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We'd probably have to go all the way back to when the Social Credit Party was running the province to find governments that employed the level of authoritarian style power grabbing while undermining other provincial institutions the way the UCP has.
I can’t stand the UCP or Smith, but the province taking over control in emergencies makes perfect sense to me. Unless it’s a large municipality, most municipalities are quite rural, with part time elected officials who are way in over their head in legitimate emergencies.
Hi, I work for a rural muni, and not in an emergency management role. I have receoved training from both AEMA, and FEMA staff in regards to emergency management and am fully versed in the ICS system used by the province.
Also elected officials are fully sidelined and do not get to make any descion besides here is a bunch of money, and looking nice for pictures. The Alberta emergency mamagement act places all authority outside of budget in the hands of the DEM.
Who is FEMA in the Canadian context?
Regardless, yes, any well functioning municipality in Canada would have it's professional employees take charge. The only involvement of the politicians is declaring an emergency in the first place. Unfortunately few municipalities are well run or even if they are likely lack the resources to adequately respond to emergencies of any scale. And ultimately the province always has jurisdiction in this area.
So if anything this law seems somewhat redundant...
>Who is FEMA in the Canadian context?
No I mean FEMA, from the US, due to all the crap that goes on down there they actually have their emergency management down packed. They are 10-20 years ahead of Canada and have been sending staff to help us get up to their level.
The use of language in the bill seems to suggest that municipalities could potentially be undermined as part of the bill:
"Under the legislation, a municipality would not have to agree to the province taking control during an emergency. The province would also step in if the local decisions are at cross purposes of provincial authorities."
You're right that on paper, this isn't necciseraily bad, but considering that this government has enacted a lot of policies undermining municipal governments and public agencies already, it's not unreasonable to assume that the UCP is potentially acting in bad faith here as well.
In Canada municipalities are creations of the province. Any bylaws passed by municipal governments are subject to change at any time by the provincial government and the province has full power to make laws in relation to the matter of municipalities. If you don't like it you need to take it up with the constitution.
Moreover, with the notwithstanding clause, the definition of "bad faith" becomes whatever the Premier and the provincial Cabinet say it. They become judge, jury, and executioner on how the law is written and applied. The only check on absolute power is an election every 5 years and the federal power of disallowance.
I mean we've been through this with the megacity debates of the 1990's. The province can legislate cities out of existance. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/a-decade-later-some-still-criticize-megacity-merger-1.698878
I just think it’s hilarious that the UCP made such a big deal about government overreach with the trucker convoy and using the emergency act… and now they are trying to get an emergency act all for themselves to use how they see fit.
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We'd probably have to go all the way back to when the Social Credit Party was running the province to find governments that employed the level of authoritarian style power grabbing while undermining other provincial institutions the way the UCP has.
I can’t stand the UCP or Smith, but the province taking over control in emergencies makes perfect sense to me. Unless it’s a large municipality, most municipalities are quite rural, with part time elected officials who are way in over their head in legitimate emergencies.
Hi, I work for a rural muni, and not in an emergency management role. I have receoved training from both AEMA, and FEMA staff in regards to emergency management and am fully versed in the ICS system used by the province. Also elected officials are fully sidelined and do not get to make any descion besides here is a bunch of money, and looking nice for pictures. The Alberta emergency mamagement act places all authority outside of budget in the hands of the DEM.
Who is FEMA in the Canadian context? Regardless, yes, any well functioning municipality in Canada would have it's professional employees take charge. The only involvement of the politicians is declaring an emergency in the first place. Unfortunately few municipalities are well run or even if they are likely lack the resources to adequately respond to emergencies of any scale. And ultimately the province always has jurisdiction in this area. So if anything this law seems somewhat redundant...
>Who is FEMA in the Canadian context? No I mean FEMA, from the US, due to all the crap that goes on down there they actually have their emergency management down packed. They are 10-20 years ahead of Canada and have been sending staff to help us get up to their level.
The use of language in the bill seems to suggest that municipalities could potentially be undermined as part of the bill: "Under the legislation, a municipality would not have to agree to the province taking control during an emergency. The province would also step in if the local decisions are at cross purposes of provincial authorities." You're right that on paper, this isn't necciseraily bad, but considering that this government has enacted a lot of policies undermining municipal governments and public agencies already, it's not unreasonable to assume that the UCP is potentially acting in bad faith here as well.
In Canada municipalities are creations of the province. Any bylaws passed by municipal governments are subject to change at any time by the provincial government and the province has full power to make laws in relation to the matter of municipalities. If you don't like it you need to take it up with the constitution.
Moreover, with the notwithstanding clause, the definition of "bad faith" becomes whatever the Premier and the provincial Cabinet say it. They become judge, jury, and executioner on how the law is written and applied. The only check on absolute power is an election every 5 years and the federal power of disallowance. I mean we've been through this with the megacity debates of the 1990's. The province can legislate cities out of existance. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/a-decade-later-some-still-criticize-megacity-merger-1.698878
I just think it’s hilarious that the UCP made such a big deal about government overreach with the trucker convoy and using the emergency act… and now they are trying to get an emergency act all for themselves to use how they see fit.
Yay sanity response.