ASCA AGM Results to Minister McIvor 2024
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Dear Ms. Bodell:
Thank you for your letter of May 9, 2024, advocating to preserve non-partisan elections for Alberta school board trustees.
I appreciate you sharing the views of the Alberta School Councils’ Association on this matter. Bill 20, the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, 2024, recently passed and will modify two key pieces of legislation for Alberta municipalities – the Municipal Government Act (MGA) and the Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA). The proposed legislation will update the rules for local elections and locally elected officials, and Bill 20 includes enabling the creation of local political parties.
Now that Bill 20 has passed, Municipal Affairs will be engaging with municipalities and stakeholders over the coming months to explain the changes Bill 20 will require at a local level, and develop regulations as required.
Municipal Affairs will prepare a regulation to define requirements for the registration and operation of local political parties prior to the next local general elections in October 2025. I have publicly stated my intention to restrict local political parties to municipal council elections, and not include them in school board trustee elections. The cities of Edmonton and Calgary will serve as a pilot project during the next election cycle.
Thank you again for writing.
Sincerely,
Ric McIver
Minister
cc: Honourable Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education