Premier Danielle Smith said Friday that her government would propose amendments to the contentious bill as soon as next week
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Alberta’s Bill 20 risks slowing down housing development in the province, according to the office of federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser, while the province promises it will give municipalities more policy options to address the issue.
The bill was introduced in the legislature last week and drew a near-immediate backlash, in large part over how it proposes granting cabinet new, unilateral powers to oust councillors or overturn local bylaws, with all such decisions to be made in secret.
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The bill also includes several elements aimed at accelerating housing development, including:
- Fully exempting non-profit subsidized affordable housing from property taxation
- Expanding the Community Revitalization Levy program to support capital costs of privately owned affordable or attainable housing
- Limiting the ability of municipalities to require non-statutory studies as requirements for building and development permits
“We are unlocking policy options for municipalities to consider as they take local actions to address housing affordability,” Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver said ahead of the bill’s introduction last week.
He said the legislation would allow municipalities to “take some proactive steps” towards improving local housing situations, and promised further details would be available in the coming days from Seniors, Community and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon.
Nixon’s office did not respond to an interview request on Thursday.
Fraser’s office said he has spoken with Nixon in recent weeks but was more skeptical of the bill.
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“The legislation risks slowing down this progress we have made with municipalities,” a statement from his office reads, citing partnerships with Calgary, Edmonton, and Airdrie on housing issues.
“Every level of government must do their part to solve the housing crisis.”
His office has also expressed reservations about last month’s Bill 18, which compels hundreds of provincial entities, including municipalities, to secure provincial approval before entering into agreements with the federal government.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek wrote in a column Friday that she welcomed the province following her city’s lead in eliminating property taxes on non-profit subsidized affordable housing, but remained strongly opposed to the balance of the bill.
Bill 20, if passed, would also enable multi-year residential property tax incentives, and restrict municipalities from holding what the bill terms “extra hearings” when not required by legislation.
Amendments coming next week: Smith
On Thursday, McIver issued a statement saying the province would amend Bill 20 to clarify rules around cabinet removing councillors and repealing bylaws, but didn’t specify what changes were being considered.
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Speaking to reporters on Friday, Premier Danielle Smith said those amendments could be coming as soon as next week when MLAs return to the legislature.
“We all had a chance to go and talk to our various councils,” she said, adding she had heard concerns regarding cabinet’s potential authority to fire councillors through secret deliberations.
McIver has said the potential new powers would only be used as a last resort and when they are deemed to be in the public interest, though how that would be determined remains unclear.
“We’re working on the language on that and we’ll be introducing amendments when they go back next week,” Smith said Friday.
The two major organizations that represent municipalities — The Rural Municipalities of Alberta and Alberta Municipalities — both said Thursday they remain skeptical of the new cabinet powers and wished the government had consulted with their members before it had introduced the bill, not after.
ABMunis on Friday said in a statement that it had not received an invitation to discuss potential amendments.
“We are not aware of any broad consultation between municipal leaders and the provincial government, either.”
McIver’s Thursday statement did not address other parts of the bill that have drawn the ire of municipalities, including adding local political parties to Edmonton and Calgary, banning electronic vote tabulators, and reintroducing union and corporation donations into civic elections.
MLAs return to the legislature on Monday.
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