Medicine Hat City Hall

By Charles Lefebvre

Province launches survey on municipal elections

Feb 4, 2020 | 5:04 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — The provincial government is looking for feedback from Albertans regarding municipal and school board elections.

While Albertans don’t go to the polls until 2021, the provincial government is looking for feedback from Albertans on the rules regarding municipal elections, and how they can be improved to increase transparency and participation in local elections.

“Albertans expect local elections to be fair, transparent and inclusive,” said Kaycee Madu, Minister of Municipal Affairs, in a news release. “This consultation will determine if and how we, as a government, can better meet these goals. While this will not be a wholesale review like the one in 2018, we are looking to Albertans for feedback on areas that can be improved before the next round of municipal and school board elections.”

An online survey launched on Tuesday, and is open for Albertans until March 4. The government is seeking feedback on the length of the campaign period, the nomination process, campaign finances, third-party advertising and the possibility of recall of municipally elected officials.

A release states the government will also hold discussions with municipalities and community advocacy groups, though no dates have been scheduled yet.

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The release states feedback received may be used to inform potential changes to the Local Authorities Election Act, which governs elections for city and town councils, along with school boards.

Any changes would be brought forward during a session in the legislature.

The survey can be found here.