Alberta Called, People Came, and Now Cities Are Stuck Carrying the Costs | The Walrus

Alberta’s population has increased through programs that attract people from other provinces, with most newcomers settling in cities. Municipal infrastructure needs have grown, but provincial investment in municipal services has declined in real terms. Adjusted for inflation, government funding to municipalities fell from $635 per person in 2009 to $327 in 2023. As population rises, provincial revenues increase through income taxes, while municipalities face more demand with insufficient or delayed support. Inflation continues to raise costs, forcing many municipal councils to raise property taxes repeatedly since at least 2019 to maintain essential services such as water, roads, and fire halls. Concerns also arise about how electoral boundaries may be redrawn as growth continues.

"Alberta welcomed more than 200,000 people in 2023, and nearly 700,000 moved to the province between 2021 and 2025. Nearly all of these newcomers settled in cities, where eight in ten Albertans live. But provincial investment into city and municipal infrastructure continues to move in the opposite direction. Adjusted for inflation, municipalities have watched government money halved, from $635 per person in 2009 to $327 in 2023."

"When population increases, the provincial government sees its revenues climb through income taxes, but municipalities experience the opposite-more demand, but insufficient or delayed help, all while inflation only grows. The net result is that many municipal councils have been repeatedly forced to increase property taxes since at least 2019 to maintain basic infrastructure, such as water, roads, and fire halls."

"Premier Danielle Smith took to the Shaun Newman Podcast to argue Alberta needed to "aggressively" increase its population to fight Ottawa. Alberta should double to 10 million from 5 million, Smith said, to "actually have the political clout in Alberta that we deserve.""

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