aamdc election member resource guide 2015

RURAL ALBERTAMEMBER RESOURCE

PROVINCIALELECTION 15‘

GUIDE

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Rural Alberta is “Where it All Starts.” The AAMDC wants to work with its members to make sure

that all rural candidates for provincial office recognize the importance of rural Alberta and, if

elected to office, will work towards the interests of rural communities.

The AAMDC 2015 Provincial Election Members Guide will help members educate candidates

on the importance of rural Alberta as well as the challenges that rural municipalities face. Feel

free to use this guide as you see fit, and share it with candidates, colleagues, and interested

members of the public.

In addition to this guide, please visit election.aamdc.com for up to date election resources and

information, or join the conversation about rural municipal issues on Twitter @aamdc.

Why a Guide?

The purpose of this guide is to assist AAMDC members in voicing the rural municipal

perspective on key province-wide policy issues. In many cases, provincial elections are a

combination of local concerns and provincial issues. This guide is intended to assist members in

raising certain province-wide issues as a rural municipal advocate. Some of these issues may

not be top of mind in every rural municipality, but if they are in the guide, they are important to

the continued growth and sustainability of rural Alberta, and could become local hot-button

issues at any time.

How to Use the Guide

The guide addresses a number of rural issues. For each issues, it provides several questions

that can be asked to candidates, select AAMDC position statements, and a brief background of

the issue. The questions are intended to be broad enough to be relevant across the province,

and easy to modify for specific local issues.

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1. Rural Municipal Sustainability

Sample Questions

Although the majority of Alberta’s population live in urban areas, most of Alberta’s land

mass and resource development is located in rural areas. If you are elected, how would

you address the unique needs of rural municipalities?

What is the most important aspect of ensuring rural Alberta remains sustainable? Why is

this important for the province as a whole?

What do you feel is the best approach to balancing the need for municipalities within a

region to collaborate with maintaining local decision-making and municipal autonomy?

Please discuss what you see as the importance of providing community services such as

high-speed broadband and healthcare facilities in rural municipalities. What challenges do

you see in providing these services in rural areas, and what strategies would you use to

overcome them?

What role do you see the Government of Alberta having in ensuring rural municipalities

remain sustainable? What relationship should the province have with rural municipalities?

Position Statements

Rural municipal perspectives on growth and planning are diverse. Depending on their

location within Alberta, some rural municipalities may be dealing with the challenges of

rapid growth, while others may be examining ways to encourage new economic

development in rural and remote areas.

Planning and development requires municipalities to have clear bylaws and statutory

plans. To create those plans municipalities must engage with citizens and local business

owners. Such regulations should be easily understandable to developers and industry.

Inter-municipal development plans should be encouraged because they enable open

communication and effective working relationships with neighbouring municipalities.

Intermunicipal development plans should be mandatory prior to any annexation attempt.

Residents of rural communities expect and deserve equitable access to high-quality

services (ex. schools, FCSS, seniors’ facilities, policing). Meeting these expectations is

vital to maintaining rural communities and ensuring their economic growth, as well as

slowing the decrease in rural population.

Inter-municipal cost-sharing often enhances regional initiatives and enables service

provision. Local conditions and circumstances determine what type of cost-sharing

arrangement will work best. Ideally, the region as a whole will benefit from such

arrangements.

Without adequate community services, the economic well-being and sustainability of

communities is hindered. Therefore, the importance of funding assistance to provide these

services cannot be understated. (ex. small schools by necessity, FCSS, policing, Internet).

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The presence of hospitals in rural communities provides not only health benefits, but

broader community benefits. These include attracting new residents, stimulating economic

growth, and providing opportunities to educating the new generation of health

professionals.

Background Information

Municipalities require the authority, tools, and resources to remain sustainable. This includes

the ability to collaborate regionally while maintaining local autonomy, to implement by-laws and

policies to attract and manage development, and to provide residents with quality community

services. Sustainability for rural municipalities can be broadly broken down into three

categories: Voluntary Cost Sharing, local autonomy and intermunicipal collaboration, and quality

local service provision.

Voluntary Cost Sharing: All municipalities are challenged to generate adequate revenue to

provide infrastructure and services to their residents. To find greater efficiencies in delivering

services, many municipalities collaborate with one another to share the costs of providing a

service or constructing infrastructure that has a regional benefit. These voluntary partnerships

allow municipalities to remain sustainable by providing services more efficiently without

sacrificing local autonomy. Maintaining this voluntary structure will allow municipalities to

continue to collaborate only when it is in their best interests.

