vardas said he agreed that “once you get used to some kind of language on how government speaks to you, it becomes second nature.”
Councillors Paul Isaac and Todd Dalke said they did not have a difference of opinion on the points raised by their colleagues.
“Language matters,” agreed Coun. Jaime Marr.
“I think one of the most beautiful things about having an elected municipal government, is that you don’t necessarily need to know who we vote for,” said Marr, adding municipal councillors should be more neutral vis-à-vis provincial politics.
“Our primary focus is on this community, and I can sit next to blue, red, orange, green, purple and whatever other colour, and we will agree or disagree. But it doesn’t matter who we’re voting for,” she said. “This is just a subtle way of letting it come in, and it could potentially create bigger issues for us in the long run.”
Coun. Connie Anderson was on the same page.
“I find it hard to believe that I agree with Owen and Jaime all at once,” he said, eliciting a round of laughter from the council chambers, which was packed without a seat in the gallery to spare.
The mayor was also against the provincial government’s proposal to mix party politics at the municipal level.
“I am opposed to political parties in municipal governments, and I do voice that in every meeting and opportunity that I get that chance as mayor of Sundre,” said Warnock.
That being said, he added that from a policy point of view, “it’s hard for me to argue something against the rules if it’s not in the rules.”
But hearing his colleagues, the mayor agreed to remove the definition if it can be.
Council expressed no additional concerns about the other amendments and ultimately unanimously approved the bylaw as amended without the definition of local political parties.
The matter of automated counting machines – which are no longer allowed per updated provincial legislation – was not even brought up for discussion as Sundre has a small enough population that the devices had previously never even been used in the first place.
“The Town of Sundre has not used automated counting machines for the counting of election ballots,” Betty Ann Fountain, the town’s senior development officer who was also appointed as returning officer for next year’s election, confirmed by email.
