Chestermere City Council in Turmoil: An Ongoing Battle Over Governance Inspection

The city council of Chestermere is in the throws of a heated controversy as it once again challenges a province-ordered investigation into its governance. Accusations fly thick and fast, as Mayor Jeff Colvin accuses George Cuff, the inspector who led the investigation of criminal activity, alleging his findings to be based on a campaign of deliberate misinformation.
This latest wave of defiance preceded a crucial deadline, set for June 30th, for the city council to have demonstrated improvement over the past three months since the investigation concluded.
Mount Royal University political scientist, Lori Williams, speculates these tensions as signs of a “council that’s headed for dissolution.” Williams critiques the council’s insistence that “everybody’s wrong except for them” and describes Mayor Colvin’s presentation as bordering on “conspiratorial.”
Over two evening sessions this past week, Mayor Colvin spent more than five hours decrying the findings of the recent municipal inspection, which deemed the city’s management as “irregular, improper and improvident.” He accused the inspector, George Cuff, of a prejudiced stance against the city and a lack of concrete evidence in his 200-page report.
These allegations were unveiled during the city council meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday, where Colvin cited numerous emails, financial data, and council resolutions, which, he asserts, contradict many of Cuff’s conclusions. Cuff, renowned as one of Canada’s leading authorities on municipal governance, declined to comment on these allegations.
In March, the province provided the city council with twelve binding directives to resolve the issues highlighted in Cuff’s report. Non-compliance could lead to severe repercussions, including dismissal of the mayor, councillors, or city officials. Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver expressed support for the inspector and the inspection procedure, emphasizing that the process aimed solely to ensure good governance for Chestermere residents.
Interestingly, Mayor Colvin’s long discourse was an attempt to comply with one of these directives, which required the council to explain its reasons for not acting on any of the recommendations from the inspection report. As part of this discourse, Colvin refuted most of Cuff’s findings, insisting that no action was necessary.
The Chestermere city council now faces an increasingly uphill battle. With allegations of procedural bias and accusations of criminal activity by the inspector himself, it remains to be seen how this controversy will unfold.
But the community of Chestermere is not an idle observer in this drama. A group of residents has initiated a call for the removal of the mayor amidst these escalating tensions. This adds another layer to the council’s challenges, which include staff unionization, a dispute with former auditor KPMG, and an assault charge against a city director.
The province’s directives were a call to action for the council, a roadmap to course correction. The question now is whether the council will choose to navigate the path outlined or continue to fight the findings.
As Chestermere continues to grapple with its internal and external conflicts, the situation remains fraught. And, while the province evaluates the city’s progress, Chestermere’s residents, the most vital stakeholders, watch closely, waiting for stability, transparency, and sound governance to return to their city. As Lori Williams, political scientist at Mount Royal University, poignantly points out, it is “the business of Chestermere” that must be the priority. Only time will tell if this message resonates within the corridors of the city council.