Local Autonomy and Intermunicipal Collaboration: In a growing province, inter-municipal

collaboration is more important than ever; however, the heart of a sustainable municipality

remains in its ability to address local issues with local solutions. Some rural municipalities have

urban neighbours that are growing rapidly, while others are in areas of the province

experiencing depopulation. In either case, local planning and development policies and by-laws

must be respected, and solutions to address inter-municipal growth and development issues

must work for all municipalities involved. Sacrificing the autonomy of one municipality to benefit

another is not the path towards a sustainable rural Alberta.

Quality Local Service Provision: Keeping a rural municipality sustainable is about making

sure that residents have access to the services that they expect and deserve. Due to the large

geographic size and small populations of rural municipalities, providing services that urban

residents take for granted, such as health care facilities, schools, libraries, and high-speed

broadband can be challenging and expensive. However, these services benefit rural

communities in ways that go far beyond the service itself. Such services create jobs, attract

residents, improve quality of life, and grow the rural economy. The Government of Alberta

should not view the up-front expenses of providing these services in rural areas as

insurmountable, but rather an investment that will keep the engine of Alberta’s economy

running. The provincial government should work with rural municipalities to find innovative ways

to provide these services. A healthy rural Alberta means a healthy provincial economy, and the

benefits of providing services to rural Alberta should be understood by every candidate.

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2. Municipal Funding and Resources

Sample Questions

Municipalities rely on long-term predictable funding to allow capital investments to be

properly planned and implemented, and to operate efficiently. If elected, how would you

see to that funding for municipalities is predictable and long-term?

Municipalities have limited tools to collect revenues despite providing the majority of the

services that Albertans use on a day to day basis. What revenue tools would you support

expanding for use by municipalities?

Industrial taxation is an important revenue tool for rural municipalities. It ensures that

industry can access both the natural resources and the export markets which are essential

to Alberta’s prosperity. If elected, how will you protect this important revenue source for

rural Alberta?

Municipalities need flexible revenue tools to develop communities that suit their residents’

needs. What is your position on the effectiveness of the current range of development

levies available to municipalities?

Position Statements

Expenses in rural municipalities are often higher than in urban municipalities due to

infrastructure such as extensive road networks, bridges and water and wastewater

systems that need to be maintained. Providing municipal services to rural, sparsely

populated/highly industrial areas is also costly.

The current distribution of industrial taxation is fair and reflects the expenses absorbed

by municipalities from industrial development within their jurisdiction.

AAMDC does not support revenue sharing among local governments as a desirable

means of addressing regional financing of capital initiatives or the funding of service

delivery. However, local solutions are often the best solutions, and the AAMDC respects

the ability of municipalities to solve financing challenges as they see fit.

Cost sharing is preferable to revenue sharing because it is within the mandate of municipal

government, relatively easy to administer, and creates equity, accountability,

effectiveness and efficiency.

Most municipalities do not have sufficient annual revenues, either from taxation or from

grants, to build and maintain needed infrastructure. Each year, this infrastructure deficit

grows while citizens’ expectations increase, which adds to funding challenges for rural

municipalities.


Despite providing an array of services including road maintenance, bridge construction and water

and wastewater treatment, municipalities have limited options to raise revenue. However, all

Albertans rely on these services, and providing them to residents is what makes municipalities

the government closest to the people. Consequently, the financial health of municipalities is

essential to Alberta’s overall prosperity.

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Rural municipalities face several unique challenges related to funding and resources. First, many

rural municipalities have challenges in accessing provincial grant funding for critical capital and

operating expenses. Second, municipalities struggle to recover costs through development levies

for providing expanded infrastructure for new developments. Lastly, since rural municipalities

typically cover large geographic areas with low populations, residential property taxes are

insufficient to fund infrastructure maintenance. As a result, many municipalities rely on industrial

taxation revenue from natural resource development to remain financial sustainable.

