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InterGovAffairs
Muni Government Act
<div class="ExternalClass5AD6C357F81E4A149F512E8D3DFBB7EF"><h2>Municipal Government Act</h2>
<p>The Municipal Government Act (MGA) is the law under which all Alberta
municipalities are empowered to shape their communities. The <a href="http://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/Acts/m26.pdf" target="_blank" style="display:inline">MGA</a> defines how The City of
Calgary and other municipalities function, develop land, raise funds for things like services, and
more. </p>
<p>Currently, the Government of Alberta is in the process of modernizing the
MGA, which was first established in 1967 and it had not been comprehensively review until now. The
province and The City of Calgary are working collaboratively on this review and The City’s <a href="/_layouts/cocis/DirectDownload.aspx?target=http%3a//www.calgary.ca/CA/cmo/Documents/The%2520City%2520of%2520Calgary%2520Submission%2520to%2520the%2520Government%2520of%2520Alberta%2520Municipal%2520Government%2520Act%2520Re" style="display:inline">MGA Review
Submission</a> is published and available for viewing. </p>
<p>As part of the review there have been two legislative amendments and two amendment Bills (Bill 20 –
Municipal Government Amendment Act and Bill 21 – Modernized Municipal Government Act) which have led to
the province and its two largest municipalities, Calgary and Edmonton, developing City Charters and
Growth Management Boards. </p>
</div>
Municipal Government Act
The Municipal Government Act (MGA) is the law under which all Alberta
municipalities are empowered to shape their communities. The MGA defines how The City of
Calgary and other municipalities function, develop land, raise funds for things like services, and
more.
Currently, the Government of Alberta is in the process of modernizing the
MGA, which was first established in 1967 and it had not been comprehensively review until now. The
province and The City of Calgary are working collaboratively on this review and The City’s MGA Review
Submission is published and available for viewing.
As part of the review there have been two legislative amendments and two amendment Bills (Bill 20 –
Municipal Government Amendment Act and Bill 21 – Modernized Municipal Government Act) which have led to
the province and its two largest municipalities, Calgary and Edmonton, developing City Charters and
Growth Management Boards.
City Charter
The City of Calgary and The City of Edmonton are working with the Government of Alberta to develop
City Charters.
A city charter is a regulation that provides a city with specific flexibilities and authorities to
better meet the needs of citizens. The city charters for Calgary and Edmonton will enable the cities to
modify or replace provisions in the Municipal Government Act (MGA) or any other provincial Act or
regulation, where the province has specifically granted authority to do so.
A City Charter is intended to cover a range of issues from simple administrative efficiencies to
complex regulatory changes. Unless explicitly outlined in the charters, all other legislation will
continue to apply to the two cities.
Having Calgary-specific legislation in the form of a City Charter will better enable us to make
local decisions and policies to address the large-scale challenges we face. The Charters will create
the appropriate mechanisms to provide increased authority or flexibility to Calgary in a wide range of
areas, including governance, planning and development, assessment and taxation, social policies and
programs, energy and the environment, transportation and economic policies.
The Charter will also enable Council to develop new fiscal frameworks to provide programs and
services to Calgarians to optimize efficiencies and build a strong, economically vibrant Calgary.
Growth Management Board (Calgary Region)
The metropolitan region of Calgary has been required by the Government of Alberta to establish a
regional Growth Management Board under the Modernized Municipal Government Act. The intent of the Board
is to promote the long term sustainability of their respective regions. The province recognizes that
ongoing growth in Calgary continues to generate increased demand for services and infrastructure,
pressure on the natural and built environments, and opportunities for economic prosperity. The Calgary
Region Growth Management Board will play a critical role in addressing these matters, ensuring regional
collaboration and coordinated decision-making towards the shared outcomes that benefit all members of
the region.
Key deliverables of the Growth Management Boards are to create a Growth Plan and a Metropolitan
Servicing Plan. The Growth Plan is to address land use, priority growth areas, and identifies utility,
transportation, and recreation corridors. The Metropolitan Servicing Plan will identify the services
required to support the implementation of the regional Growth Plan and to support the optimization of
shared services to enhance the use of rate payer dollars.