Alberta Municipalites (ABmunis), which represents most municipal governments across the province, is calling the Province's Bill 20 a "power grab."
"Bill 20 is an attempt by the provincial government to grab more power and wield more control over how people choose to live in their own communities," the organization said in a statement released to the media on Monday. "If passed, the proposed legislation will fundamentally redraw the blueprint of our local democracy and alter how people’s local needs are met and who represents them.
ABmunis said the bill, if passed, will only erode the autonomy of municipalities and undermine the idea of local governance.
"It also undermines the power of the local voter," it states. "Alberta Municipalities is concerned that the bill will intimidate and even silence legally elected officials who dare to criticize the provincial government.
ABmunis goes on to criticize the idea of allowing municipal donations from corporations and unions.
"If the bill passes in its current form, local government elections will end up being about what influential corporations and unions want, not about what voters want. Essentially, Bill 20 puts local governments up for sale to the highest bidder. We know this doesn’t sit well with Albertans, who have repeatedly said that “big money” has no place in local politics."
The bill would also allow for the provincial cabinet to more easily remove local representatives if passed.
"Bill 20 would allow the provincial government to remove councillors and repeal bylaws it doesn’t like based on backroom cabinet decisions made without public scrutiny or accountability. The fact that cabinet decisions are confidential means that the public can never truly know why these decisions were made.
"Our association is speaking out about this because some of our members fear repercussions if they disagree openly with the provincial government. The possibility of a locally elected official being removed at any time, for any reason, is deeply unsettling and likely to have a “chilling effect” on councillors who might otherwise speak out against the provincial government."
"We’ve reviewed Bill 20 and we don’t see how it will make local elections any more transparent, free or fair," ANmunis concludes. "Local government decisions are made in public. By contrast, Bill 20 would allow decisions to dismiss councillors and repeal bylaws to be made by provincial cabinet ministers in secret.
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