Municipal Grants: Since municipalities have limited revenue-raising authorities, they rely heavily

on provincial grants. For rural municipalities, the primary source of provincial funding is the

Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI). In recent years, the Government of Alberta has reduced

the operating component of the MSI and re-assigned that funding to the Alberta Community

Partnership (ACP). While the ACP is valuable, many rural (and small urban) municipalities rely

on MSI operating funding to provide basic municipal services. Most of the ACP grant is not even

available to rural and small municipalities and has traditionally been reserved for high-population

municipalities. This, combined with the continual zero-funding of the Strategic Transportation

Infrastructure Program, has led to a consistent decline in the availability of municipal funding for

rural municipalities. It is important that all candidates understand that all municipal grants are not

equal, and that rural municipalities have unique needs that require unique provincial support.

Development Levies: Development levies (also known as offsite levies) refer to the levies

municipalities are able to charge to developers to ensure that new developments are adequately

serviced with municipal services such as roads, water and waste water treatment. They are levied

to ensure that tax payers do not shoulder the entire burden for new development that will be

profiting the developer. In their current form, development levies are limited in their application

and cannot be used to fund fire halls, police stations, libraries or recreation facilities. While not

every new development needs a full array of services, municipalities require the flexibility to define

what services are needed in their community and the tools to fund those services.

Industrial Taxation: Industrial taxation refers to the taxes that industry pays to municipalities for

the placement of industrial infrastructure within municipal boundaries. Industrial taxation includes

two types of taxes: taxes on linear property and taxes machinery and equipment property (M&E).

Much like residential property taxes that support infrastructure used by residents of a municipality,

industrial taxes help off-set local impacts of industrial development. These impacts include

anything from the strain that truck traffic puts on local roads and bridges to the impacts that a

major development may have on municipal land-use planning. Rural municipalities host the

majority of industrial development in Alberta, and rely on industrial taxation revenues to maintain

Alberta’s rural transportation network. This network helps develop the provincial economy and

provides market access to Alberta’s vast natural resources.

Rural municipalities also use these revenues to help meet regional infrastructure and service

delivery needs by funding cost-sharing initiatives with urban partners. Regional projects may

include fire services, libraries and recreational facilities. Since 2004, transfers through direct

payments and cost sharing arrangements between rural and urban municipalities have increased

steadily, reaching $130,000,000 in 2013. While collaborating has always been a component of

rural life, it is important that regional collaboration remain a voluntary process. It is important that

candidates understand that forced sharing of industrial taxation revenue would have a devastating

impact on rural municipalities, and would harm Alberta’s economy overall.

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3. Transportation and Infrastructure

Sample Questions

If elected, how will you work rural municipalities to address the funding challenges

associated with maintaining a significant portion of Alberta’s transportation network?

The infrastructure deficit on rural roads and bridges is growing each year the Strategic

Transportation Infrastructure Program remains zero-funded. How will you ensure that local

roads and bridges have the funding to continue to serve Albertans and the industries that

are important to Alberta’s prosperity?

While industrial development is vital to Alberta’s prosperity, industry places a major strain

on Alberta’s rural roads and bridges. What role do you see industry having in ensuring

that rural transportation infrastructure remains sustainable?

Rail safety is often regarded as a federally-regulated issue with tremendous local impacts.

What role should the Government of Alberta play in working with municipalities and the

Government of Canada to ensure that trains travel safely through Alberta’s communities?

Due to Alberta’s growth, urban transportation infrastructure such as ring roads and light

rail are often the most discussed transportation issues in the province. However, rural

municipalities are responsible for the majority of Alberta’s transportation infrastructure.

How would you balance urban transportation needs that are based on population growth

with rural transportation needs that are less visible and based on industrial growth?

The province is currently in the process of developing a 50-Year Transportation Strategy

for Alberta. Where do you see rural transportation infrastructure fitting into the long-term

vision for the movement of people and goods throughout the province?

Position Statements

Taxation revenues alone are not sufficient to build and/or maintain municipal

infrastructure.

Long-term, predictable funding from other levels of government is necessary to ensure the

network of roads and bridges support Alberta’s economic drivers and address the

infrastructure deficit.

Municipalities are in the best position to determine local infrastructure priorities and should

be empowered to meet those priorities.

Long-term capital planning and asset management initiatives are important tools to

maximizing municipal resources in the provision of infrastructure. The AAMDC

encourages these efforts and works with various committees in support of this type of

planning.

Rail is an essential component of the provincial transportation network and should be a

factor in all long-term transportation planning in Alberta.

