Grass Roots Engagement & Out of the Mouths of Babes

Land Use Bylaw Amendments

Given the recent level of local attention to land use bylaws, urban planning, federal and provincial policies, jurisdictional overlaps, economic impacts, and the upcoming election season, I thought I’d take the time to cover a few items this week as a bit of an update, or an explanation of sorts.  The key item, I believe, with all that’s “Goings On” over the last little while, is that it has become apparent to a larger number of people that for the system we have to work and for the freedoms that we enjoy, it’s a team effort. The system has a few kinks in it here and there, to be sure.  It’s not a bad one. However, we just need to use it.

I’ll cover the basic configuration of our country to start with, and bear in mind I only have a thousand words or less to work with here, so it is going to be brief.  Canada (the Federal Government) and the provinces were created equal.  The responsibilities, for the most part, are distinct.  When it affects all, it’s a federal thing, when it can stay within a provincial boundary, it’s a provincial thing.  There are times when there are overlaps, and it’s a “both of us” kind of thing.  It’s a marriage of sorts; normally, it works, and sometimes, as we have seen for a while now, a little refreshing of the vows and confirmation of roles and responsibilities is required.  The municipalities, counties, towns, villages, hamlets, and medium and large cities are the children of the provinces.  They are given the authorization and autonomy to operate under the Municipal Government Act.  Villages and hamlets, for the most part, fall under the counties in which they are located. 

Each level of government has its own representation, and they are given authority to make decisions by you, the voter.  If you do vote, fantastic! If you don’t, shame…shame… shame.  For the system to function as it was designed, the higher level of participation by the voters, the better it is, and the better the chance that you get folks to better reflect the will of the people.  Historically, voter apathy is terrible, but over the last few years, many folks have begun to pay attention to what is going on in all three levels of government. This is to everyone’s benefit because I believe there is a better representation and some shared vision within the levels of government.  I believe that when folks get involved before a candidate is selected at the provincial and federal levels and are involved with the parties of their choice, better policy is produced.  With municipal government and school boards, people typically run as themselves, and these people have a major impact on our daily lives; I believe many of us, myself included, haven’t given this level of government the amount of attention it deserves.

Are the Smart Cities & 15 min Cities Here Already?

My inbox, phone lines, and social media pages exploded recently over what a county in Alberta was considering for amendments to its current land use bylaw.  In addition, some recent statements were made regarding “Smart Cities” or “15 Min. Cities” or whichever catchphrase was used to articulate a change in the concepts of urban planning. I had to reach out to several municipal representatives that I’ve come to know and trust over the last few years to find out what the heck was going on because some of the items seemed way too far out of the left field, almost like they were being snuck in through the back door of town and county councils.

What’s My Position

So for the record, and for those that have been hounding me for an “Answer on where I stand” on these ideas of putting in place cities or towns that restrict the movement of its inhabitants, where people would only be allotted a given number of passes in a year to move from one zone to the next… do you really have to ask?  I mean, come on, really?  I’m the same gent who has been on the firearms file for the last three years, who stuck my neck out more than once on the Covid restrictions, drove my own gravel truck in the local Edmonton convoy, and was accused in the papers for inciting dissidence by telling officers to remember their oaths before they acted on orders given under the Emergency Act, only a day later to see horses knocking a lady to the ground who used a walker. I spoke openly against the vaccine passports and never got one myself.  I was attacked consistently by the Opposition for not disclosing my vaccine status, and when I did, it was to their chagrin that I had a vaccine injury.  I fly airplanes, ride motorcycles, shoot old revolvers off horseback, and have been doing my best to publicly stand up for people’s personal rights and freedoms at my own “political expense” for the last three years.

I’ve had the ability to travel for work in Canada, the USA, and Germany.  I’ve seen some old cities and their contrast to the new ones.  I’ve seen architectural and styling cues that were better than others, and I must admit, I’d take a small town over a big city any day of the week.  However, some of the best big cities I have ever seen have that feel of a small town, or a community designed right in it, where there are always green spaces and parks within easy reach.  These places feel better on the soul, so if that type of planning was being considered for our new towns and cities, I am all for it.

On the land use bylaws: wow! I believe that there were some big lessons learned for everyone involved. Here are a few I’ve gathered up over the last week:

1. Hire a good consultant
2. Ensure that there is a staged progress evaluation and clearly communicate the scope of work
3. Always, and I mean always, have a squad check prior to release for final approvals
4. Review the work that you are going to be signing off on
5. Change everything, or delete the items that do not apply
6. Ensure you give accolades to those who find the mistakes and participate in the process before something terrible comes into effect. Thank them for being watchful and sharing information with others to keep them informed
7. It’s better to learn from another’s mistakes than your own

The other great item that I heard is that the counties that I work with in our constituency were all over the issue and did the work to ensure that there were no issues like those in the other counties, as they fully understood the ramifications of not putting in the time to make sure that the “non-applicable” bylaws didn’t creep in.  Elections matter, engagement matters, and they respect that process.

Switching gears a little bit here, I was recently asked by a few students in a grade 6 class of how I was elected and if I was effective in my role as an MLA.  Out of the mouths of babes.  So here are the Coles notes version on how to become an MLA for Lac Ste Anne.- Parkland.

1. Be a member of the UCP
2. Fill out your nomination forms when the “Local Party Election” is called
3. Get 50 fellow members or more to sign off on your paper
4. Commit a $1000 conduct deposit, and make another $500 dollar contribution to the provincial party, and the local Constituency Association as an application fee
5. Raise money to run your campaign, and to pay for signage
6. Sell as many memberships as you can to folks, and get them out to vote
7. Listen to and talk with as many people as possible to understand that that if elected, you will work for them, and must represent them.
8. Stand in front of a crowd and debate other folks who want to make the province a better place just as much or more than you.
9. Win your internal election, if not, support the person who did win
10. Run in the general election, raise money for the campaign, manage the team of volunteers, coordinate with your constituency board, be part of the provincial team, and help them out where ever you can, drink lots of coffee, drive lots of miles, take the heat from what everyone who was ever a politician ever in the history of our province ever did…because you are all the same…and hopefully win to prove them wrong.

It’s just that simple.  I believe I have been quite effective on number of fronts, but there are always areas that I can improve upon.  The last few years have hampered several items that I wanted to have improved for our area, and for our province, which is one of the driving forces behind my decision to run for a second term.  So, if you think I have represented you well, and you would want me to work for you again, I’m way back at step 3 of the process.  I’ll need your help.  Buy a membership, sign off on my papers, bend my ear, and show up to vote if you want to me to carry on.  It’s a team effort, the system was designed for us to work together, and when we do, we can move mountains.  That is how we can be more effective, and that’s how our kids win tomorrow, by us putting in the work today.   See you at Snow Mo Days and have a great Family Day weekend.

Sincerely,

Shane Getson