Latest news with #TylerGandam
CBC
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- CBC
More Alberta municipalities scrapping photo radar in response to provincial restrictions
The number of municipalities using photo radar and red-light cameras in Alberta has dropped by more than a third since last year, according to figures from the province. Seventeen municipalities, including Edmonton and Calgary, still have automated traffic enforcement programs — down from 26 last year. The provincial government announced in December it would be banning photo radar on all provincial highways and connectors, restricting its use to school, playground and construction zones and no longer allowing speed-on-green cameras at intersections. The new rules, which the government has framed as "ending the photo radar cash cow," came into effect on April 1. Alberta Municipalities president and Wetaskiwin Mayor Tyler Gandam said smaller local governments, including his own, have determined the cost of hiring a company to run automated enforcement now exceeds the benefits. He said as a result, municipalities are losing revenue they once spent on traffic safety initiatives and are turning to police and peace officers to enforce speed limits instead. "Taking away the automated traffic enforcement now puts more of a burden on our police officers and our communities," Gandam said. Revenue losses Getting rid of photo radar means giving up tens of thousands of dollars in ticket revenue. Canmore expects to lose $250,000, Edson about $464,000 and Spruce Grove $600,000. "It was never about the revenue," said Jeff Acker, Spruce Grove's mayor. He said Spruce Grove, a small city about 30 kilometres west of Edmonton, introduced photo radar 16 years ago aiming to reduce traffic collisions at intersections by 20 per cent. The tool worked, he said. Now, because of the new provincial rules, Spruce Grove can no longer use photo radar at its most dangerous places. Municipalities wanting to re-engineer intersections to reduce collisions can apply for a new traffic safety fund in September. The provincial fund will have $1 million available in the next fiscal year, $2 million in 2026-27 and $10 million in 2027-28. Speeding already up: town policing manager Some municipal governments have decided that despite the restrictions, they can afford to keep using automated enforcement tools. Mark Anderson, manager of community policing in Coaldale, about 18 kilometres northeast of Lethbridge, said the town can do so because it owns equipment already and doesn't have to pay another company. But losing the ability to ticket speeding highway drivers, 70 per cent of whom did not live in town, Anderson said, takes $400,000 out of the town's budget. He's already noticing more speeding on Highways 3 and 845. "They're just ripping through here again," Anderson said. Safety fears Debbie Hammond, executive director of Safer Roads Alliance, a non-profit funded by the oil and gas industry, said she fears photo radar's disappearance will lead to more crashes and fatalities. "Removing this technology is definitely going to hinder our path forward," she said. Karim El-Basyouny, a transportation engineering professor at the University of Alberta, told CBC News in September that various studies and evaluations indicate automated speed enforcement, including photo radar, can effectively decrease speeding and related traffic violations. "I'm ethically obligated to speak on this issue," he said in an email. "Every life lost on our roads is a preventable tragedy, and it is our collective responsibility to advocate for policies that prioritize safety and adhere to the evidence-based practices that have been proven to save lives." Hammond said she urges the provincial government to reconsider recent restrictions. In an emailed statement, Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen said the government is "following through on its commitment to restore public trust in automated traffic enforcement" by removing sites that don't clearly improve public safety. Under the province's new guidelines, municipalities may submit business cases to request exemptions, but Dreeshen said no municipality has done so. The new guidelines require municipalities to submit months of recent data and show that other safety measures, like speed bumps or flashing signs, do not work. Gandam said some communities may decide to ask for exemptions after reviewing data, but Acker doesn't think Spruce Grove will be one of them. He said the city is not confident it could find a company to conduct enforcement at far fewer locations, bringing enforcement in-house would be too costly and applying for exemptions would burden administrative staff. Acker and officials from other municipalities told CBC News they are implementing and exploring other ways of addressing traffic safety, through speed limit reductions, more patrols by RCMP and peace officers, intersection design changes and targeted traffic-calming measures in areas where drivers speed. Hammond said there are many strategies to improve road safety, but they can be expensive, so she recommends municipalities partner with other groups to find resources and work together on solutions. "Communities really have to want that and advocate for it," she said.
CBC
14-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Do Alberta municipalities want a provincial police force?
The Alberta government has introduced new legislation to amend the Police Act, making it easier to establish a provincial police force. Alberta Municipalities president Tyler Gandam joins Edmonton AM's Mark Connolly to discuss whether it's the solution to emergency response times and other issues facing policing in small municipalities.
CBC
14-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
A testicular cancer survivor shares his story
The Alberta government has introduced new legislation to amend the Police Act, making it easier to establish a provincial police force. Alberta Municipalities president Tyler Gandam joins Edmonton AM's Mark Connolly to discuss whether or not this is the solution to emergency response times and other issues facing policing in small municipalities across the province.
