EDMONTON – The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce suggested Edmonton and surrounding communities should consider amalgamating. But, the idea is not sitting well with municipal leaders.
During the Realtors Association seminar on Wednesday, president and CEO of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce (ECC) suggested amalgamation is needed for the capital city and neighbouring communities to be successful in the long-term.
“We want the government to start to consider does amalgamation, at some point, make some sense?” said ECC’s James Cumming.
“That amalgamation could be completely across the board, or it could be just for some services, or in delivery of some services, whatever serves the community best and sets us up well for the future,” he added.
He also recommended strengthening the Capital Region Board (CRB).
READ MORE: What is the Capital Region Board and what does it do?
“Our first recommendation was strengthening the Capital Region Board and giving it more clout so it actually can perform in some other areas where there are shared services, where there are infrastructure decisions, how we market the region, and a governance structure for that board that makes sure they can make all those decisions in a really timely fashion.”
Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson agreed there’s room to work on economic development more effectively through the CRB.
“We’ve got to give the CRB a chance to work together more effectively,” said Don Iveson. “That’s what I and council are committed to, and we haven’t even talked about amalgamation, so I don’t want to speculate about it.”
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Reaction from other local mayors came quickly, and it wasn’t particularly favourable.
“I think, quite frankly, the Chamber president should perhaps find something else to do,” said St. Albert Mayor Nolan Crouse.
“First of all, the CRB has a mandate from the province. We’re working on the mandate. As chair of the board, I’m proud of the work we’ve done. Amalgamation isn’t a word we spend any time on.”
“Our plan is one of working together,” Crouse added. “Twenty-four municipalities called a Capital Region Board, working together. We’re not talking amalgamation, we’re talking working together.”
The mayors of Leduc and Strathcona County also said they are against the idea of amalgamating.
“I’m not surprised by the elected officials taking the stance that they are,” said Cumming, “because they’re elected to look after the jurisdiction they’re elected to look after.”
Still, he wants proof that the Capital Region Board is the best option for coordinating services and resources among neighbouring communities.
“I think we, as a community and as a business community, we have to look longer-term, and say ‘is the most effective fashion, and does it deliver the best value to the taxpayer?’ If it does, fine. If it doesn’t, then let’s look to what it should look like in the future.”
Cumming recommended having the province complete a feasibility report on the possible amalgamation by 2015.
With files from Shane Jones, Global News
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