Clearwater County

All municipalities with common boundaries must - within two years (spring 2020) of the new Municipal Government Act (MGA) coming into force - adopt Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework bylaws and Intermunicipal Development Plans (IDPs).

 

REQUIRED CHANGES:

Implementation of mandatory regional planning mechanisms for land-use planning, and require municipalities to work together regarding delivery of services and cost-sharing. All municipalities with common boundaries will require to adopt an Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework. This framework will highlight and formalize existing collaborative work across the province, and provide a forum for neighbouring municipalities to work more closely together to better manage growth, coordinator service delivery, and optimize resources for citizens.

 

An Intermunicipal Development Plan (IDP) is a high-level policy plan created between adjacent municipalities and provides a forum for neighbour municipalities to work together. An IDP is designed to foster cooperation and integrated development near the municipal boundaries so that unnecessary costs and negative impacts for the municipalities are avoided. The principles and objectives established in the IDP guide the growth of future development by identifying general locations for major land uses and servicing. In addition to guiding future growth, if there is a disagreement between municipalities on development, IDPs provide a framework for dispute resolution.

 

 

An Intermunicipal Development Plan allows two or more municipalities to address growth and coordinate planning activities on the boundary areas of the municipalities. The primary goal of ICFs is ensuring neighbouring municipalities work together regarding service delivery and cost-sharing.

 

Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework must include:

•     minimum requirements regarding intermunicipal land-use planning;
•     minimum list of shared regional services;
•     a dispute resolution process for when partnering municipalities cannot agree;
•     timelines for completion;
•     authority to exempt municipalities in certain cases; and
•     other matters as required.

Clearwater County will develop IDPs and ICFs with the following municipalities:

 

ICFs must be in place by April 1, 2020 (within two years of the legislative requirements coming into force).

 

To learn more about one of the many ICFs that Clearwater County will be working on, please click on a sub-page in the menu bar of this webpage.