THOMAS: Stay in your lane, mayor — Calgary City Council has no business voting on Alberta independence

Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas has announced his intention to add an urgent business item to a council agenda or call a special meeting of council to seek its endorsement "of Calgary remaining at the center of a strong and united Team Canada,” he said in an interview on Wednesday. It's a bad idea. This is not a matter of which streets to pave, which leaky pipes to fix, or putting a halt to confidential meetings, things where council should direct its attention. It's also not a matter of giving individual councillors the option of voting yes or no to staying on Team Canada. It's the mayor making that decision for individual councillors, and I doubt all 15 of them have the same opinion on independence. Even a unanimous vote poses problems. City council's number one responsibility is Calgarians; by adopting the mayor's motion to stay on Team Canada, councillors would, by rote, be voting on behalf of Calgarians, and we all know not all Calgarians are of the same mind when it comes to independence. .If councillors individually want to make their stance on Alberta independence known, that's fine, but that also should not be expressed in council chambers. Farkas' plan comes on the heels of Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack making a motion “that the City of Edmonton declare that Edmonton and Alberta are a vital part of Canada, and that Alberta should remain a province within a united Canada.” Edmonton City Council unanimously passed the motion, but Calgary City Council should not vote on the issue just because Edmonton's council did. There are some restrictions under provincial rules from Elections Alberta, including "municipalities cannot financially campaign or run advertisements using city funds.” However, local elected officials are legally permitted to voice their own opinions and take an official policy stance, but the legislation dictates that municipalities aren’t permitted to raise money or advertise to support a side. Brendan Boyd, a MacEwan University political science professor, said politicians can express their opinions while being careful about what may be considered advertising or campaigning. ."Of course, they can say things and pass motions, as the City of Edmonton did,” Boyd told CBC News, adding, "advertising and campaigning could include things like attending and speaking at events." "They have to be pretty careful with how much they do and what exactly they do if they want to be supportive of one position or another." Farkas explained his stance against independence to CBC last week. “We have to stand up, we have to fight, and we need to push back," he said. “So, I'm going to be doing more than just moral support. I think that given the economic carnage that separation would incur on the City of Calgary specifically, we have a duty and responsibility to act.” Earlier this month, Calgary Ward 14 Councillor Landon Johnston said he thinks cities and towns can help ensure everything goes smoothly for the referendum, but he doesn't think they should be picking sides. "There's elected officials, and then there's bureaucrats. And so, for me, the bureaucrat side is supposed to be as neutral as possible on as many things as possible," he said. Farkas' proposed motion is well outside the council's lane, which is roads, pipes, and how about lowering taxes. And, if a special meeting is called, it had bloody well not be held behind closed doors.

THOMAS: Stay in your lane, mayor — Calgary City Council has no business voting on Alberta independence

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