Paul McLauchlin is tired of MLAs knocking on his door before provincial elections, asking him if there are any local construction projects he’d like to announce.

“It’s not that simple,” said McLauchlin, president of the Rural Municipalities Association and reeve of Ponoka County. “Just running around with a big fake cheque out there.”

McLauchlan is optimistic that a bill introduced Monday by the Alberta government will create more accountability and fairness in how provincial infrastructure projects are funded.

He hopes Bill 73, the Infrastructure Accountability Act, will spare municipalities, school boards and universities from the boom-and-bust cycle of governments saving up construction spending announcements for when they want to be re-elected.

Infrastructure Minister Prasad Panda told reporters that a new council of deputy ministers, which will advise on selecting projects for funding, should help depoliticize the decisions.

The proposed approach isn’t new. The United Conservative Party government has been using it since taking office in 2019. 

Any major project to construct, expand, renovate or replace a hospital, school, bridge, dam, provincial museum or another government asset will be judged against six criteria:

• Addresses health, safety or compliance needs
• Aligns with government priorities and strategies
• Fosters economic activity and creates jobs
• Improves program delivery and services
• Considers the lifecycle of the project and whether it will generate a return on investment
• Enhances the resiliency of communities

Projects don’t have to meet all six criteria, and won’t be scored or ranked, internally or publicly. Nor will there be a list of projects that should be funded.

If passed, the bill would take what Alberta has been doing informally and enshrine it into law.

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