ABmunis event addresses recurring and new challenges to municipalities

EDMONTON – More than 400 municipal elected officials and senior administrators met at Alberta Municipalities’ two-day Spring Municipal Leaders’ Caucus (MLC) in Edmonton to discuss key issues, share perspectives, and hear from provincial cabinet ministers.

We were pleased to celebrate the provincial government’s partial restoration of Grants in Place of Taxes (GIPOT) in Budget 2025. This year’s increase is a significant step in the right direction, and the provincial government’s commitment to fully restore this funding in 2026-27 is deeply appreciated. We are grateful that the provincial government heard our 264 members when they called for GIPOT funding to be fully reinstated as soon as possible.

“We are pleased whenever our members feel their concerns have been heard by the provincial government, especially as municipalities’ needs are being challenged by international politics” said ABmunis’ President Tyler Gandam. “There’s strength in working together to overcome shared challenges.”

Alberta Municipalities (ABmunis) is concerned about the stress and strain our member communities are experiencing due to Alberta’s unprecedented population growth over the past few years. The addition of several hundred-thousand people to our province has led to extra wear and tear on aging municipal infrastructure and increased demand for a wide range of family and community preventative services like those provided by FCSS. The provincial government acknowledged these growth-related issues in Budget 2025, but it neither increased the base funding amount for its Local Government Fiscal Framework (LGFF) nor increased FCSS funding beyond the usual $105 million a year. We intend to continue advocating for funding increases for both.

Today, our members heard Premier Smith’s call to adjust their municipal procurement policies so they “buy local” as much as possible in response to ongoing American efforts to impose tariffs on a wide range of products. Our members will enthusiastically purchase locally and provincially made products whenever possible. For most, this represents no change from their current policies. Alberta Municipalities’ stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the provincial government on this important issue.