Latest news with #LocalAuthoritiesElectionAct
Calgary Herald
6 days ago
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Mayoral candidate wants province to extend voter registration deadline, better communicate registration requirements
Calgary lawyer and mayoral candidate Brian Thiessen was photographed in downtown Calgary on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. Gavin Young/Postmedia A Calgary mayoral candidate is criticizing the city and province for their silence surrounding a looming deadline for voters to register for the upcoming municipal election — a deadline he claims most Calgarians are not even aware of. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Brian Thiessen, the mayoral candidate for The Calgary Party, is calling out the Alberta government and Elections Calgary for what he describes as a 'complete communications failure' in the lead-up to Oct. 20, when voters head to the polls elect their new city council. Last year, the UCP government overhauled the Local Authorities Election Act, which governs municipal elections. One of the legislation's new provisions requires municipalities to prepare a permanent electors register of residents who are eligible to vote. Together with acceptable identification, election officials will use the register to verify voters' eligibility. Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again Calgarians can determine if they are on the electors register before Aug. 27 by visiting After Aug. 27, Calgarians must call Elections Calgary at 403-476-4100 to confirm if they are on the register, or wait until they arrive at their voting station on election day. Calgarians who voted in the last provincial election are automatically expected to be registered. But with the Voterlink registration deadline just two weeks away — and with just over two months to go until the election — Thiessen says most Calgarians he's spoken to on the campaign trail are in the dark about the new rules. 'The Calgary Party has knocked on thousands of doors and I can tell you that almost no one is aware that for the first time, you have to register to vote,' he said in an interview. Thiessen said he's worried the requirement will impede voter turnout, which in Calgary already hovers around half the electorate for civic elections. 'It's pretty significant to make that kind of a change to the democratic process in a jurisdiction where we have less than 50 per cent voter turnout,' he said. 'I'm worried it will lead to an even further decrease in the amount of participation in the municipal election and I think that's bad for democracy.' Though he concedes that voters can still register in person on election day, Thiessen argues it has not been communicated what they need to bring. 'What I'm really worried about is people don't hit the 15-day deadline for registering online, everyone shows up on the day and there's a bunch of delays and confusion,' he said, calling the new rules a bureaucratic barrier.
Calgary Herald
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Breakenridge: Province needs to stay in own lane on bike infrastructure
A cycle track is shown in front of businesses on 11th Street S.W. in Calgary. Photo by Brent Calver / Postmedia Network Municipal elections in Alberta are just over three months away, when voters will elect municipal governments to make decisions in areas that are municipal responsibility. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors This is stating the obvious, perhaps, but sometimes the obvious isn't as obvious as it should be. The question of jurisdiction has become an especially important matter in Alberta politics these days. The province has been quite public and insistent that its jurisdiction be acknowledged and respected, by both Ottawa and municipal governments. But that should be a two-way street — Alberta's government should stay in its own lane, too. Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again Not that municipal politicians haven't overreached. Last year, Calgary city council devoted far too much time discussing Alberta's Local Authorities Election Act and the issue of voting rights for non-citizens. As then-Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver put it, 'I'll save us all some time. Only citizens of Canada can vote in municipal elections. That will not be changing.' Say what you will about McIver (who is now Speaker of the Alberta legislature), but he at least had some understanding of these jurisdictional divisions, having previously served as a municipal politician. Last year, amid concerns that the province might intervene in municipal bike lane decisions, McIver wrote that his government 'respects the autonomy of municipalities to make decisions about local projects and priorities,' including 'control over their local roads and transportation infrastructure.' Maybe that respect is not universally shared by those in the Alberta government. Despite everything on his plate that actually does pertain to his portfolio, Transportation and Economic Corridors Minister Devin Dreeshen has become preoccupied with municipal decision-making on bike lanes. Earlier this year, Dreeshen called on Edmonton and Calgary to rethink bike lanes, and specifically called on Edmonton to cancel a planned project. At a town hall event, when asked if Alberta would consider removing bike lanes like Ontario is doing in Toronto, Dreeshen said the option is 'on the table.' Dreeshen also wrote a June 27 letter to Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek expressing concerns over Calgary's approach to bike lanes, although he didn't single out any specific project or proposal. To be clear, the Alberta government is not being asked to fund any of these projects, nor have either Calgary or Edmonton done anything that exceeds their authority.
CTV News
03-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Deadline mid-August for voters to register in advance for October's municipal election
Voters in this fall's municipal election will be required to register before they can cast ballots. Changes to local elections were brought on last year after the provincial government introduced a bill that became the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act. It modified the Local Authorities Election Act, which now requires municipalities to establish a permanent electors register. The City of Edmonton's register is being established using data from the provincial register of electors. The city has a deadline of Aug. 15 for residents to verify their information for its election-day register. Those who don't register by the August deadline will have to fill out an extra form on election day Oct. 20 in order to vote. 'You can still register when you go to vote, but checking your information now helps ensure a smooth process in October,' Aileen Giesbrecht, the returning officer for Edmonton Elections, said in a Thursday media release. The city's register will collect a voter's first name, middle initial, last name, date of birth, physical address, a mailing address if it's different than a physical one, and their eligibility to vote in either the public or Catholic school divisions. More information on how to register is available online. Residents can find out if they're registered to vote on Voterlink, which allows voters to check their status and change registration information.