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Rural municipalities collectively manage approximately 75% of roads and 60% of bridges in

Alberta. This makes transportation and infrastructure a significant priority for rural municipalities.

Alberta’s transportation network is used extensively both rural residents and industry. It allows

farmers to reach their fields, it allows oil and gas operators to access their well pads, and it allows

Alberta’s abundant natural resources find their way to global markets.

For rural municipalities and the rural economy, transportation is not only about roads and bridges.

Rail has become a very important issue in rural Alberta, as rail safety is top of mind due to several

major derailments in recent years, as well as the reliability of Canada’s rail system in moving

Alberta’s agricultural and natural resource products through the supply chain. A safe, reliable, and

well-funded rural resource network is essential for the continued growth of rural Alberta and the

province’s economy.

Rural Roads and Bridges: For the past three provincial budgets, including 2015-16, the

Government of Alberta has zero-funded the Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Program

(STIP), which includes the Local Road Bridge Program and the Resource Road Program. The

failure to fund this critical program adds to the growing infrastructure deficit which is expected to

take $70 million per year for the next ten years to close for local road bridges alone. While zero-

funding the STIP may not be felt at the provincial level, rural municipalities are already feeling the

pinch and have resorted to closing or changing the use conditions of bridges. This has a broader

impact on Alberta’s extensive transportation network which allows industry to access Alberta’s

natural resources and move those resources to market. For many rural municipalities, road and

bridge funding is the single

Rail Safety: Due to a recent wave of serious derailments, rail safety has become a key policy

issue for all levels of government across Canada. Municipalities, including those in rural Alberta,

have begun to demand information on the goods being transported through their communities as

well as an assurance that railways will work with them to develop emergency response protocols

in the event of a rail disaster. While the majority of Canada’s rail system is under federal

jurisdiction, Alberta’s rural municipalities require the support of the Government of Alberta in

having their voices heard, especially as transporting petroleum products by rail is a significantly

relevant issue in the province.

Rural Alberta’s Role in Alberta’s and Canada’s Transportation System: Alberta is Canada’s

economic engine and rural Alberta is home to the majority of Alberta’s natural resources.

Currently, both the federal and Alberta governments are in the process of undertaking review of

their respective transportation systems. For the federal government, this is taking place as part of

the Canada Transportation Act review, while in Alberta, it is part of the 50-Year Transportation

Strategy development process. It is vital that both of these processes consider the fact that in any

supply chain that aims to facilitate the movement of Canada’s resources to foreign markets, rural

transportation systems are often the first link. While transnational trade corridors and multimodal

shipping hubs are vital, they are irrelevant if goods cannot be moved safely and efficiently from

the source. As was demonstrated in 2013’s grain by rail backlog, it takes the collective efforts of

all levels of government to work together to seek solutions and make all levels of Alberta’s and

Canada’s transportation system as efficient as possible.

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4. Energy and Resource Development

Sample Questions

Resource development has provincial benefits, but often most directly impacts local

municipalities. How would you balance the need for a streamlined project review process

with the importance of providing municipalities with an opportunity to voice the local

perspective on a resource development project?

What strategies do you feel would be most effective in further mitigating environmental

concerns related to natural resource developments?

Discuss what you see as the primary local benefits and local costs of resource

development.

In your opinion, how could the AER’s project approval process be improved?

Position Statements

AAMDC members are often directly impacted by energy projects because rural Alberta is

the home to the majority of these projects.

Municipalities should have the ability to balance demands of industry and resource

extraction, such as aggregate, with environmental stewardship, planning and approval

processes, and taxation levies.

Impacted municipalities must be thoroughly consulted and given an opportunity to voice

their concern or support for a proposed energy project.

Alberta has moved to a single provincial regulatory body (AER) for energy projects, which

means that municipalities have only one opportunity to have their concerns heard. As a

result, municipalities should have automatic standing at all project review hearings in order

to ensure that local land use and development plans are taken into consideration.

Industry must be willing to work with municipalities to design projects that will benefit

rural communities through job creation while mitigating impacts on municipal

infrastructure and the local environment.

In order for municipalities and the resource sector to co-exist, policy and regulations

relating to compensation, rights-of-way, safety, and pipeline alignment negotiations must

be fair and consider the municipal perspective regardless of the regulating authority

(provincial or federal).

Oil and gas development projects must proceed in a way that causes minimal damage to

the environment, including impacts on water quality. Municipalities must have the ability

to voice concerns about such environmental issues.

