Alberta fires Chestermere councillors and managers, citing failure to fix dysfunction

EDMONTON — The Alberta government has fired more than half the city councillors of a Calgary-area municipality, saying they failed to act on demands to fix their dysfunctional government.

Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver announced he was immediately dismissing Mayor Jeff Colvin and three of the remaining six councillors for the City of Chestermere, just east of Calgary.

Three other top administration officials were dismissed, and the government has appointed an administrator to run Chestermere until byelections can be held sometime next year.

McIver says he had no choice because the council had failed to rectify multiple organizational and personnel problems cited in an earlier third-party report.

That report, issued in the spring, found there were blurred lines between politicians and administrators, infighting, empire building, lack of information sharing, staff turnover and a failure to consistently adhere to rules and procedures.

McIver says the remaining three councillors were not fired because they tried to hold council to account and to move it in a more positive direction.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 4, 2023

The Canadian Press