Foothills mayors are disappointed with the provincial government’s plans for membership and voting rules in a proposed growth management board for the Calgary region.
The Towns of Black Diamond and Turner Valley, both members of the Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP), will not be part of the growth board. Meanwhile, the MD of Foothills, which is not part of the (CRP), will be included in the growth board.
The full membership in the board will include the City of Calgary, Chestermere, Airdrie, Rocky View County, Okotoks, Cochrane, MD of Foothills, Strathmore, High River and Wheatland County.
Municipal affairs spokesperson Shannon Greer said membership would be for municipalities over 5,000 people.
Greer said the board will develop a new metropolitan region growth plan to guide future development in the region. She said the new plan would build on the existing Calgary metropolitan plan and would apply to the entire region, not only members of the board.
“This would apply throughout the region, including Black Diamond and Turner Valley, and there would be avenues for municipalities like these to provide input into the new Metropolitan Growth Plan,” said Greer.
Turner Valley Mayor Kelly Tuck said she was shocked to learn the town wouldn’t be part of the board.
“What I had anticipated was that the members from the CRP board that’s been up and running since 2000 or 2001, would be the same players who would be sitting at the growth management board,” said Tuck.
She and other mayors learned details of the Province’s plans for the board during a teleconference with Municipal Affairs Minister Danielle Larivee two weeks ago.
Tuck said she asked Minister Larivee why Turner Valley wasn’t going to be at the table, and was told any municipalities with populations under 5,000 would be represented by their surrounding rural districts.
She’s concerned about relying on the MD of Foothills to bring Turner Valley’s voice to the table.
“The MD of Foothills hasn’t been at the board table for a while as an active member, so that would tell me they truly have not wanted to move ahead with the CRP, so where does that leave us as a municipality?” she said.
Tuck said she’s concerned Turner Valley will no longer have a voice at the regional table and will be underrepresented. As a rural centre, she said the needs of the MD of Foothills won’t always align with the urban needs of Turner Valley.
It’s especially disappointing because the town of 2,500 has been very active in the CRP, and one of its councillors, Dona Fluter, has been part of the group’s executive, she said.
“We’ve been active, and I think the CRP was an amazing board that looked after all of the communities,” said Tuck. “I think what they could have done was just to transfer the existing board into the growth management board.”
Okotoks Mayor Bill Robertson said he doesn’t agree with removing Black Diamond and Turner Valley from the table.
“Of everything that’s been said, that’s probably in my opinion the biggest slap, was to Turner Valley and Black Diamond,” said Robertson, who is also chair of the CRP. “They’ve been great partners.”
When he probed the minister for clarification, he said he was told if the towns amalgamate they will likely become members because their combined population would be more than 5,000.
Robertson said it doesn’t make any sense to have the MD represent Black Diamond and Turner Valley’s views.
“I think they should be in, and when I send in my comments on the whole thing next month, I’m going to advocate that Turner Valley and Black Diamond have full membership,” said Robertson.
The Province is also proposing a super majority voting structure. In order for any proposal to pass, it would require the support of at least two-thirds of the member municipalities representing at least two-thirds of the region’s population.
MD of Foothills Mayor Larry Spilak said he’s not convinced that will make the difference. The CRP’s existing voting structure has been one of the MD’s biggest concerns with the partnership and the growth management board, he said.
“We always felt it basically gave Calgary a veto on most things,” said Spilak. “In this case however, with only 12 members instead of the original 18 or 20, it does give the rurals a bit more advantage than we had before. It’s still a disadvantage, but it’s a bit more of an advantage than it was before.”
He said the MD is also disappointed it is being forced into the growth management board rather than joining on a voluntary basis, which he thought would have been adequate. Membership in the CRP has been voluntary since its inception.
The MD of Foothills already works well with its neighbours without being mandated, he said.
“Do I want it to happen in 2017? No,” said Spilak. “But we have what we have and we’re going to deal with it, we’re going to make the best of it and work with the other jurisdictions within the growth management board.”
