2021 Community Spirit Awards Call For Nominations

The awards, formerly known as the Civic Recognition Awards, honour individuals who have made an extraordinary contribution to the community and who by their dedication, activities and/or accomplishments have enhanced the quality of life in Medicine Hat. Residents can nominate individuals for the 2021 Community Spirit Awards in the following categories: Arts/Culture, Sports/Recreation, Compassion, Environment, Community Inclusion, Volunteerism and Civic Pride. The deadline to submit a nomination form is Friday, May 31, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. For more information, please call 403.529.8296. To download a nomination package, visit the City website. More information.

Nominate Albertans who enhance community safety

Albertans are encouraged to nominate groups or individuals involved with crime prevention initiatives, youth justice committees, victim services, restorative justice programs and other community-based justice efforts. Albertans can submit award nominations in five categories including leadership, innovation, service enhancement, community mobilization, partnerships and collaboration. Nominate a community leader or organization before April 16th at noon.

The Recall Act

Bill 52, the Recall Act, would allow Albertans to initiate a process that could lead to removing and replacing elected officials including members of the legislative assembly (MLAs), municipal officials and school trustees during their term. Under the proposed Recall Act, recall of an elected official becomes an option 18 months after the respective provincial, municipal or school board election. An eligible Albertan could begin the process to have their MLA recalled by applying to the chief electoral officer. In the case of municipal officials, the Albertans would need to notify the chief administrative officer of the municipality. For school board officials, they would apply to the secretary of the relevant school board. The Albertan would then have 60 days to gather signatures from 40% of eligible voters in their constituency for MLAs. For elected municipal officials, the Albertan would need signatures from electors that represent 40% of the population in the municipality or ward. For school board trustees, the Albertan would have 120 days to gather signatures from 40% of eligible voters in that school district or ward. Read more.

Public engagement on Canada's first National Infrastructure Assessment

The federal government launched an Engagement Paper on Canada's first National Infrastructure Assessment: "Building the Canada We Want in 2050." It sets out the purpose and benefits of undertaking a National Infrastructure Assessment and seeks input from the public, Indigenous Peoples, provinces, territories, municipalities, and stakeholders on three main priorities of the assessment:

• Assessing Canada's infrastructure needs and establishing a long-term vision;
• Improving coordination among infrastructure owners and funders; and
• Determining the best ways to fund and finance infrastructure.

The National Infrastructure Assessment, once in place, will help identify Canada's evolving needs and priorities in the built environment and undertake evidence-based long-term planning toward a net-zero emissions future. More information.

Bill 51, the Citizen Initiative Act

Bill 51, the Citizen Initiative Act, would allow Albertans to bring their concerns and proposals forward to government for discussion or referendum. The proposed Citizen Initiative Act would allow any Albertan who is an eligible voter to bring forward an initiative for consideration. To bring an initiative forward, an Albertan would apply to the province's chief electoral officer to start a petition for an initiative. They would have 90 days to gather the signatures of:

• Ten percent of voters provincewide for legislative and policy initiatives.
• For constitutional initiatives, petitioners would need the signatures of 20 percent of voters province-wide and would need that level of support in each of two-thirds of Alberta's constituencies.

More information.

Formal consultations to design a made-in-Alberta solution to plastic, packaging, and hazardous household waste

Alberta's government is seeking ways to better manage this waste through a circular economy approach -an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program that will reduce volume in our landfills and diversify the economy. Under this approach, the cost and management of recycling shifts from municipalities and municipal taxpayers to those directly producing and consuming goods, encouraging companies to produce less waste and packaging and come up with innovative ways to recycle more materials. The consultation will occur with municipalities, industry experts, Indigenous communities through stakeholder meetings and with the public through an online survey. open until April 30. More information.