Wednesday, July 27, 2022 Vol. 45, No. 30
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UCP hopeful Smook lays out platform during Viking visit Patricia Harcourt Editor
Kevin Smook came to Viking Monday for a town hall meeting at the CN Station teahouse. Smook is challenging incumbent Camrose MLA Jackie Lovely, who is serving out her first four-year term in the Alberta Legislature from the provincial election that brought Premier Jason Kenney’s government into power. With another provincial election slated for next year, the nomination process is underway as political parties work to field candidates. For the United Conservative Party (UCP) in the riding of Camrose, the choice is between Smook and Lovely to run as a candidate. At the teahouse, Smook outlined some of the platform he is rolling out on various topics, including expanding the number of nurse practitioners in the province, introducing a plan to mitigate inflationary pressures, and reducing the small business tax from 2% to zero as a “temporary tax holiday.” “It’s not a huge amount,” he said, but added it would “help out” for a time. Then, after two years, the tax could be brought back but only to half the former amount, a permanent 1%. This would create a total tax load on small businesses of 10%, with the federal government’s 9% net tax taking the lion’s share. Smook is the owner of a realty company which operates throughout the county. And he has ties with Viking by way of extended family on his wife’s side of the family. Smook also happens
to be the reeve of Beaver County, succeeding twice in that capacity. His latest of several platform topics was issued on Monday concerning “growing and sustaining rural communities,” with Smook referring to the problem of oil and gas companies not paying their taxes to rural municipalities. Other issues include rural crime, emergency medical transportation and the need to support agricultural societies. “I’m telling you my ideas but I’m looking for solutions, too,” he said. “If you have a better solution I’d like to hear it.” His concern that some oil and gas companies haven’t paid their tax bills to rural municipalities is a real issue. The result, he says, is that other taxpayers have to pick up the difference that the oil and gas companies fail to pay. Smook was reminded by one person of new UCP legislation, called Bill 77, the Municipal Government Amendment Act, which is supposed to help rural municipalities by enabling them to put special liens on oil and gas companies to pay unpaid property tax. Smook said he “hopes the UCP’s idea will help,” but reminded the questioner that a municipality can’t place a lien on property belonging to some other person or entity. He added that he would “like to see (oil and gas companies who haven’t paid their taxes) stopped from further development until they have met the obligations they have now,” and for the regulations governing their businesses to have “more teeth.” As well, rural municipalities will
have less income to share with their urban neighbours in the form of shared service agreements if these companies don’t pay the taxes owed In closing the town hall, he said: “I’d like your support to be the UCP representative for Camrose in the next provincial election.” UCP members can vote for the riding’s next UCP candidate in Sedgewick on August 4, Daysland on August 5 and Camrose on August 6. “I’m conservative and I am here to unite the Conservative movement,” he
said, in a later interview. “I think it’s in jeopardy if we don’t unite.” Kenney united the Progressive Conservative and Wildrose parties before leading the resulting United Conservative Party to victory in 2019. However, since that time friction has grown between the two factions. As well as working to unite the party, Smook said his style of politics “is to take the time to have a meaningful conversation with people, hear their concerns and advocate on their behalf. Continued on Page 6
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