Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 30th Legislature First Session Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship Ministry of Municipal Affairs Consideration of Main Estimates Thursday, November 7, 2019 8 a.m. Transcript No. 30-1-10 Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 30th Legislature First Session Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship Hanson, David B., Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul (UCP), Chair Ceci, Joe, Calgary-Buffalo (NDP), Deputy Chair Carson, Jonathon, Edmonton-West Henday (NDP)* Dach, Lorne, Edmonton-McClung (NDP) Feehan, Richard, Edmonton-Rutherford (NDP) Getson, Shane C., Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland (UCP) Loewen, Todd, Central Peace-Notley (UCP) Rehn, Pat, Lesser Slave Lake (UCP) Renaud, Marie F., St. Albert (NDP)** Rosin, Miranda D., Banff-Kananaskis (UCP) Sabir, Irfan, Calgary-McCall (NDP) Schmidt, Marlin, Edmonton-Gold Bar (NDP) Sigurdson, R.J., Highwood (UCP) Singh, Peter, Calgary-East (UCP) Smith, Mark W., Drayton Valley-Devon (UCP) Turton, Searle, Spruce Grove-Stony Plain (UCP) Yaseen, Muhammad, Calgary-North (UCP) * substitution for Richard Feehan ** substitution for Lorne Dach Also in Attendance Phillips, Shannon, Lethbridge-West (NDP) Nielsen, Christian E., Edmonton-Decore (NDP) Support Staff Shannon Dean Clerk Stephanie LeBlanc Clerk Assistant and Senior Parliamentary Counsel Teri Cherkewich Law Clerk Trafton Koenig Parliamentary Counsel Philip Massolin Clerk of Committees and Research Services Sarah Amato Research Officer Nancy Robert Research Officer Michael Kulicki Committee Clerk Jody Rempel Committee Clerk Aaron Roth Committee Clerk Karen Sawchuk Committee Clerk Rhonda Sorensen Manager of Corporate Communications Jeanette Dotimas Communications Consultant Tracey Sales Communications Consultant Janet Schwegel Managing Editor of Alberta Hansard Transcript produced by Alberta Hansard Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship Participants Ministry of Municipal Affairs Hon. Kaycee Madu, Minister Ethan Bayne, Assistant Deputy Minister, Municipal Assessment and Grants Dale Beesley, Assistant Deputy Minister, Public Safety Brad Geddes, Executive Director, Recovery Mike Hartfield, Director of Operations, Land Compensation Board Anthony Lemphers, Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Strategic Services November 7, 2019 Resource Stewardship RS-157 8 a.m. Thursday, November 7, 2019 The Chair: That works? Okay. Title: Thursday, November 7, 2019 rs Please note that the microphones are operated by Hansard and [Mr. Hanson in the chair] that the committee proceedings are being live streamed on the Internet and broadcast on Alberta Assembly TV. Please set your Ministry of Municipal Affairs cellphones and other devices to silent for the duration of the Consideration of Main Estimates meeting. At this time I’d like to say hello to my good friend MLA Pat Stier, The Chair: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. I’d like to call the who is watching from the comforts of his home in TV land. meeting to order and welcome everyone. The committee has under We will proceed. Hon. members, the standing orders set out the consideration the estimates of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs for process for consideration of the main estimates. Standing Order the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020. 59.01(6) establishes the speaking rotation while the speaking time I’d ask that we go around the table and have all MLAs introduce limits are set out in Standing Order 59.02(1). In brief, the minister themselves for the record. Minister, please introduce the officials or member of the Executive Council acting on the minister’s behalf that are joining you at the table. I am David Hanson, MLA for will have 10 minutes to address the committee. At the conclusion Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul and chair of the committee. We will of his comments we begin a 60-minute speaking block for the continue, starting on my right. Official Opposition, followed by a 20-minute speaking block for the government caucus. Member Ceci: Thank you, Dave. I’m Joe Ceci, deputy chair of the The rotation of speaking time will then alternate between the committee and MLA for Calgary-Buffalo. Official Opposition and the government caucus, with individual Mr. Loewen: Good morning. Todd Loewen, MLA, Central Peace- speaking times set to five minutes, which, if combined with the Notley. minister’s time, makes it a 10-minute block. Discussion should flow through the chair at all times regardless of whether or not the Mr. Rehn: Hi. Pat Rehn, MLA, Lesser Slave Lake. speaking time is combined. Members are asked to advise the chair at the beginning of their rotation if they wish to combine their time Ms Rosin: Miranda Rosin, MLA, Banff-Kananaskis. with the minister’s time. If members have any questions regarding speaking times or the rotation, please feel free to send a note or e- Mr. Yaseen: Muhammad Yaseen, MLA, Calgary-North. mail