It is unclear exactly what the provincial government is trying to accomplish by introducing so-called “gatekeeper” legislation last week, (otherwise known as the Provincial Priorities Act), but what is clear is this legislation will have a significant impact on cities and communities which have relied for decades on federal government grants to access another funding stream outside of the Alberta government’s budget priorities.
Premier Danielle Smith insists Alberta only wants what Quebec already has– in effect a provincial veto over federal grant dollars. (Thank you again for your lack of foresight Trudeau government in your ongoing capitulation to sovereigntist forces within Quebec).
However, what seems more on point for this legislation is in recent months Alberta municipalities have been reaping the rewards of big federal dollars on housing and the environment.
Airdrie itself has been a significant beneficiary. Earlier this year Airdrie received $1 million in federal grants to deal with youth crime, and then later received a much-needed funding boost of nearly $25 million for housing, making it one of the most significant infrastructure investments in the city’s history by any level of government.
But likely, the Smith government has its eyes more on Calgary than Airdrie in this regard. The UCP lost the majority of seats in Calgary in the last provincial election, and the city represents one of the few Liberal friendly federal ridings in Alberta. Perhaps some on the UCP side see these federal influxes of capital as attempts at vote buying, or maybe just as a way to get around their preferred hardline approach to federal-provincial relations.
Whatever the case, it seems the UCP government has finally reached its limit, and this legislation is an attempt to both rebuff the federal Liberals as well as bring Alberta municipalities back in line by slapping their outreaching hands.
