Spending most of his life in agriculture, Jim Ness knows something about planting seeds. Now he is planting the seeds of democracy with his neighbours in Special Areas.
Ness has spent his whole life in Special Areas, and almost for as long he has had grave concerns for the political atmosphere in Special Areas, specifically, that there is no locally elected municipal government.
He explains that this has been a lifelong concern.
“I am an old guy, I have farmed here in the Special Areas for 50 years, I’m 71 years old and I have been furious over the Special Areas Act since I first learned about it when I was 18 years old,” he tells The Mail.
Ness is the president of the Grassroots Alberta Landowner Association, and recently the group has published a small booklet on the Special Areas and its position that it is time to restore a locally elected municipal government.
“I believe that I am planting a crop and I believe that spreading these booklets all over the Special Areas will get people to think and say ‘why not have democracy?’” he said. “I believe there is going to be leaders that will spring up and lead the change to municipal government… Step number one is educating everybody.”
The Special Areas Board is a product of the Great Depression. The Special Areas are overseen by representatives appointed by the province under the authority of Municipal Affairs. Ness explains there is private land, crown land and tax recovery crown land. Over the years, there has been recommendations to reestablish municipal government, but no action has been taken.
He says under this act, even private landowners are restricted. A few years ago, the SAMDA Economic partnership was formed to help bring younger families to the area.
“Before the year was over I discovered the biggest roadblock to people coming back and developing new businesses and operations, was the Special Areas Act,” he said “There are too many regulatory strings under the act. It comes down to this, under the act, those of us that lease crown land and own title land, we have no rights or no remedy. It is time to shake that bondage off, get rid of the Act, keep our good people and get on with democracy, a way of life that Albertans have had for years.”
He also has concerns about budget.
“I as a ratepayer have no input,” he said. “ I want to have input into the budget issues in the area,” said Ness.
If indeed they were granted the ability to establish a democratic municipality, he feels the area should not be carved up.
“I want to maintain our borders. The eastern part of Special Areas is the best place in the world to live. I have lived here for 71 years, and I don’t want to live anywhere else. We want to maintain this area under one democratic administration. It would be a mistake to split it up.”
He makes it clear that his issue does not come from his dealing with the management of Special Areas.
‘I have no axe to grind with the Special Areas Staff, they are really good people, my quarrel is with the Act. It is time for democracy. How can you argue against democracy?”
To learn more about this movement, go to www.grassrootsalberta.ca.
