Mayor's update on progress in the region

Published April 4, 2008

I'd like to take this opportunity to update you on our progress in the region.

As you know, the Province has announced a regional governance board. Strathcona, along with 24 other municipalities, will be participating.

We are committed to playing a cooperative role as we move forward. We have been working together with our 22 partners in the Alberta Capital Region Alliance for many years. We worked with a number of regional partners in developing recommendations during the recent review process.

Since release of the Radke Report, together with our neighbours, we have also developed a statement of position that outlines concerns with the voting structure of the Board and how a "regional project" will be determined.

This statement of position was passed by our Council and the councils of these neighbours: Lamont, Leduc, Parkland and Sturgeon County and the communities of Gibbons, Legal, Thorsby, Warburg, Bruderheim and New Sarepta.

Additionally, Fort Saskatchewan, Bon Accord, Calmar, Redwater, and the Town of Lamont will be taking it to their councils in the near future.

Peter Wlodarczak, my alternate to the Board, Chief Commissioner Robyn Singleton and I met last week with the Interim Chair, Mr. Chris Sheard. We certainly left the meeting with the feeling that Mr. Sheard is a fair and talented man. We concurred that we would not like his job.

We provided Mr. Sheard with a lot of information about Strathcona County and our perspective on regional relations. It is important for him to know that it is not much more than 25 years ago that Edmonton attempted to annex much of the region, including Sherwood Park, and was handed a huge swath of land from Strathcona and Sturgeon that more than doubled Edmonton's land area.

We also included results of the survey we conducted with our residents that indicated 85 per cent of our residents did not support an Edmonton Veto, and that 80 per cent supported the approach Strathcona County had taken to date.

Survey results: November 2007 (PDF)

The Counties of Parkland, Sturgeon, and Leduc, as well as the Town of Bruderheim conducted similar surveys with very similar results.

Strathcona County has many questions and still some apprehension as to how this Board will work and how it will impact our residents, our businesses and our industry.

It is my job to ask the hard questions. Leadership means building a roadmap through difficult times.

I want to assure you that Councillor Wlodarczak and myself will be at that regional table. We will continue to be respectful and polite in our discussions and will do our very best to represent our community and be good neighbours.