Municipalities have to balance the demands of industry and citizens when considering

the environmental impact of development. The government should take necessary steps

to ensure natural resource exploration does not pose a threat to the environment or

compromise environmental sustainability (ex. protection of surface and groundwater

supply).

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Alberta’s economy continues to be reliant on its vast natural resources which are primarily

extracted from areas within rural municipalities. Rural Alberta is home to forestry operations, oil

wells of various types, mining operations, and aggregate (gravel) pits. In addition to the extraction

sites, rural municipalities are also home to the transportation networks that move these products

to export markets including pipelines, rail lines, and highways, as well as processing and refining

facilities.

Although energy and resource development brings widespread benefits to many areas of rural

Alberta, there are also local challenges associated with community safety, land-use planning, and

the environmental impacts of development. While many of these projects and their approval

processes typically fall outside of the jurisdiction of local municipalities, it is often local

municipalities who are must respond to accidents and address resident concerns about noise,

odour, or potential environmental impacts.

Local Input in Development Project Approvals: Oil and gas-related development projects are

approved, monitored, and regulated by the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER). All such projects

must move through an approval process and meet specific environmental and safety criteria,

which varies based on the development type. Although these often have significant local land use

and environmental impacts, the host municipality does not always have the ability to voice their

concerns or support for the project. As energy development is both a provincial and local issue,

the AAMDC believes that local municipal perspective should always be considered by the AER

when approving a project application. Local and use planning is a vital responsibility for rural

municipalities, and those plans should be considered when approving all types of energy

development.

Balancing Industrial Development and Environmental Protection: In addition to local land

use concerns, industrial development, especially that linked to natural resources exploration, has

the potential to cause environmental impacts, which are most acutely felt at the local level. In

many cases, natural resource extraction requires large amounts of ground water and carries the

potential to impact surrounding aquifers and groundwater sources. The AAMDC believes that the

province should, with the support of the host municipalities, ensure that all sources of water and

other environmentally sensitive areas are protected prior to approving an industrial development

project. This already occurs, but by better utilizing local familiarity with the environment, the

effectiveness of such requirements can be increased.

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5. Environment

Sample Questions

The AAMDC and municipalities have been engaged in the development of regional plans

under Land-use Framework, with the understanding that municipal plans will align with

regional plans to provide a cohesive approach to planning. How would you balance the

need for local or regional growth with the targets identified under specific regional plans?

What strategies do you feel would be most effective in further mitigating environmental

concerns related to land-use planning?

Water management will continue to be an area of importance as the province continues

to grow. How will you balance the various demands for this resource?

If elected, what will you do to ensure the appropriate funding mechanisms are in place to

support water and wastewater infrastructure in all areas of the province?

Position Statements

Environmental responsibility in Alberta focuses on air, land, water and biodiversity.

Municipalities play a key role in front-line environmental management in all of these areas

in order to provide healthy communities for citizens.

Municipalities are responsible for land-use planning decisions which take into

consideration the environmental impacts of growth, development or land-use changes.

Municipalities must always strive to find a balance between being responsible

environmental stewards and their capacity in terms of financial and human resources.

Environmental stewardship requires effective communication between municipalities, First

Nations, the provincial and federal governments, industry, citizens and other stakeholders.

To promote sound environmental stewardship, it is necessary to have coordinated

legislation and jurisdiction to protect water bodies and the environmentally sensitive areas

adjacent to them.

Environmental impacts and agricultural considerations are key components in municipal

land-use planning (ex. flood mitigation and drought mitigation).

Adequate funding needs to be put into place to ensure Alberta’s rural areas are

guaranteed equitable access to safe and secure water as urban areas.

Protecting Alberta’s rivers, lakes, wetlands and groundwater is an important priority for

municipalities and as a resource, water must be well managed through conservation and

protection.

Provincial funding programs such as Water for Life must be reinstated as soon as possible.

Each year water and wastewater infrastructure funding is insufficient, the infrastructure

gap grows and Alberta’s municipal water network becomes more vulnerable.

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Any significant regulatory changes to municipal water management and distribution

processes must be accompanied by reasonable funding to assist municipalities in

implementation.


