MAYOR IN HINDSIGHT: Advisory committees are becoming useless

The 200 municipalities in Alberta have formed a total of about 1,000 advisory committees. Most are useless.

The 200 municipalities in Alberta have formed a total of about 1,000 advisory committees. Most are useless. These committees range from seniors advisory committees (of course you have to have one of these) and youth advisory committees (of course you have to have one of these) and dozens of other committees who councils put in place out of the best intentions.

They are formed to give advice to council. Most are useless and many don’t give advice to council. These committees have no power, no authority, and may only get to present to council annually in some cases.

They meet to appease the small factions of a community (whom they represent) while the decision makers are the council members who often do not even attend the committee meetings, if they even have a councillor representative. Red tape reduction should take a shot at these committees. The first advisory committees to be eliminated should be the 25 police advisory committees in Alberta.

Does one actually think the police inspectors and police chiefs across Alberta are going to actually act on a bunch of anecdotal stories and personal vendettas of those sitting on these committees? I think not. The police have to deal with real crime, not a committee’s wish list.

Additionally, the RCMP policing contracts are signed with the chief elected officials in Canada (mayors) and not with the councils and police are certainly not listening to any lame committee. Of the 100 members in a community police detachment, how many actually listen to a lame committee? Certainly council is not going to listen to this lame committee.

Councils have been abdicating control across Canada, watering down policies, delegating its due diligence and being told to keep their hands off and fingers out. So, in their wisdom, they form audit advisory committees, police advisory committees, homelessness advisory committees, environmental advisory committees and housing advisory committees. None have teeth.

Ask your mayor or reeve next time you see them what the priorities are of each of these committees are. A blank stare will emerge with the proverbial, “I don’t sit on that committee but I will do some research and get back to you.” Committees are useless and it is not popular to say so.

The province is faced with having to put in place stronger and stronger oversight and control on some matters because councils in Alberta are not doing their jobs. Whether it be codes of conduct, development fees or local land use intervention, the province is finding itself having to step in and put in controls because councils do not do it. Councils have been delegating too many matters to their administrations and lame committees and, frankly, it is not working.

Councils and council members in Alberta need to do the jobs they are elected to do and get rid of the useless committees. Councils need to do the difficult work themselves, like they were elected to do and paid to do. Folks, that is how things should really work, but appointing useless committees is how it really works!

Nolan Crouse, former mayor of City of St. Albert