By Sheldon Spackman

Notley talks Trans Mountain, MSI & cannabis funding at AUMA conference

Sep 27, 2018 | 3:16 PM

“Albertans will not tolerate missed deadlines and shifting goal posts, we will not tolerate legal game-playing.”

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley was emphatic with her message regarding construction of the Trans Mountain Pipeline during her keynote address Thursday at the Alberta Urban Municipalities Conference (AUMA) at Westerner Park.

Notley told the large gathering of delegates that the federal government needs to provide clear and reliable timelines to build Trans Mountain and provide certainty to investors.

“The federal government should pass legislation that fits this once and for all,” she exclaimed. “It’s a regulatory mess that successive federal governments have created. Last week, Ottawa laid out part of its timeline and my response is ‘Get it right or pay the price.’”

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Notley also spoke of work on a Revenue Sharing Replacement Plan for MSI (Municipal Sustainability Initiative) which includes a long-term transit plan.

“We made a commitment to have a new system operational by the time MSI expires and to legislate it,” Notley stated. “We want a new program that works for all of us, a system that is prudent, is transparent and sustainable in the long-term. In all of this, we are committed to working with you and responding to you as partners, building a long-term future together.”

The upcoming legalization of cannabis on October 17 was another area of Notley’s keynote address where she revealed provincial funding is on the way for municipalities to help them deal with the transition.

“We know you need funds up-front and we are going to provide you with funds up-front,” she told delegates. “Very soon, we will be making an announcement as to what that initial funding looks like and how that funding will be reviewed on an on-going basis. That’s important, especially as we get a better understanding of where the cost-drivers and pressures are in this new reality in which we have been presented.”

She told reporters following her keynote address, “We need to figure out what the right amount is. Our government has already projected that it’s a loss to us for the first couple of years so additional funding to municipalities is a bit of a challenge. So we’re going to look into some of the cost estimates that they’ve suggested and we’re also going to be looking at the funding patterns that we’re seeing in other jurisdictions such as Quebec and Ontario.”

Notley also acknowledged strong advocacy from throughout central Alberta for a cardiac catheterization lab at the Red Deer Regional Hospital, telling reporters Health Minister Sarah Hoffman advised her of the need to ‘dig into it further’ last spring.

“We set aside a million dollars this year for a very detailed report and assessment of the services both here in Red Deer and surrounding communities and how that relates to the service availability in other parts of the province,” explains Notley. “So we’re waiting for that report to come back, which we expect a first draft to be complete this fall. So we are moving on it, she’s heard (Health Minister Sarah Hoffman) and she’s a very evidence-based health minister and that’s the way she’s going to go forward.”  

The 2018 AUMA Annual Convention wraps up Friday. Delegates are scheduled to hear from opposition party leaders and vote on board elections and resolutions.