WHEREAS Section 20 of the Local Government Act allows a council to request the extension of a municipality to include land not in a municipality and the council must obtain the approval of the electors of the municipality in relation to the proposed extension; AND WHEREAS municipal boundary extensions into electoral areas are done without the approval of the electors within the affected electoral areas: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government be requested to amend the Local Government Act so that the council must also obtain the approval of the electors of the affected electoral area in relation to the proposed extension.
Ministry of Community, Sport Cultural Development The Local Government Act provisions relating to elector approval and assent are intended to establish elected officials accountability to those electors they are mandated to represent. It would be inappropriate for a municipal council to seek approval of the electors outside their jurisdiction. As well, there would be concerns about the interests of the entire electoral area potentially outweighing the interests of those directly affected by a boundary extension. Government expects a proponent municipality to consult with the regional district to determine whether a proposal impacts any regional district services. In cases where there is a significant impact, the Ministry generally requires mitigation to reduce the impact on those regional district services and the communities they serve. Municipalities and regional districts are not limited to reacting to specific extension proposals. They can set up a framework for processes and protocols to manage boundary extensions. This would establish a common understanding and set mutual expectations for the parties. Such an agreement could also establish timelines, if and when consultation with rural residents is appropriate, approaches to mitigating impacts and possible future boundary extension locations for reference.