YTG proposes longer mayoral, council terms

The Yukon government is proposing 14 changes to the Municipal Act, including one that would see mayors and councillors in office for four years instead of the current three.

The Yukon government is proposing 14 changes to the Municipal Act, including one that would see mayors and councillors in office for four years instead of the current three.

Whitehorse Mayor Bev Buckway said she sees both sides of the argument for and against extending the terms, but welcomes the change.

“Overall, I believe it will be much better, and provide more stability,” she said.

Buckway is also the only full-time mayor or councillor in the territory, so she acknowledges the strain a four-year term may impose.

She said those who work other jobs and serve on council part-time often have to use holiday time from work to go on municipal courses and workshops.

“It is a commitment,” she said. “To me, when you get into council, there is a big learning curve, and this (change) is time to be in there longer and to make changes.”

Those who enter council without doing research beforehand may find four years are a long time.

“If council is not at all what you thought it would be, it’s not for you, then four years is a really long time, and then you’re into alternatives, like byelections.”

As late as the 1980s, mayoral and council elections would occur every two years in the Yukon.

Municipal elections are next set for late 2009.

The term extension is but one proposed amendment the territorial government is asking residents to consider.

To gather feedback, the territorial Community Services department is spearheading a series of public consultations this month, before the deadline for public comment on March 28.

One such change would allow returning officers to vote in municipal elections.

“Similar legislation across Canada shows that all jurisdictions surveyed allow returning officers to vote in municipal elections,” reads the proposed amendment to Part 3 of the act.

Another change proposed would let communities invest in securities using only one high rating from a recognized rating institution, as opposed to the current two.

The proposed change suggests, “Consolidation in the security rating industry makes it challenging for municipal councils to find securities that have been rated by two institutions.”

Under the proposed changes, the revised Municipal Act would allow municipalities to incur debt from engaging in cost-recovery programs, similar to the Rural Domestic Water Well Program, with property owners.

Section 269 of the act would also change to see that a majority of taxpayers affected by a proposed local improvement would need to object to halt said improvement.

Majority would be changed to mean owners representing at least 50 per cent of frontage, to account for large property lot owners holding heavier weight in such decisions.

Currently, when Official Community Plans are changed, two advertisements must run in local newspapers.

The proposed change would see these ads published at least five days apart, to maximize public notice times.

Another change would see bylaws that sit “on the books” for more than two years amidst municipal elections and council shuffles be rescinded.

The proposed changes also ask that municipal governments adopt Public Sector Accounting Board (PSAB) rules.

“This practice is in line with most public governments across Canada,” reads the document.

Buckway said that so many proposed changes aimed at getting Yukon municipalities in line with the rest of Canada may not be the best way to address unique circumstances here, North of 60.

“Our Municipal Act is deemed to be one of the best in Canada. There are so many different regions across Canada that it would be difficult to have a blanket approach,” she said.

Municipal referendums may also change under the proposals. Under the proposed amendments, a new rule would limit the types of bylaws that are eligible for referendum.

Any referendum that arises within six months of a municipal election would also be postponed and included in the election ballots, to save municipalities time and money.

The changes also purport that any referendum decision would need to be based upon a minimum 25 per cent or 2,000 residents’ population to be binding on council, whichever number is less.

Buckway said this is one amendment that raised a red flag for her.

“We have more people living here, and 2,000 people makes up 18 per cent of our population,” she said. “This one I will question, because we want the most people, not the least number.”

She said if 18 per cent come out for a referendum, then a majority decision would be made by only nine per cent of Whitehorse’s total population.

“I always encourage more people to come out.”

That said, Buckway acknowledged that voter turnout in the Yukon’s capital is not always the greatest.

Whitehorse residents have the chance to add in their two cents when those involved in the territorial public consultations hold a meeting in Whitehorse at 7 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Canada Games Centre.

“I encourage people to have a look at these; there are copies available online and here at city hall,” said Buckway.