Crowsnest Pass council has declared the municipality and Alberta vital parts of Canada and said Alberta should remain a province within a united Canada.
Council passed Coun. Dean Ward’s motion 4-2 on October 6, less than two weeks before Albertans vote in a province-wide referendum.
Mayor Pat Rypien and councillors Ward, Doreen Glavin and Darren Nastasi supported the motion. Councillors Doreen Johnson and Tony Vastenhout were opposed.
Question 10 in the October 19 referendum asks voters to choose between Alberta remaining a province of Canada and directing the provincial government to begin the legal process required to hold a binding referendum on separation. The October 19 result itself is not binding.
Ward said council should take a position on an issue that could affect the municipality. He pointed to politicians, municipalities, labour organizations, Indigenous groups and businesses that have publicly supported Alberta remaining in Canada.
“I’m very proud to be a Canadian,” Ward said.
Johnson said her vote against the motion should not be taken as an indication of her personal position on national unity. She argued council had not heard presentations from both sides, surveyed residents or otherwise established the community’s position.
“What I do expect council to do is to make good leadership decisions based on information, debate and exploring the possibilities,” Johnson said.
She said council could have gathered information and heard competing views before taking a position. Johnson said she was voting on council procedure and what she considered informed decision-making, not expressing support for Alberta leaving Canada.
Vastenhout also opposed the declaration on the grounds that council should not take a side.
“I really think that council should stay neutral on this,” Vastenhout said. “The people of the Crowsnest Pass will decide that.”
Nastasi said separation would have lasting financial consequences for both Alberta and the municipality, including effects on the cost of supplies.
“It will have a lasting effect on this municipality,” he said.
Glavin referred to her Dutch-born parents and Canada’s role in securing the freedom that allowed them to move here. She said information provided to councillors through municipal associations had also raised concerns about the possible cost of separation.
Rypien argued separation could have a direct local effect because approximately 600 Crowsnest Pass residents work in British Columbia’s Elk Valley. She said a new international border could complicate their travel to work, although the details of any separation arrangement are not known.
Rypien also said the motion had been advertised and residents who disagreed had an opportunity to address council. One public-input speaker urged council to support the declaration before the debate began.
Advance voting in the provincial referendum runs from October 13 to 17. Election day is October 19.