Registry Service Fees for Municipalities (April 11)
Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The 2011-12 budget dramatically increased registry fees. It also added new fees, including a fee as of April 1 for municipal law enforcement to search a motor vehicle registry for the name and address of the owner of a vehicle issued with a ticket.
To the Minister of Service Alberta: what consultation did the minister undertake with the municipalities about the increase from zero to $15 to get the information the municipalities need to collect fines?
The Speaker: The hon. minister.
Mrs. Klimchuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s important to clarify these fees that came into effect on April 1. The police are able to continue to access and do roadside checks and all those timely things they do, and there’s no charge for those services. This is strictly to do with municipalities accessing information for such things as delinquent parking tickets, photo radar, and red light cameras.
The Speaker: The hon. member.
Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That’s not answering my question. What consultation did the minister undertake with the Solicitor General on a way to cover any necessary costs through the budget for law enforcement?
The Speaker: The hon. minister.
Mrs. Klimchuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As this was, indeed, part of the budget process, it was fees that we looked at across the province to see what was best. I think that with the fees we put in place – part of the challenge is that we have a technology system that runs 24/7. It’s really critical to make sure the police have access to that information, that it’s accurate, and that the system never goes down. So it’s part of the technology services as well.
The Speaker: The hon. member.
Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the minister again. It’s costing the city of Calgary $15 million. What consultation did the minister undertake with the Minister of Municipal Affairs about the impact this increase on short notice would have on the ability of municipalities to budget?
The Speaker: The hon. minister.
Mrs. Klimchuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are approximately 800 searches for licence plates that take place every year. With respect to the budget increases in this area it was $83 million in total for all the fees. The $12 million is a portion of that $83 million. So during this transition phase you want to make sure that municipalities access the information for duplicate plates as well as looking for plates with missing information. So at the end of the day it’s making it better for the police to use the service.
Alberta Hansard, April 11, 2011