Parkland County will need a court order if it wants to stop the Capital Region Board dead in its tracks, says St. Albert’s mayor.
St. Albert Mayor and Capital Region Board chair Nolan Crouse said Monday that the board would continue to meet and make decisions this month despite a request from Parkland County Mayor Rod Shaigec that it cease all activities.
Parkland has filed an application with the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench challenging the legal basis for the CRB and calling for the board to be declared null and void. In a letter sent to Crouse last week, Shaigec said that it would be imprudent for the board to keep meeting while this challenge was before the courts, and asked that all board activities cease until Parkland’s application was resolved.
After consultation with the board’s lawyers, Crouse said the board would not stop operations unless told to do so through a court injunction or a direct order from Municipal Affairs Minister Doug Griffiths. “We’ve received neither,” he said.
The board would meet this month as planned, he continued. “For everybody, it’s business as usual.”
Parkland communications manager Jackie Ostashek, speaking on behalf of the county, said she was not surprised by this result. “It does put us in the unfortunate position of having to continue to participate in the Capital Region Board meetings under duress,” she said, as, under board rules, absent members are assumed to vote in favour of all motions.
Parkland and provincial officials would meet in court this June 5 to set a hearing date, she said. “We hope we can count on the government to support us in asking for an early date given the importance of this issue.”
Tim Morrison, chief of staff for Minister Griffith, said the province would let the courts decide this matter. “We’re confident in the legislation we put in.”
Shaigec said in a letter to Crouse that Parkland would drop its legal challenge if the board brought in specific reforms to its voting structure – reforms that would apparently eliminate Edmonton’s veto on the board.
While the board’s voting process did have problems, Morinville Mayor Paul Krauskopf said he wasn’t sure if Parkland’s proposal would fix them. He hoped the court would order the province and municipalities to work together and reform the board. “I think we need intervention from Municipal Affairs.”
There will be a lot of bad feelings in the region if the court strikes the board down as Parkland requests, he continued. “It’s not going to be pretty.”
The CRB next meets June 13. Parkland’s proposal was not on the agenda, Crouse said.
