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Municipal Affairs to inspect Town of Crossfield after petition garners 743 signatures

More than 700 Crossfield residents have signed a petition requesting the Ministry of Municipal Affairs to look into recent events involving the municipality.

More than 20 per cent of Crossfield residents have signed a petition requesting the Ministry of Municipal Affairs to look into recent events involving the municipality.

Crossfield resident and former councillor James Ginter said the petition came about after two Town council members resigned from their positions last summer. Former Deputy Mayor Liz Grace and Coun. Beth Gabriel tendered their resignations in June 2020, citing a dysfunctional and toxic relationship between council and the Town’s administration.

“We don’t know why they resigned officially, but there was…an in-camera meeting immediately after where they did invoke the clause where you can’t [submit a freedom of information [FOIP] request],” Ginter said.

“From our understanding of that clause, you can only use it when someone is in danger of physical harm, and I don’t think that was the case in any sense of the word. But we don’t know because we cant FOIP them.”

Ginter said the petition also requests Municipal Affairs to inspect other actions involving the Town, including a resident's claim he was issued an excessive fine, among other allegations.

Section 571 of the Municipal Government Act of Alberta states a petition requesting an inspection into a municipality must be signed by at least 20 per cent of a town’s valid voting population. With Crossfield’s population of 3,377 residents, Ginter said that meant at least 676 signatures were required.

In the end, he said the petition garnered 743 valid signatures before it was submitted to Minister of Municipal Affairs Ric McIver last fall. A ministry spokesperson confirmed the petition was received in November 2020.

"Minister McIver has written to the Town and petition representatives to inform them a preliminary review of the issues that led to the petition will be conducted, which could lead to an inspection," wrote McIver's press secretary, McKenzie Kibler, in an email to the Rocky View Weekly. "Inspections typically take up to a year to complete before results are released to the council and public."

Kibler said the eventual results would be visible at alberta.ca/municipal-inspection-reports.aspx     

McIver’s letter to Crossfield Town council, dated Jan. 22, stated the preliminary review is necessary prior to a final decision in response to the petition. The review would include interviews with council members, the petitioner and administrative staff.

“While the petition was deemed sufficient, at this time, I do not have enough information to determine what actions, if any, would be beneficial to address the concerns brought to my attention,” McIver wrote, adding the preliminary review is not intended to be a verification process and cannot result in the issuance of directives.

“The purpose of this process is to determine the underlying reason for the request and to ensure an appropriate response is taken,” he said.

Crossfield Town council’s Feb. 2 meeting agenda package included McIver's letter. However, council’s discussion on the matter was held in-camera.

The Town of Crossfield responded to a request for comment Feb. 4, stating the municipality was aware of the petition and welcomes Municipal Affairs' preliminary inspection.

“We look forward to an independent review and to addressing any questions the Minister’s representative may have,” the Town stated in an email to the Rocky View Weekly. “Should the Minister’s representative find any matters of concern, we will embrace them in the spirit of better serving our citizens.”

Regardless of the outcome, Ginter said a preliminary investigation into the Town’s conduct will be a “win-win” for residents.

“Either there’s nothing wrong and everything is above board, in which case we could dispel all the rumours and gossip, or, there is something wrong and it gets corrected,” he said.

Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19



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