Bill 18 to require provincial approval for federal funding agreements

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Making an attempt to observe in Quebec’s footsteps, the Alberta authorities tabled new laws Wednesday that may require municipalities, universities, faculty boards and different “provincial entities” to obtain approval from the province earlier than signing a funding settlement with the federal authorities.

Invoice 18 — the Provincial Priorities Act — intends to push again towards the federal authorities overstepping into provincial jurisdiction, in response to Premier Danielle Smith. At a press convention earlier than introducing the invoice within the legislature, she stated the laws would be sure that agreements between the federal authorities and Alberta’s cities or different public our bodies don’t contradict provincial priorities and investments.

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“Albertans are uninterested within the advantage signaling from Ottawa and the associated springs that include it,” she stated. “We’re all in favour of our fair proportion of federal funding to maneuver ahead with our priorities — on roads, infrastructure and on housing.”

The brand new invoice comes shortly after a slew of latest federal funding bulletins by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a few of that are meant to help municipalities’ housing efforts.

If handed, the Provincial Priorities Act would apply to just about all of Alberta’s public companies, municipalities, Crown-controlled organizations, post-secondary establishments, faculty boards, regional well being authorities, Covenant Well being and its subsidiaries.

Smith factors to federal authorities ‘meddling’

The laws would additionally forestall taxpayer {dollars} from being wasted on duplicate applications in areas like dental care or faculty lunch applications, in response to Smith.

For example of the federal authorities “meddling” within the province’s constitutional jurisdiction, Smith referenced Calgary’s receipt of $325 million in federal funding final yr to impress town’s public transit fleet. She argued the funds Ottawa allotted for “unreliable and impractical electrical buses” bypassed the Alberta authorities’s constitutional authority.

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The funds would have been higher fitted to the province’s personal priorities, Smith stated, resembling enhancing roads, investing in commuter rail to Calgary’s airport, or by advancing the province’s hydrogen technique as an alternate clean-energy transportation supply.

Different examples of federal overreach, in response to the premier, embrace grants for photo voltaic tasks, secure drug provide and funding from the Housing Accelerator Fund that comes with “ideological strings connected,” resembling a caveat for municipalities to finish exclusionary zoning insurance policies.

“We all know the federal authorities has — on sure points — a diametrically opposed view to what it’s we need to do, so we’re not going to go down these pathways,” she stated.

Engagement anticipated this summer time

Alberta could be the second province to implement such laws, following within the footsteps of the same legislation in Quebec, titled “An Act Respecting the Ministère du conseil executif.”

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Underneath Alberta’s new invoice, the federal authorities must advise the province of any funding settlement it desires to signal with a provincial entity. Any agreements that don’t obtain provincial approval could be invalid, and akin to breaking the legislation, in response to Smith.

The laws wouldn’t be retroactive, nevertheless, that means the province wouldn’t have the facility to cancel any current federal agreements it considers contradictory to its pursuits.

Stakeholder engagement might be performed this summer time to find out the regulatory framework, set up an approval course of and decide any exemptions to the laws. The invoice would come into impact in early 2025 after the rules are finalized.

Smith denied that Invoice 18 would add extra forms or crimson tape, claiming it’s merely an “extra quantity of disclosure.”

Gondek responds

Whereas not confirmed till Wednesday, the laws was hinted finally Friday by Minister of Seniors, Group and Social Companies Jason Nixon.

“The federal authorities wants to remain of their lane,” he stated. “We’ve been speaking about this for some time, significantly round housing however for different points within the province. The premier has been very clear that we’re ready to go down the street Quebec already went down, which is to move laws that may cease the federal authorities from with the ability to (straight) fund municipalities.”

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Requested about Nixon’s feedback throughout a media scrum on Tuesday, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek stated it felt like town was caught within the center between two bickering mother and father.

She stated town has lengthy advocated for a greater infrastructure funding program, and that these efforts have fallen on deaf ears up to now however are lastly beginning to bear fruit.

“We only recently had an announcement final week of $6 billion being obtainable to us,” she stated, referring to a federal funding program for housing introduced by federal housing minister Sean Fraser on April 2.

“All of our advocacy, all of the work we’ve carried out as big-city mayors is lastly paying off, and we’ve a province who desires to take that away,” she stated. “My query could be, are you keen to step in and pay for every thing? Are you keen to construct the relationships we’ve to guarantee that cash flows to us? As a result of I don’t see that taking place.”

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