Premier Danielle Smith attended Central Alberta Christian Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast in Red Deer on April 25, 2024. (Curtis Comeau/Government of Alberta)

By Canadian Press, Eli J. Ridder

Alberta set next week to amend Bill 20 granting cabinet broad powers over municipalities, premier says

May 3, 2024 | 1:27 PM

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says changes will come next week to a bill granting cabinet broad power to fire local councillors and overturn bylaws.

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Smith said the province is working on the language of the proposed Bill 20 to clarify guardrails that don’t currently exist in the legislation.

The bill has met with a torrent of criticism from municipal leaders, who call it a dramatic and undemocratic overreach by Smith’s United Conservative government.

The proposed law gives cabinet the power to fire a councillor for anything cabinet deems to be in the public interest, repeal municipal bylaws and several sweeping changes to how cities and towns work.

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In Medicine Hat, Coun. Andy McGrogan told CHAT News that Bill 20 was an “overreach” and questioned the reasoning behind the proposal.

The province has promised to consult local leaders on the proposed amendments.

Alberta Municipalities — the organization that represents towns, cities and villages — welcomed the changes but said the consultation should have happened before the bill was even introduced.