Calgary Herald
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Your letters for May 27: Senate numbers a tricky thing
Senate representation in Canada doesn't matter much; our Senate has no real power. Suggesting we copy the American model is ludicrous. The U.S. Senate has real power, although allowing anti-science Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be in charge of health attests to its current impotence. Article content Article content The reality of U.S. representation is that less than 20 per cent of the population elects over half of the Senate. Wyoming, with half of Saskatchewan's population, has as much power in the Senate as California, with roughly the population of Canada. One of the principles of democracy is representation by population; each vote should have equal weight. Redistribution added three Alberta MPs for the 2025 election. Ontario has 3.3 times Alberta's population and 3.3 times the number of MPs. Albertans might appreciate having the same power as Ontario, but what about P.E.I. having the same power as Alberta, with less than four per cent of Alberta's population? Article content Article content Article content The public record initially had Magliocca adamantly proclaiming his innocence. Now he apologizes for his actions. If he had integrity, he could have taken responsibility for his actions several months ago and saved the cost of an expensive trial. Article content As a public servant with 37 years of service, I and countless others like me, had to work diligently to provide our services to the public in a trustworthy and ethical manner. The actions of Magliocca taint us all, and for that, I am deeply saddened. Article content Jerry Christensen, Calgary Article content Article content Lone Calgary MP should be in cabinet Article content Mark Carney is not my prime minister. He told me so. How, you might ask? When he did not appoint the only Calgary Liberal MP to his cabinet. But he did appoint Steven Guilbeault to cabinet. Then he did not immediately fire Guilbeault when he mouthed off, erroneously, about pipelines. Article content Article content Mr. Carney, your message has been received loud and clear. Nothing changes in political Laurentian Canada. Perhaps something will change in Alberta? I think the PM wants us to go away. Article content Terry Lauder, Calgary Article content Article content I have eagerly checked the Letters page daily, hoping someone had taken up Catherine Ford's idea of other, more relevant, referendum topics. No luck so far, but here are a few ideas: Article content The provincial government should stay out of municipal areas and repeal changes to the Local Authorities Election Act (paper ballots only, municipal parties, etc.). Article content The provincial government should support diversification of Alberta's economy, including renewable energy and battery storage options. Article content UCP MLAs who support Alberta separation should be required to resign from the caucus that promoted a 'united Canada' by introducing and passing Bill 1. Article content On the 'united Canada' front, how about suggesting our provincial government speak out against separation and work collaboratively with the federal government to resolve current issues, even look for areas of compromise? Article content
CBC
09-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Alberta government moves to eliminate municipal codes of conduct
Social Sharing Alberta Municipal Affairs minister Ric McIver introduced a new bill Tuesday that would automatically repeal all municipal codes of conduct as soon as it is proclaimed into law. Bill 50, the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, proposes changes to three existing laws: Local Authorities Election Act, the Municipal Government Act, and the New Home Buyer Protection Act. Amendments to the Municipal Government Act in early 2015 compelled municipal councils across Alberta to pass codes of conduct by 2018. But McIver said they have since become a tool for councillors to target other members of council. "Most municipalities get along just fine and behave well and serve their citizens without a whole bunch of interpersonal drama," he said at a news conference Tuesday. "But there's been more than enough instances of people using the bylaws as weapons, weaponizing them, if you will, and they're trying to silence people that disagree with them that are on council." McIver is proposing an external third party, like an ethics or integrity commissioner, become the arbiter of breaches but he wants to consult with municipalities first. Such a change would also relieve the chief administrative officers of municipalities of the responsibility of having to resolve disputes. McIver said the current situation puts these officials in an awkward position because they are hired, evaluated and can be fired by councillors. "It's not a fair position to put them in," he said. "So we're going to try to fix that too." Other measures in the bill include a change that would allow municipal political parties to share campaign funding with their candidates and compel them to disclose their donors before election day in October. The bill also proposes a temporary measure to allow Jasper residents to vote or run in the municipal election even while they are displaced by last summer's wildfire. The government plans to keep these amendments in place for the fall municipal election and through 2026 just in case there is a byelection. The provision is to expire by Dec. 31, 2026. Political donation disclosure The proposal to eliminate municipal codes of conduct follows some high-profile cases where councillors used the rules against another council member. Last year, Linnsie Clark, the mayor of Medicine Hat, was stripped of some of her powers and given a pay cut for failing to treat the city manager with "courtesy, dignity and respect" at a council meeting in 2023. A Court of King's Bench judge later ruled that the sanctions were not in proportion to her code of conduct breaches and reversed most of them. Last year, members of Alberta Municipalities passed a resolution moved by the Town of Rocky Mountain House to set up an independent office of integrity to investigate code of conduct breaches. Edmonton Coun. Andrew Knack is concerned that there will be a period of time between the repeal of the codes of conduct and the enactment of what replaces them. "I don't want to be closed-minded to it," he said. "If they have a good system that has clear standards across the province, then that might actually be a really good thing. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt on this particular issue." Knack is more concerned with the rules for candidate donation disclosures. While Bill 50 will require political parties to disclose their donations before the election, there isn't a similar provision for individual candidates or third-party advertisers. Knack said the new system imposed by the province hurts candidates who choose to run independently. He says political parties can still get more donations from corporations and numbered companies.
