‘A bit of a tyrant’: Alberta municipal affairs minister slammed for warning to local councillors

Alberta’s municipal affairs minister has a message for local politicians: “Do your damn job.”

That’s what Dan Williams instructed them to do, via a Friday Post Media column.

“If you’re trying to do my job and the provincial government’s job, you will be put back in your lane,” he said.

Williams is threatening to “course correct” and “take a hands-on approach” with local politicians.

He is upset about “radical left” policies like bike lanes and Calgary declaring a climate emergency.

“Every single municipality in this province… are creatures of legislation enacted by this legislature, and this government has authority over those municipalities,” he told the Calgary Herald.

Williams said if his detractors don’t like what he says, they can run for the NDP in the next election.

“(He’s) almost establishing himself as a bit of a tyrant, isn’t he? It’s a really strong tone to take with municipal leaders during an election year in the province,” said Kyle Kasawski, the Alberta NDP’s municipal affairs shadow minister.

The NDP says the government should be working with council members rather than threatening them or dictating local policies.

“Otherwise, I don’t understand why we have local governments. If it’s always going to be driven top down by an authoritarian provincial government, we could just put administrators in place. But that’s not how our country was created, and that’s not how our democracy works,” he told CityNews.

Williams’ comments come the same week transportation minister Devin Dreeshen threatened new legislation on bike lanes because he is not happy with how local councillors are handling those policies.

“This doesn’t look like a government that is listening to voters,” said Lori Williams, a political scientist at Mount Royal University in Calgary.

“It looks like a government that is imposing its views on voters, and it looks a little bit out of step with the grassroots democracy stance that has been taken by Danielle Smith in the past.”

Tyler Gandam, president of Alberta Municipalities and mayor of Wetaskiwin, believes the province is overreaching into local decision-making like roads. He’s hoping to work through this with the municipal affairs minister.

“We are struggling to find that line of what is a municipal decision, jurisdiction, mandate versus what is a provincial jurisdiction and mandate,” Gandam told CityNews.

“This is another really good example of where I think the province and municipalities should have better communication, working together. I don’t think everything needs to be handled through the press.”

Minister Williams did not agree to an interview with CityNews on Friday, but his office sent a statement backing up his comments.

“Municipalities should be focused on their core responsibilities, such as water and wastewater, filling potholes, lowering taxes, attracting growth, building liveable neighbourhoods and efficiently delivering these services,” Williams said.

“When they veer off and waste tax dollars on political ideologies outside their responsibility rather than focusing on the core services they were elected to provide, the province will get them back on track.”