Get the little things right

The UCP leadership race is well underway.

Almost daily now, party members are being bombarded with grand announcements about major policies designed to achieve sweeping objectives.

Candidates like to throw out phrases like, “investing in the future,” or “restoring our province’s place as the engine of the Canadian economy,” because they sound ambitious while being light on details.

Sure, it’s good marketing, but you can understand why the average voter is growing increasingly cynical. If you ask them, Albertans want politicians to be less interested in photo opportunities, and more interested in getting the little things right.

A prime example is the slow-motion disaster that is Land Titles, Surveys, and Foreign Ownership of Land.

As I write this, the backlog for registration has reached an abysmal 16 weeks, as compared to one day in British Columbia and four days in Saskatchewan.

Whether you’re a homebuyer, a real estate agent, a land surveyor, or a municipal official attempting to mail out tax notices, these delays directly affect you.

Last Spring, when I personally took this matter to then Finance Minister (now leadership contestant) Travis Toews, he promised swift action. That swift action turned out to be the government previously throwing $10 million at the problem, as well as a vague plan to sort it out over the summer. Since then, the backlogs have predictably grown, and the Calgary and Edmonton Land Titles offices have been temporarily closed for in-person services to try to catch up.

It seems everybody outside of the government’s front bench recognizes the nature of the problem: This government-run service needs a complete overhaul to accommodate growing demand. But for whatever reason, the government prefers to pretend that everything is fine.

Rather than temporarily closing its two urban offices, Alberta Land Titles should expand and open regional offices, like our neighbours in Saskatchewan. This would both help cut down backlogs and provide rural regions with better service.

Alberta Land Titles currently operates at a profit, raising between $40 and $90 million per year. It can well afford regional expansion, as well as reinvestments in technology, without resorting to fee increases or a land transfer tax.

More than a decade spent serving as a representative in Alberta’s Legislature has taught me that our province needs a more business-like approach. Grand goals and ambitions might make for good politics, but getting real results requires detail-oriented management.

Now, more than ever, Alberta needs to focus on getting the little things right.