May 2, 2018
This Week
What is the difference between a resolution and a request for decision?

The deadline for submitting a resolution for the AUMA Convention and AMSC Tradeshow is May 31, 2018.

Not sure whether you should submit a resolution and an RFD? AUMA has created a backgrounder that explains the difference.  
Call for municipal photos

AUMA is gearing up for our annual report, and once again we are looking to our members to share photos that we can include in our report.

This year, our theme is “leading through change” and we’re hoping you have some great photos demonstrating how you helped lead change in your community during 2017. 
AUMA proud recipient of Building Energy Benchmarking Awards

On March 22, 2018, AUMA’s own Alberta Municipal Place received a Building Energy Benchmarking Excellence Award from the City of Edmonton in the Performance Awards category.

Two members of the AUMA team also received Program Advisor Awards for their work in developing the municipal energy benchmarking program.
Happening Now
Watch AUMA’s webinar on Islamophobia on YouTube

AUMA’s Welcoming and Inclusive Communities initiative recently recorded a webinar on the complex topic of Islamophobia and how municipal leaders can empower themselves with facts and strategies to counter local attitudes or actions that unfairly target Muslims. 
SuperNet agreement update

As many of our members may be aware, the SuperNet operator agreement expires June 30, 2018. Service Alberta has been actively completing an open and competitive procurement process to enable government’s direction for SuperNet 2.0, and provided us with an update.
In Your Community
Reminder – Nominate a Municipal Leader for a 2018 AUMA Award by June 29

It’s time to nominate municipal leaders in your community for a 2018 AUMA Award. These awards will be presented during AUMA’s annual convention. The deadline for submitting nominations is June 29, 2018. 
Public Safety Canada’s Flood Ready campaign content

Public Safety Canada has a number of great resources and information for municipalities to share with their residents on how to be flood ready. Simply follow Public Safety Canada’s social media accounts and share content relevant for your community.
New report explores municipal management of water bodies

The Municipal Government Act ( MGA ) purports to give municipalities “the direction, control and management of the bodies of water within the municipality.” However, plenty of questions arise about the extent of this authority. What constitutes a body of water? Can they be permanent, temporary or seasonal? What about natural versus man-made?  
Upcoming EOEP courses

Registration is now open for two of our newest courses for elected officials:

  • May 25 in Nisku – Council’s Role in Strategic Planning - Register online
  • June 11 in Camrose – Regional Partnerships and Collaboration - Register online
Events
View other events, webinars, workshops and more at auma.ca/events
Act fast! Only 12 days until AUMA’s Come Together Alberta Conference
There are groups of people in almost every community that face some level of social exclusion. To help advance awareness about diversity and inclusion, AUMA’s Welcoming and Inclusive Communities initiative is pleased to host the Come Together Alberta Conference in Edmonton on May 15-17, 2018. 
 
2018 Alberta Community Crime Prevention Association Conference: New Directions in Community Safety conference, is taking place in Edmonton, May 8 – 10, Edmonton

Social Savvy Summit: Join the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce and Community Futures for the Social Savvy Summit taking place May 10, Lethbridge.

Register for AUMA’s summer Municipal Leaders’ Caucus
Registration is now open f or AUMA's summer Municipal Leaders’ Caucus being held from June 12 to 14, at the Camrose Resort Casino in Camrose. If you require a hotel room, please contact the Camrose Casino Resort at 780-679-2376 and quote the AUMA Municipal Leaders’ Caucus. 

The Municipal Innovators Conference: coming to Calgary, September 19-21, 2018, this event is designed for the municipal innovator, the civic disruptor, the change-maker who wants to make our cities even better – do you fit the bill? 
Casual Legal Article
From tweets to carrier pigeons: The MGA adds some much needed flexibility to bylaw advertising methods

As of October 26, 2017, section 606.1 of the Municipal Government Act authorizes a municipality to pass a bylaw permitting the use of other methods of advertisement including electronic methods. The amendment was made to allow for the utilization of current and future technologies and to permit municipalities to adapt their advertising methods to best suit their needs. 

Note: this article is available to AUMA members only  . To access this article, you must have a subscription to the AUMA website.

