Alberta Municipalities President, Dylan Bressey says that he was impressed by the voter turnout for Monday’s referendum.
On October 19, Alberta hosted its provincial referendum. While the results aren’t made official quite yet, Elections Alberta says that nearly 20 million votes were cast.
While unofficial results have been released, Bressey says that two things really stick out to him.
“Number one, there is a lot difference of opinion on nine of the questions between rural Alberta and the big cities. I suggest that is where local councils become so important, because when you have a government that doesn’t have elected MLAs in every part of the province, you do have local councils who are excited to work with government to help and understand local needs.”
“There is a lot of Albertans who either voted yes or no that are worried about their economic future, and their not feeling listened too right now.”
According to Bressey, he talked with people who voted option 2 on question 10, and that most were voting that way because they feel that they aren’t being listened too by the Federal Government.
“I suggest that if people aren’t feeling listened too, we need to strengthen local councils, and explore the order of government closest to them.”
Bressey suggests that local governments are the ones who are the most able to listen to people, and that roads and pipes that local governments create and maintain is what drives the economy.
“We need to make sure that funding for local roads, pipes, schools, hospitals, is keeping up with our population growth.”
“I know that local leaders are ready to work with their colleagues and the province to roll up your sleeves and figure out how are we helping Albertans have access to services they need, while also supporting an affordable Alberta.”
The official results are expected to be finalized by October 29.
