Disorganization Validity of certain orders Correction of errors Village a body corporate Road allowances Village council 13. If the boundaries of any village or rural municipality are altered in any manner, or if any village is disorganized as provided in the last preceding section, the Minister may provide for the settlement and adjustment of all matters arising out of such alteration or disorganization, and for the disposition of the assets and liabilities of the village or rural municipality affected. 14. No order purporting to be made by the Minister under the provisions of section 12 of this Act shall be deemed invalid on account of any noncompliance with the provisions of this Act as preliminary to such order; and no misnomer, misdescription or omission in any such order shall in any manner suspend or impair the operation of this Act with respect to the manner misnomed, misdescribed or omitted. 15. Any misnomer, misdescription, omission or other error in any order made by the Minister under the provisions of this Act may by any subsequent order be corrected by the Minister as of the date of the original order. 16. Every village is hereby declared a body corporate and the name of the body corporate shall be "The Village of (here insert the name of the village).” (2) The Minister may from time to time alter the name of any village and notice of such alteration shall be published in The Alberta Gazette and in such case the seal theretofore used by any village shall continue to be the seal thereof until changed by the council. 17. For the purpose of defining boundaries of a village under this Act, those sides of road allowances upon which monuments or posts have been or may hereafter be placed under a survey made or to be made pursuant to The Dominion Lands Surveys Act, being chapter 21 of the Statutes of Canada, 1908, or any other Act of the Parliament of Canada heretofore or hereafter in force, relating to surveys, shall be the boundaries either of townships or of sections: Provided, however, that in the case of correction lines, the south side of the road allowance shall be the boundary and that the boundaries of all Indian reserves shall be the lines defining that side of the road allowance immediately next to such Indian reserve. THE VILLAGE COUNCIL. 18. Every village shall be governed by a council consisting of three members who shall be elected annually by a general vote of the electors in the manner hereinafter provided. of councillors 19. The persons eligible for election as councillors shall Qualifications be the male electors of the village, who can read and write, are British subjects or have not resided long enough in Canada to comply with the conditions of qualification by residence to be naturalized, but have made a statutory declaration of their intention to become naturalized as British subjects within six months: Provided that if any person making such declaration neglects or refuses to become naturalized as a British subject within above mentioned period his seat in the council shall forthwith be vacated. The said declaration shall be in the following form: in the Province of Alberta do hereby solemnly declare "1. That I am not a British subject; "2. That I have not resided in Canada for a sufficient period of time to comply with the conditions of qualification by residence to be naturalized, but that it is my intention to become naturalized as a British subject as soon as the conditions of qualification by residence permit me to do so; "3. That I am in all other respects than naturalization eligible and qualified for election as councillor of a village. 'And I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing it to be true and knowing that it is of the same force and effect as if made under oath and by virtue of The Canada Evidence Act. 20. No paid official of a village, no person who has, or whose partner has, an interest in any contract with or on behalf of the village, no person who has either alone or jointly with another person any claim or right of action against a village, and no person who, or whose partner, is acting as counsel or solicitor in the prosecution of any claim, action, or proceeding against a village shall be qualified to be a member of the council thereof: Provided, however, notwithstanding anything herein contained no person shall be disqualified from being a member of the council of a village merely by reason of his being 4 Dis qualification Term of office of councillors Declaration of office Election of reeve Meetings of council a shareholder in any incorporated company having contracts or other dealings with the village, or by reason of his having a contract with the village for the publication in a public newspaper of any advertisement, or of his having a lease of twenty-one years or upwards from the village of any property but no such leaseholder shall vote in the council on any question affecting any lease from the village, and no such person shall vote on any question affecting any company of which he is a shareholder. 21. If the first election in a village is held prior to the first day of July in any year the councillors elected at such first election shall hold office until the end of the then current calendar year, and if such first election is held subsequent to the first day of July in any year, such councillors shall hold office until the end of the calendar year next ensuing, and thereafter every member of the council shall hold office for one year. 22. Every member of the council and every other officer of the village shall before entering upon the duties of his office, make and subscribe a declaration of office in the following form: "I, A.B., do solemnly promise and declare that I will truly, faithfully and impartially to the best of my knowledge and ability, execute the office (insert the name of the office) to which I have been elected (or appointed, as the case may be) in this village, and that I have not received any payment or remuneration or promise thereof for the exercise of any partiality, abuse or undue execution of the said office, and that I have not myself, nor has any partner of mine, either directly or indirectly any interest in any contract with or on behalf of the said village (here insert if such is the case) except that arising out of the contract or the publication of an advertisement in (here insert name of newspaper), a public newspaper-save and excepting that arising out of my office as (naming the office). So help me God." 23. The council shall at its first meeting elect one of their number as chairman, who shall be known as the reeve of the village. 