CBC
01-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Confusion, questions surround new Alberta policing committee obligations
New rules requiring Alberta municipalities to form or join policing committees that oversee RCMP operations are now in effect, but some communities have yet to form them and still have questions about how they will work. The provincial government passed the Police Amendment Act in 2022 and created new regulations for civilian governance bodies. Under the new rules, which came into effect Saturday, RCMP-policed communities with populations of more than 15,000 must form municipal policing committees, which would represent local concerns to RCMP leadership. Mid-size communities — those with populations between 5,000 and 15,000 — join one of four regional committees, which are aligned with the RCMP's eastern, western, central and southern districts. Small communities with less than 5,000 people are represented by a provincial advisory board. Mike Ellis, the minister of public safety and emergency services, has said these new governance bodies give Albertans more say in how the RCMP police their communities. However, multiple mayors and municipal leaders say there are unanswered questions about committee formation, responsibilities and benefits. "There's a little bit of confusion now about where a municipality might lie, what the roles and responsibilities are and how they go about setting that up," said Tyler Gandam, Alberta Municipalities president and mayor of Wetaskiwin. "I think even the province is well aware of this March 1 deadline being kind of a moving target." To join or not to join Some larger cities, like Airdrie, Red Deer and Leduc, have already passed bylaws establishing municipal policing committees. Leduc's mayor, Bob Young, said applications are open for its committee, which will be up and running by the end of the month. A council member, city administrator and RCMP officer will recommend candidates to council, he said. Some mid-size municipalities are struggling to decide whether to join or opt out of regional committees. Opting out requires ministerial approval, and the community must either establish its own municipal policing committee or join one with another municipality. Redcliff, a southern Alberta town northwest of Medicine Hat, plans to create its own committee but it won't meet the March 1 deadline. Mayor Dwight Kilpatrick said southern Alberta is fairly widespread and the town's nearest mid-size neighbours appeared to also want their own policing committees, he said. "The regional idea didn't look like it was going to work," he said. Peace River, on the other hand, has decided to join a regional committee for now but may strike out on its own in the future. Mayor Elaine Manzer said council wants to ensure the regional group pays attention to Peace River's unique characteristics, like its northern location and provincial correctional centre. She said council members don't yet know how much influence the town will have in regional committee meetings. "Like others, we've got many questions as to what these committees are really supposed to do," she said. Communities with municipal and regional policing committees must pay the costs of running them — a concern and unknown quantity for some councils. Young said he expects the committee costs will be minimal; Kilpatrick said he's concerned about any costs associated with a provincially appointed committee member. The minister may appoint people to both municipal and regional policing committees. Arthur Green, press secretary for Public Safety and Emergency Services, said the government recognizes some communities need more time to determine the best approach and pass necessary bylaws. Green said 25 to 35 municipal policing committees are expected to be formed. Once municipalities finish appointing people, the minister may appoint others "to ensure balanced representation and expertise." "Ultimately, this new system strengthens public safety by making policing more responsive to local needs and ensuring that all communities — regardless of size or location — have a say in law enforcement priorities," he said in an emailed statement. Concerns over board Small and rural communities, which will be represented by the new provincial police advisory board, won't have to pay for its operating costs. Rural Municipalities of Alberta president Kara Westerlund said the association is concerned about how a 15-person board will adequately represent more than 300 communities. "I don't have a crystal ball, but I'm going to tell you there is obviously going to be some extreme difficulties making sure that voices ... are heard all the way up," she said. She said RMA has a seat on the board, as does Alberta Municipalities, but municipalities are worried about who the other appointees will be and how they were chosen. Green said the government is balancing expertise, lived experiences and regional representation in making the appointments and the full list of board members will be announced once all positions are confirmed. RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Troy Savinkoff said the organization has a well-established framework for developing policing priorities and the service is happy to include policing committees in it.
CBC
01-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Municipalities don't welcome Alberta education property tax increase
The organization that represents Alberta's cities, towns and villages is concerned about the increase to the education property tax announced in Thursday's provincial budget. The tax makes up 29 per cent of the education operating budget. But the provincial government wants to raise taxes, so they make up 31.5 per cent of that funding in fiscal 2025 and 33 per cent in fiscal 2026. Total tax revenue is forecasted to be $9.9 billion in 2025, including $3.1 billion coming from the education tax. The revenue from the education tax are expected to increase to $3.4 billion and $3.6 billion over the next two years. "The increase represents a shift of the provincial tax burden onto the property tax base, when the province has other, more transparent and efficient revenue generation options," Tyler Gandam, president of Alberta Municipalities, told CBC News on Friday. "In contrast, property taxes are the main source of revenue for municipalities who are managing increased costs and expectations."' Municipalities would be happy to have the province collect the education tax itself, said Gandam, who was surprised to see, what he called, a substantial increase in the rates. The province has estimated people in Edmonton will pay $93 more this year, while Calgarians are expected to pay $239 — more than double. During a news conference Friday, Premier Danielle Smith said Edmonton and Calgary are getting the most new schools in the province's plan to create more spaces. The budget sets aside $2.6 billion over three years to build and modernize schools. Smith wants ratepayers in the two cities to contribute to the increased cost. "We've got to build out 100 new schools over the next six or seven years, and being able to have a little bit of support from the communities that are are going to be the greatest beneficiaries of that new construction is part of what we had in mind," she said. Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek echoed Gandam's sentiments after the budget was released Thursday. She said cities are mandated to collect education taxes but she wished they didn't have to be in the middle. "To the point that many people have made to us about sending out two separate bills, one for the provincial share and one for municipal, that just costs taxpayers more money," she said. "So we can't justify that." The province froze education taxes last year. The tax rates in the coming fiscal year will be $2.72 per $1,000 assessed values for homes and farms, and $4.00 per $1,000 for commercial properties.