Environmental considerations impact municipalities in multiple ways including land-use planning,

water management, and the need to manage growth responsibly. As the host of industrial

development, agricultural production, tourism, and residential living, rural municipalities must

practice environmental management to balance local economic growth with the need to protect

the land.

Land-use planning and responsible growth: A key municipal responsibility is to ensure that

the environmental impacts of growth, development or land-use changes are considered in any

municipal land use planning process. Municipalities work within a legislative framework

established by the federal and provincial governments to ensure environmental impacts are

considered during decision-making processes and work with neighbouring municipalities and

landowners to promote environmental stewardship. This includes consideration of impacts of

land-use, such and industry and agriculture, and the protection of water bodies and the sensitive

areas adjacent to them. Responsible growth planning involves working with other municipalities

and stakeholders to ensure a balanced approach is taken.

Water Management: Municipalities play an important role in responsible water management to

meet human need, support healthy aquatic ecosystems and support economic growth. They work

with other levels of government to align policies and practices with legislated requirements to

ensure resources are managed appropriately to provide residents, industry and businesses with

safe and secure water sources to meet their needs. Adequate funding needs to be in place to

support infrastructure needs, address implementation costs resulting from regulatory changes

and support municipalities in managing water resources.

Municipalities rely on provincial funding through such programs as the Alberta Municipal

Water/Wastewater Partnership and Water for Life to support infrastructure costs associated with

the supply and treatment of water.

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6. Agriculture

Sample Questions

As the province continues to grow, competing demands for land will continue. What will

you do to ensure valuable agricultural lands are protected to enable the ongoing success

of the industry?

Enhancing the agricultural industry in Alberta requires ongoing investment at the provincial

level. If elected, what steps would you take to promote the agricultural industry and

enhance opportunities to diversify the economy?

If elected, what additional supports would you recommend being implemented to ensure

agricultural producers have access to programs to address the unpredictability of the

industry related to items such as pests and inclement weather?

Position Statements

Agriculture is a vital industry in Alberta and a way of life in many rural municipalities.

As the voice for rural Alberta, the AAMDC advocates for the need to protect and promote

the agriculture industry to ensure it remains a contributor to Alberta’s economy.

The agriculture industry requires consistent support to promote industry sustainability due

to its complex nature.

Agricultural income is vulnerable to extreme market fluctuations and natural disasters.

Assistance for producers should be designed to support the industry and address

concerns such as crop damage due to hail, pest infestations, drought, and market

fluctuations.

The financial health of Alberta’s agriculture industry has local, provincial, and national

economic significance.

Agricultural producers in Alberta work with multiple levels of government in a variety of

capacities. This includes working with municipal governments for land use planning

decisions, the provincial government for income support and insurance and federal

funding programs.

Municipalities and agriculture producers work with provincial regulatory bodies on the

approval process regarding operations (ex. Natural Resources Conservation Board).

Agricultural production has evolved with the availability of new technologies and

educational opportunities for producers. Incorporating technological and educational

advancements in order to remain competitive is essential to the viability of the industry.

To promote positive environmental practices, recycle programs need to be developed to

address plastics used in the agricultural industry.


Rural Alberta is home to an expansive agricultural industry that is a vital contributor to the

provincial economy. In a growing province with increased demands on land and resources,

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sustaining and promoting the agriculture industry should be a priority. Alberta’s economy cannot

continue to rely on oil and gas and the agriculture industry contributes to economic diversification

and infrastructure support for allow market access for agriculture products is essential.

Competing demands for land- use: Competing demands for land-use in a growing province

have impacts on the agriculture industry. The Land-use Framework acknowledges the impacts of

urban sprawl and seeks to address the fragmentation and conversion of agricultural lands but

stronger land-use planning practices are needed to promote infill and consider the preservation

of land used for agriculture. As land-use planning is an important responsibility for municipalities,

enabling a balanced approach to meet growth needs while ensuring lands are available for

various industries, including agriculture, is essential.

Enhancing the Agriculture Industry: Last year, the Government of Alberta released the Rural

Economic Development Action Plan (REDAP) which identified opportunities to enhance, support

and further develop the agriculture industry and the rural economy. Expanding Alberta’s

agriculture industry provides an opportunity to diversify the provincial economy from the current

reliance on oil and gas. The AAMDC supports action items identified in the REDAP and is a strong

advocate for sustaining and enhancing agriculture operations that contribute to the continued

success of Alberta.

aamdc election member resource guide 2015

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