24. Every council, save as is hereinafter provided, shall hold six meetings in each year at such times and places as may be fixed by resolution. Every meeting shall be open to the public but the person presiding at any meeting may cause to be expelled or excluded any person guilty of improper conduct at such meeting: Provided that any council elected after the first day of August in any year shall hold at least three meetings in that year. 25. A majority of the whole council shall be necessary Quorum to form a quorum and no business shall be transacted unless there be such a quorum present. Rules of 26. Every council may make rules and regulations, procedure not contrary to law or to the provisions of this Act, for governing its proceedings, calling meetings, appointing committees, the conduct of its members during meetings and generally for the transaction of its business. All councillors 27. Every member of the council present shall vote on to vote every division unless excused by resolution of the council or unless disqualified to vote under the provisions of this Act. officer 28. The reeve shall preside at every meeting of the Presiding council and shall preserve order and enforce the rules of the council and in case of his absence from the meeting another councillor shall be elected to preside at such meeting, and shall have the same authority as the reeve himself would have had, had he been present at the meeting. reeve 29. The reeve shall be the chief executive officer of the Duties of village and it shall be his duty to be vigilant and active in causing the laws governing the village to be put in force and duly executed, to inspect the conduct of all village officers and so far as may be in his power to cause all negligence, carelessness and violation of duty to be duly prosecuted and punished and to communicate from time to time to the council all such information and to recommend such measures as may tend to the betterment of the finances, health, security, cleanliness, comfort, ornamentation and prosperity of the village. 30. The reeve or any other councillor may resign his Resignation position in the council at any time, or the reeve may resign his position as reeve while retaining his position as councillor, by sending notice in writing of such resignation to the secretary-treasurer, and every such notice shall be brought to the attention of the council at its next meeting and steps shall be taken immediately by the council to fill the vacancy. 31. If after the election of any person as a member of the council, he is convicted of an offence, which under the provisions of The Criminal Code is punishable with death or imprisonment for three years or over, or becomes insolvent within the meaning of any Act in force in the province, or assigns his property for the benefit of his creditors, or, if not a British subject, fails to become naturalized within the time prescribed by section 19 hereof. or if, without being authorized by a resolution of the council so to do, absents himself from the meetings of such council for three consecutive months, the seat of such member in the council shall forthwith become vacant. 32. If the position of reeve becomes vacant by death, resignation or otherwise, the council shall forthwith elect some person from among its number to fill the position for the unexpired portion of the term of the council. (2) If a seat in the council becomes vacant by death resignation or otherwise the council shall forthwith appoint a returning officer to hold an election to fill the vacancy and such an election shall be held as nearly as may be in the manner provided by this Act for other elections; but if such vacancy occurs after the first day of November in any year such election shall not take place. (3) Should all the members of the council resign their seats the Minister may by order direct that an election for councillors be held, and appoint a returning officer and fix a day, hour and place for holding the nomination meeting; and such election shall be held as nearly as may be, in the manner provided in this Act for other elections. 33. If in any village the electors refuse or neglect to elect a council or any member thereof, the Lieutenant Governor in Council may appoint some person or persons to act as councillor or councillors and some person to act as reeve of the village and such persons shall have all the powers and authorities and shall be charged with all the duties conferred or imposed upon, elected councillors or upon the reeve of the village, as the case may be, under the provisions of this Act, or of any Statute of Canada, Ordinance of the North-West Territories or Act of the Province of Alberta, or any rule or regulation having the force of law made under the authority of any such Statute, Ordinance or Act. 34. The first council of every village shall hold office from the date of its election until the election of its successor and thereafter the council of every village shall hold office until its successor is elected. Returning VILLAGE ELECTIONS. 35. At all elections after the first election the secretarytreasurer shall be the returning officer for the village; provided, however, that should the secretary-treasurer be unable or refuse to act as returning officer either before or after the opening of the nomination meeting the council may appoint some other person to act or continue to act as |