  • If you belong to an AUMA member municipality but do not have your own log-in, simply visit the AUMA website to request a new account.
  • If you have an account, but do not remember your password, you may request a new password.
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News Clippings
AUMA extends condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Garry Bottorff, councillor for the Town of Bruderheim, who passed away last week .

Economy, Economic Development and Tourism
  • Historic Alberta air crash site set to be cleared to make way for park
  • River surfers in Calgary make plans for a downtown urban beach
  • Will future generations reap the Alberta Advantage?
  • Innisfail Set for Tourist Season with Help from Province and Town
  • Alberta hoteliers renew calls for Airbnb tax crackdown
  • Alberta should have done more to lure Methanex expansion to Hat, says mayor
  • RMWB to receive $95,000 from provincial CARES program
  • Frac sand facility coming to Mayerthorpe
  • More support for regional economies

Energy
  • Ottawa, Alberta poised for conflict over methane regulations
  • Canada Sets Methane Reduction Targets for Oil and Gas, but Alberta Has Its Own Plans
  • Oilpatch workers forced to adapt in post-recession Alberta

Environment
  • Alberta downplays Saskatchewan's court challenge of federal carbon tax
  • Looking for mountain pine beetle
  • Calgary report suggests custom waste fees, EPR push
  • Spring brings coyotes and an urban wildlife safety message from city

Infrastructure and Transportation
  • Gravel companies facing fee increase
  • Provost working towards new water reservoir
  • Broadband waiting game ongoing
  • 'This is hell': Family, residents continue to push for highway paving one year after fatal crash
  • Train derails near Mayerthorpe, Alberta
  • Stony Plain hears update on Highway 779

Indigenous Relations
  • McMurray Métis reviewing past city-led evictions of Indigenous settlement
  • The Government of Canada Announces Funding to Support Indigenous Languages in Southern Alberta
  • Decade-long process to map Alberta Indigenous territories raises concerns

Intergovernmental Relations
  • Municipal associations tackle topics in annual meetings
  • Blackfalds drops front licence plate advocacy efforts

Municipal Governance
  • Lakeshore residents may be putting Cold Lake at odds with Municipal Government Act
  • Alberta Appeal Court rejects anti-abortion group's bid for bus ad
  • City's Community Services GM Wally Ferris takes reins as CAO in Sylvan Lake
  • Town battling spring thaw as old issue floods to the surface
  • Calgary lays out eight-year plan for $320M affordable housing investment
  • No exemption for Wood Buffalo under 5:1 tax ratio
  • Rycroft residents to vote on future of village
  • Government of Canada announces Jury for Smart Cities Challenge
  • Connie Oakes sues Alberta Crown, Medicine Hat police for $1M over wrongful murder conviction
  • Life is better in a city, according to Beaumont town council

Safe and Healthy Communities
  • 'She's up for it': Librarian becomes newest Beaverlodge firefighter recruit
  • Banff roof replacement incentive expanded
  • Medical First Response Program comes to Stettler
  • Wayne saloon escapes damage as flood fears ease across southern Alberta
  • About 100 Fort Vermilion residents forced from homes by flood threat
  • Alberta’s EMS in crisis situation
  • Rural Crime Reduction Project provides support to central Alberta RCMP
  • Central Alberta highway reopens after wildfire prompts its closure
  • SARM wants rural crime watch association developed in Sask.
  • Town, Parks, Alberta run wildfire tabletop scenario today
  • Controlled hazard burn near Whitecourt
  • Building strong, flood-resilient communities

  • Occupational Health and Safety
  • Alberta government provides learning resources for new OHS rules
  • Day of Mourning remembers 166 workplace-related deaths in Alberta last year
  • Most workplace injuries go unreported in Alberta: survey

Marijuana/Cannabis   
  • About 450 pot shop applications so far in Alberta, almost 100 in Edmonton region
  • Edmonton committee to debate permit, licensing fees for recreational pot shops
  • City councillor raises cannabis concerns
  • Cannabis retailers may pay 10 times more for a business licence than Edmonton liquor stores, report shows
  • Cities continue to face uncertainty around cannabis revenue sharing

Opioid Crisis
  • Opioid Speaker Series to chronicle the ongoing impact of the Opioid Crisis in Lethbridge during May
  • Mayor’s column: Red Deer city’s role in supervised consumption sites
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