to either the chair or the committee clerk. Mr. Turton: Good morning, everyone. Searle Turton, MLA for A total of three hours has been scheduled to consider the Spruce Grove-Stony Plain. estimates of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs. The scheduled end time of this meeting is 11 a.m. With the concurrence of the Mr. Sigurdson: Good morning, everyone. R.J. Sigurdson, MLA, committee I will call a five-minute break near the midpoint of the Highwood. meeting; however, the three-hour clock will continue to run. Does anyone here oppose having a break? Seeing none, we will let you Mr. Singh: Good morning. Peter Singh, MLA, Calgary-East. know when that break is coming. Ministry officials may be present and at the direction of the Mr. Getson: Good morning. Shane Getson, MLA, Lac Ste. Anne- minister may address the committee. Ministry officials seated in the Parkland. gallery, if called upon, have access to a microphone in the gallery Mr. Smith: Good morning. Mark Smith, MLA, Drayton Valley- area. Pages are available to deliver notes or other materials between Devon. the gallery and the table. Attendees in the gallery may not approach the table. Space permitting, opposition caucus staff may sit at the Mr. Madu: Good morning, everyone. Kaycee Madu, MLA for table to assist their members; however, members have priority to sit Edmonton-South West and Minister of Municipal Affairs. With me at the table at all times. this morning are my deputy minister, Paul Wynnyk; Anthony If debate is exhausted prior to three hours, the ministry’s Lemphers, assistant deputy minister; and Dan Balderston, the estimates are deemed to have been considered for the time allotted senior financial officer for my department. in the schedule, and the committee will adjourn. Points of order will be dealt with as they arise, and the meeting clock will continue to Mr. Nielsen: Good morning, everyone. Chris Nielsen, MLA for run; however, the timer for the speaking block will be paused. Edmonton-Decore. Any written material provided in response to questions raised during the main estimates should be tabled by the minister in the Ms Renaud: Marie Renaud, St. Albert. Assembly for the benefit of all members. The vote on the estimates and any amendments will occur in Ms Phillips: Shannon Phillips, Lethbridge-West. Committee of Supply on November 19, 2019. Amendments must Mr. Carson: Good morning. Jon Carson, Edmonton-West Henday. be in writing and approved by Parliamentary Counsel prior to the meeting at which they will be moved. The original amendment is to Mr. Dach: Good morning. Lorne Dach, Edmonton-McClung. be deposited with the committee clerk, and 20 copies of the amendment must be provided at the meeting for the committee The Chair: Thank you very much. members and staff. I’d like to note the following substitutions for the record: Marie I now invite the Minister of Municipal Affairs to begin with his Renaud for Lorne Dach. That doesn’t make any sense at all. Well, opening remarks. You have 10 minutes, sir. that’s what I have written down here. I also have Jon Carson for Richard Feehan. Mr. Madu: Thank you, Mr. Chair, and good morning once again, everyone. I am here to present my ministry’s 2019-2023 business Mr. Carson: That works. plan and highlights of Municipal Affairs’ 2019-2020 budget. RS-158 Resource Stewardship November 7, 2019 I would like to introduce the Municipal Affairs officials with me 2018-2019 budget. This reflects a reduction of 25 per cent in 2019- at the table: first, my deputy minister, Paul Wynnyk; Anthony 2020 and a further 25 per cent reduction in 2020-2021. Lemphers, assistant deputy minister; and Dan Balderston, senior As we saw in the recent economic downturn, municipalities with financial officer. In addition, there are a number of Municipal Crown properties are usually home to a fair number of government Affairs staff in the gallery who will introduce themselves if I ask employees with stable, taxpayer-backed jobs. This gives those them to come to the microphone to provide any supplementary municipalities a greater economic resilience. The largest change in information. grants will be seen in Edmonton, where most Crown properties are I have some prepared remarks, and then I will be happy to take located. Communities where the grants are more than 5 per cent of any questions from members. property tax revenue will be exempt from the reduction. As you might expect, the Municipal Affairs budget is aligned to 8:10 support the broader government strategy and goals. I am going to highlight some of the ways we will do this. I have spoken with many Another budget area to highlight is the Alberta community of our municipal partners since the budget was tabled two weeks partnership program, or ACP. The overall ACP program budget for ago, and I plan to continue these conversations. While we honour 2019-2020 is $16.5 million and includes a phased reduction to the our commitment, we cannot ignore the fact that Alberta has a Edmonton and Calgary metropolitan region boards as they adopt spending problem.