By Emily Keller

local elections

Grande Prairie Mayor unhappy with proposed changes to local elections introduced in Bill 29

Jun 25, 2020 | 5:30 AM

The province has introduced some proposed changes to local elections.

Called Bill 29, the proposed changes would be made on the Local Authorities Election Act.

The province says that the proposed changes were created through extensive consultation with voters, community advocacy groups, elected officials, municipalities, and school board associations.

“The next round of local elections will be critical for the future of Alberta,” said Kaycee Madu, the Minister of Municipal Affairs, in a release. “These changes are about levelling the playing field, so the best candidates for local office – regardless of where they stand on the political spectrum – are running and winning.”

Some of the proposed changes include allowing Albertans to donate to as many candidates as they want, up to $5,000 per candidate, and eliminating the requirement for candidates to file any necessary disclosures before election day. They add that to increase transparency, candidates who receive contributions of $50,000 or who spend more than $50,000 must have a chartered professional accountant (CPA) review their finances before they are submitted.

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Bill 29 would also remove the definition of “political advertising” from the act, which they say would create more open debates on issues and policies, and protect third-party advertisers, unions, and corporations.

Grande Prairie Mayor Bill Given says that he is bothered by some of the proposed changes, specifically one that would make it so candidates would not have to file any disclosures before election day.

He says that the requirement for candidates to have a CPA review their statements is only an attempt to look transparent, but ultimately does not properly inform voters of who has funded a candidate’s campaign before they cast their votes.

“I think that that’s a really disappointing change that people should be very, very concerned about. Each one of us that runs for city council, county council, village council, school boards, has a responsibility to let people know who’s backing our campaign.”

“In this province, we have seen some elections where financial disclosures might have been important to electors before they went to the polls, this proposed change to legislation explicitly makes it so that the public will not have access to information about who’s funding and financing candidates when they go to vote.”

Mayor Given adds that allowing Albertans to donate to as many candidates as they choose could make it so those with the financial means can fund candidates from around the province that they may have a special interest in.

“I’m concerned that many of these proposed changes are actually putting big money back into local elections, which I don’t think is in the best interest of local voters or local democracy in our province.”

If Bill 29 is passed, the changes would take effect on September 1, 2020.