TAPYeg announces plans to run candidates in Edmontons next municipal election [Video]

Just days after the Alberta government announced it would allow political parties at the municipal level in Edmonton and Calgary, one has already been formed, announcing they will run candidates in the next election.

Transparent and Active Partnerships Edmonton, known as TAPYeg, declared its intentions after the provincial government tabled Bill 20 last week.

The proposed law by Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party government would give cabinet broad authority to dismiss councillors, overturn local bylaws and allow political parties to run in municipal elections — for now in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta’s two largest cities.

Those who oppose Bill 20 say it could lead to provincial interference and politicians following a party line instead of representing the views of the area of the city they’ve been elected to serve.

“I think those are all fair comments, but we accept parties as a really important part of democracy, provincially and federally,” said local businessman Jeffrey Hansen-Carlson, the president of TAPYeg. “The fact …