Cochrane Mayor Jeff Genung pressed home Cochrane's needs with Official Opposition leader Rachel Notley last week in Edmonton.

Genung wants to see the re-establishment of a fair funding formula for Cochrane and similar mid-sized cities. Family doctor shortages and EMS response times were also part of the discussions.

Genung is chair of the Alberta Mid-sized Cities Mayors' Caucus, representing 24 larger communities, and has been leading the charge for a mid-sized city charter, similar to one created specifically for Edmonton and Calgary.

"The primary focus to that is funding, but there are others, like access to transit funding, programs for affordable housing, and issues we are dealing with as growing communities."

Genung says Edmonton and Calgary have been dealt a better hand while smaller communities have been left to fend for themselves.

NDP leader Rachel Notley says all Alberta municipalities deserve to have predictable funding and it's not a one-size-fits-all scenario. She says they were three-quarters of the way through creating a mid-sized city charter before the UCP won the 2019 election.

"We had been in the midst of negotiating a mid-size cities charter when the last election happened, and then we saw that end and the level of certainty that elected-municipal leaders could count of sort of dissipating," Notley told Cochrane Now.

"All municipalities deserve some level of predictability and reliability in the funding that they receive from the provincial government because they have to plan so they know what they can count on in the future."

Genung believes that the 24 mid-sized cities have a strong case and plenty of clout.

"We represent a million people, 33 constituency offices, and MLAs, so we're a pretty powerful group when we put our voices together, and we have unique needs in the province," says Genung.

"The province government, we've got their attention, they know we exist, they know what our needs are now, and we're just going to continue to utilize our joint advocacy efforts to get what the things that we need as mid-sized communities."

Doctor shortages

Notley says they realize there's a shortage of family doctors across the nation, but actions taken by the UCP government have made it worse in Alberta.

"As the starting point, we had a provincial government that unfortunately developed a very hostile relationship with doctors when they tore up the doctors' agreement," says Notley. "Although they've now reinstated it, there are still a lot of hard feelings, and we're still seeing doctors pick up and go. 

"We have to start by re-establishing a better and more positive relationship with doctors across the province."  - Rachel Notley

She says in some communities that should be done in consultation with municipal leaders because they play an important role in the recruitment of physicians, and what they do matters.

She says there needs to be a change in the approach to the issue, and the NDP caucus will be releasing a more detailed plan.

EMS crisis

The government's recent announcements of more ambulances, contracting third-party ambulance companies for nonemergent transfers, and hiring more personnel for emergency rules aren't enough without dealing with the root issue of the EMS crisis.

Paramedics, HSAA, and EMS lobby groups have all said having more ambulances is of little value if you don't have enough manpower to operate the ones you have.

Notley says addressing the issue starts with treating paramedics with the respect they deserve.

"We should not be treating them like temporary workers at a fast food joint, which is a little bit like what we have been doing." - Rachel Notley

"The number of paramedics who still cannot get a permanent contract, who don't know from one 90-day period to the next whether they have a job, who don't have access to benefits, don't have access to a pension, that's unacceptable. These folks do important work and we need to acknowledge that in the way we compensate them."

She says they deserve the certainty of permanent contracts, need benefits, and need to know they will get off on time.

"All of this will help to recruit more people into the industry because right now they're burning out, and at the same time, they're really struggling to recruit because we are not treating them with the respect that they deserve."

Invitation to come to Cochrane

Genung invited Notley to a Mar. 23 meeting of the mid-sized cities mayors. As they did for the 2019 spring election, the mayors have invited all major political party leaders to discuss their platforms in Cochrane.

Notley was at that session in 2019 and says she is looking forward to being part of it again. She's double-checking her schedule to make sure it's possible.

Genung believes getting a commitment from Notley will encourage other provincial leaders to make it a priority. He says they have received a firm commitment to participate from Alberta Party leader Barry Morishta, and are awaiting a response from UCP Premier Danielle Smith and Alberta Liberal leader John Roggeveen.

It's about Cochrane, not partisan politics

It was one of several stops on Genung's Edmonton trip. He says it's a continuation of his major focus on connecting with provincial government counterparts. This year he anticipates having more in-person discussions.

He doesn't live in a bubble and is not surprised to hear some criticism of his meeting with Notley.

"I know they'll be certain people in the community, I've heard a few rumblings about it already, that aren't happy with the Cochrane mayor meeting with an NDP individual but, hey, I've got to remain nonpartisan, and we need to put Cochrane's needs ahead of party politics."

Genung will continue to work with everyone at the provincial level and says has a strong relationship with Airdrie-Cochrane MLA Peter Guthrie and many other government ministers.