Coun. Andy McGrogan told CHAT News Alberta's Bill 20 goes too far. (Kevin Kyle/CHAT News)

By Eli J. Ridder | @EliRidder

Medicine Hat city councillor blasts Alberta ‘overreach’

Apr 30, 2024 | 9:08 AM

Alberta’s proposal to give itself the ability to remove city councillors and repeal any municipal bylaws are an “overreach”, a Medicine Hat city councillor said Monday.

While the province insisted it will only use those powers as a last resort, Coun. Andy McGrogan said it was a step too far.

“It was a bit of an overreach in my view and I’m surprised,” he told CHAT News.

$4.2 million deficit

Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools facing dire financial woes

11h ago

Beginning May 27, 2024

Vista Trail residential roadway closure in Blackfalds

14h ago

securing medals amid personal growth

RDCRS students make their marks at Skills Provincials Alberta

15h ago

For McGrogan, who was speaking only on his behalf, he questioned the reasoning for the proposal.

“If you’re going to make a rule like that, than it’d be really nice to know the ‘why’,” McGrogan said.

“If they’re saying that they want to be able to remove council members, for instance, or the mayor, why don’t we leave it to the code of conduct bylaw?”

The ruling United Conservatives also proposed creating regulations that would formalize political slates for a pilot project that would run just in Edmonton and Calgary in the next election.

The local slates are not allowed to have ties to the existing provincial and federal political parties but the rules would add any of the slate affiliations next to names on the ballot.

McGrogan said he’d rather preserve the independent nature of municipal elections.

“It doesn’t matter what my political stripe is in relation to whether I’m a Conservative, or an NDPer, or a Liberal, it doesn’t matter,” McGrogan said.

“We’re here to serve the community, we’re individually elected to support our community, independent of any political party, which I think is an amazing thing.”

—

For local news delivered daily to your email inbox, subscribe for free to the rdnewsNOW newsletter by visiting rdnewsNOW.com. You can also download the rdnewsNOW mobile app on Google Play and the Apple App Store for all the latest updates on this and other stories.