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Advocacy
There are many definitions of advocacy, and many ways that individuals and groups can advocate for their causes or issues.
Hinton Town Council advocates for residents on local, provincial, and national matters. We see advocacy as seeking support for something such as a cause, policy, or initiative. This support could include specific changes to policy that would benefit our municipality or funding for Town programs and initiatives.
Effective advocacy requires a strategic and coordinated approach where elected officials and municipal administrators work together to move community priorities forward. These efforts can be directed towards other levels of government (Provincial, Federal), municipal partners and groups (Alberta Municipalities, Federation of Canadian Municipalities), or even the public.
View more information on responsibilities of different levels of government here.
Town of Hinton Advocacy
- Increased Eligibility and Funding for Alberta Affordability Grant
- Attraction and Retention Strategy for Rural Health Care Professionals
- Creation of a Wildfire Prevention Committee
- Helipad
- Bill C-33 Marine Act Amendment
Background: Access to stable, high-quality, affordable childcare is essential to families, municipalities, and the provincial and national economy. Through the Canada-Alberta Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement (CACWELCC), signed in 2021, spaces are increasing, however availability and affordability of child care continues to be an issue.
Alberta has a mix of not-for-profit and for-profit daycares and under the CACWELCC, there is a maximum number of for-profit child care spaces eligible for the affordability funding. Alberta's government estimates the for-profit spaces cap may be reached by summer 2025 and has decided to limit which new spaces receive the remaining funding allocation.
As of May 15, 2025, eligibility for the Affordability Grant changed to existing programs, applicants in the final stage of their licensing process, and new programs in communities with long waitlists (specifically, only Grande Prairie, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Fort McMurray or Canmore/Banff). The change does not affect the not-for-profit program stream, nor the process and criteria for licensing. It also does not affect existing programs with an Affordability Grant or Space Creation Grant.
Entrepreneurs across the province who have invested significant resources into developing for-profit daycare programs, some in the late stages of development and licensing, have recently been notified that they are no longer eligible for the grant, causing stress and financial hardship. This also negatively affect parents, as any new for-profit child care spaces that do not meet the new Alberta Affordability Grant criteria will not be eligible for the funding, meaning that parents who have children enrolled in those spaces will not see their child care fees reduced.
Goal: Increased eligibility and funding for the Alberta Affordability Grant for licensed child care, to ensure better access to high-quality, affordable child care in Alberta.
Action: Town of Hinton has submitted a Resolution for consideration at the Alberta Municipalities Convention, November 12-14, 2025. This resolution has been seconded by the Town of Sylvan Lake and the Town of Nanton.
Action: Hinton's resolution calling for increased eligibility and funding for the Alberta Affordability Grant passed at the Alberta Municipalities Convention. Read more about Council's advocacy at the convention here.
Update: On December 12, 2025, the Province of Alberta announced that they had extended the current child care agreement with the Government of Canada by one year. As part of this extension, an additional 5,000 for-profit spaces will be eligible to receive federal funding to improve access to child care in areas where options are limited. The overall cap of 68,700 funded spaces remains in place.
Background: On June 18, 2024, Hinton Town Council declared a Local Health Care Crisis in recognition of the limited availability of health care in town, resulting from numerous primary care physicians leaving the community and challenges in the continued operations and full-time coverage of the Hinton Medical Clinic. However, the challenges we are facing are not unique to Hinton. Municipalities across Alberta have been affected by health care shortages, often resulting in a lack of services, including Emergency Room closures in many communities.
Goal: The provincial government develop an Attraction and Retention Strategy to increase the number of medical professionals, including primary care physicians, in the Town of Hinton and other municipalities in rural Alberta.
Action: Town of Hinton presented a Resolution at the Alberta Municipalities Convention, September 25-27, 2024, which gained overwhelming support. Alberta Municipalities will now advocate for the Government of Alberta to develop a Rural Health Care Professionals Attraction and Retention Strategy that focuses on increasing the total number of health care professionals in rural Alberta.
Action: On October 3, 2024, the Government of Alberta announced a new initiative aimed at improving health care in rural and remote communities across the province.
Background: Alberta’s wildland fire seasons are worsening, posing significant challenges to municipalities within and beyond the Forest Protection Area. Wildfires are starting earlier, lasting longer, and impacting larger areas of Alberta than ever before. This increase in wildfire activity places a substantial strain on municipal fire and emergency management resources.
Goal: The provincial government establish a ‘Wildfire Prevention Committee’ consisting of industry, municipal and provincial subject matter experts, elected officials, and senior municipal administrators.
Action: The Town of Hinton presented a Resolution at the Alberta Municipalities Convention, September 25-27, 2024, which gained overwhelming support. Alberta Municipalities will now advocate for the Government of Alberta to establish a ‘Wildfire Prevention Committee’ consisting of industry, municipal and provincial subject matter experts, elected officials, and senior municipal administrators.
Background: Having a helipad at the Hinton hospital is of paramount importance. A helipad would significantly enhance emergency medical services by ensuring rapid access to critical care for patients in remote areas. In medical emergencies, such as severe trauma cases or life-threatening conditions, every second counts, and a helipad would allow medical helicopters to land directly at the hospital, saving crucial time that would otherwise be spent on ground transportation to a distant medical facility.
Goal: The Town of Hinton requests that the Province of Alberta allocate necessary dollars to construct and maintain a certified helipad adjacent to the Hinton Hospital.
Background: Amendment BQ-5 to Bill C-33 (Marine Act) potentially accelerates the timelines associated with phasing out of thermal coal, which is currently set for the year 2030. Thermal Coal is produced in the Hinton area. Any accelerated timeline for the phase-out of Thermal Coal will disrupt industry plans, compromise contracts signed, and investments made, and affect hundreds of workers in the mining, port, rail and supporting industries. Any accelerated timeline will also inhibit the municipality’s ability to adequately plan for this monumental shift in the local economy.
Goals:
- The Government of Canada remove amendment BQ-5 from Bill C-33
- The Government of Canada provide information on the financial, socioeconomic, and trade relations impacts of accelerating the phaseout of Thermal Coal.
- The Government of Canada provide certainty for Canadian industry, workers, and municipalities by refraining from any ban on the loading or unloading of Thermal Coal to and from ships in a port until December 31, 2030.
Update: As Bill C-33 did not pass before the session of Parliament ended on January 6, 2025, the bill is no longer going through the legislative process.
Additional Advocacy:
- September 2024: At the Alberta Municipalities Convention, the Town of Hinton Seconded the City of Red Deer's Resolution for a Provincial Emergency Shelter Strategy, which was also adopted.