A petition by voters in the Village of Carbon has been deemed sufficient by the Minister of Municipal Affairs, and he orderd a preliminary review.
The Mail reported in its May 18 edition the Minister of Municipal Affairs Office had received a petition from Carbon residents. This was the second petition submitted this year. Previously a petition was submitted to remove CAO Vanessa Van der Meer. It was deemed insufficient.
This second petition is requesting an inspection into the affairs of the Village of Carbon.
Mayor Bryan Peever received correspondence from Ric McIver, Minister of Municipal Affairs, dated June 7. It noted the petition met the 99 signatures.
“As a general rule, the effectiveness of our municipal government system is predicated on the autonomy of municipal governments, and their accountability to the residents. That being said, the MGA also places an obligation on the Minister of Municipal Affairs to determine when a situation in a municipality warrants provincial intervention to ensure protection of good governance in the public interest,” reads the letter.
It goes on to say undertaking an inspection is an extraordinary measure.
“While it is clear the petitioners have concerns regarding the village, I do not have sufficient information at this time to fully understand the situation or whether other actions may be most appropriate. For this reason, I have asked ministry staff to conduct a preliminary review into the concerns identified, as well as other governance and administrative areas as necessary.”
This preliminary inquiry will include interviews with members of council, the CAO and the petition representative. The letter notes, this is not intended to be a verification process and cannot result in any directive.
No written submissions or documents will be received during this process, and participation is voluntary.
“While the review is a voluntary process, and you have a choice regarding your participation, I encourage your full cooperation and participation to assist me in making an informed decision on the request,” noted the letter from Minister McIver to Mayor Peever. “Once I have reviewed the background provided through the preliminary review, I will advise you of my decision as to what further steps, if any, will be taken.”
