There doesn’t seem to be a justifiable need for Bill 20
By Lethbridge Herald on May 18, 2024.
Editor:
Re: Alberta Municipalities says it still hasn’t been given chance to consult on changes to bill (May 7, 2024).
The UCP certainly appears hesitant to consult – with anyone – regarding Bill 20. Call me ill-informed, but I honestly don’t understand the need for this bill in the first place, and the UCP hasn’t, in my opinion, done much to inform the public about its relevance or necessity. It makes a person question the government’s motives.
In healthy democracies, the separation of church and state has always been considered foundational. I’d argue that the separation of provincial and municipal governmental powers is another such foundation.
Voters elect local councillors and mayors, and voters – not provincial cabinets -should be the ones to evaluate their performance and proceed accordingly.
This is why we have elections in the first place, isn’t it? Simply put, how do you trust a government in such a hurry to pass this bill that it refuses to consult, fudges on discussing amendments, and ensures us that its more controversial provisions will only be used as a last resort?
Who gets to decide what constitutes a last resort?
It sure sounds like there’s more going on here than meets the eye at first glance.
Ron Fazio
Lethbridge
11-10
It’s about unpacking massive union and other groups (i.e. developers) from massive funding towards preferred candidates, thereby making YOUR vote meaningless, unless that is, you are one of the groups and like to make others votes worthless. Sort of like once you get past Ontario, the Federal Election is over. Wish they would fix that too.
It is interesting to note, again, that the rural municipalities, where the UCP/TBA garnered many votes, are not happy, at all, with Bill 20. Do the UCP/TBA still expect support from rural Alberta with implementing these sorts of bills? It may be a hard lesson learned to be betrayed by this authoritarian government. This UCP/TBA government is not, the good, progressive, fiscal, conservatism of yore.
This:
“Alberta’s rural municipalities say new bills erode trust, attack local authority.”
http://www.globalnews.ca/news/10499110/alberta-rural-municipalities-bills-erode-trust/
They attack Rural Albertans because they know they can, they only vote Conservative and don’t care what they have done to us, that’s how smart they are and they know it.
I haven’t forgotten the words of a beef producer in 2003 when he said “ I can’t believe how stupid many of my friends and relatives are. It doesn’t matter what Ralph Klein does to us these fools still support him. I’ve got fence posts that are smarter than them”.
He wasn’t alone I talked to several beef producers who agreed with me that Klein had helped the Packing Plants steal millions of dollars from the producers and got nothing but praise from these mindless fools for how they had been treated. Of course letting the oil industry pollute their land making it worthless and dumping the cost of cleaning it up onto the backs of their children doesn’t make them look very smart either. Then there is the fact that they have allowed the oil companies to ignore the taxes they owe to their municipalities, now they want to force them into financial ruin with Bill 20. Where is the intelligence in that? You elected them now how are you going to get rid of them? Cancer patients are waiting 4 months longer to get looked after compared to other provinces they tell us thanks to the disaster they have created in our healthcare system.
excellent letter, and also great entires by so.ab. and fedup