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By Naheed Nenshi

You may have heard about the conversations about city charters. It may sound a bit esoteric and technical, but the creation of a city charter for Calgary is one of the most fundamental changes we can make to improve our future. Getting this right means less bureaucracy, less red tape, less buck passing, and better services for citizens.

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Over the past several years (and five premiers!), Calgary, Edmonton and the province have worked to modernize the legislation and regulations under which we operate. Currently, Calgary, which has more people than each of five provinces, operates under the same rules and restrictions as Betula Beach, population 10.

The good news is that we all agree that we have outgrown the Municipal Government Act that guides the legislation for all of Alberta’s 344 municipalities. Our local decisions need to be made locally. Tailored legislation like the city charter will allow us to do that. The city charter is essential to ensure our long-term success.