Media Statement: Mayor Nenshi responds as Province defers $15 motor vehicle search fee

Mayor Naheed Nenshi recently learned that the Government of Alberta has agreed to defer charging the $15.00 search fee to municipalities for batched information released electronically in regard to parking violations and photo-enforcement offenses until September 1, 2011. We understand the intent of this action is to provide municipalities with sufficient time to prepare and adjust their systems and processes to cover the fee.

Confirmation of this deferral was provided by the office of Service Alberta Minister Heather Klimchuk.

Although Mayor Nenshi is currently representing the City of Calgary at the Big City Mayor’s Caucus and Federation of Canadian Municipalities annual conference in Halifax, he has provided the following statement in response to the news:

"While I am pleased that the provincial government has listened to cities and deferred this fee, this is a partial solution at best. Starting the fee in September will cost the City of Calgary at least a million dollars this year that we don't have. The short term solution for the Province is to raise the police fines to cover these new costs, but the real solution is for the provincial government to reduce its costs so that this new fee is not charged at all--$15 for two computers to talk to one another is still ridiculous."

Unfortunately, Mayor Nenshi is unavailable for further comment on this issue at this time.

- Daorcey from Mayor Nenshi's team