EDMONTON — Alberta’s government is creating a new minister’s council to explore alternative ways municipalities can finance roads, utilities and other infrastructure needed to support growing communities.
Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams announced the council Monday, saying it will bring together municipal leaders and industry representatives to examine new approaches to infrastructure funding and identify tools municipalities can use to build and maintain critical services.
The council will work alongside a Building Industry and Land Development Alberta working group focused on alternative infrastructure financing.
The province says the goal is to help municipalities address infrastructure pressures without increasing the tax burden on Albertans.
“As Alberta’s communities grow, we must address our growing infrastructure gap,” Williams said in a statement. “We need to ensure municipalities have the tools they need to build and maintain infrastructure that supports that growth.”
The council is expected to examine alternative financing models, partnerships with the private sector and approaches used in other jurisdictions. Its findings and recommendations will be used to help guide future government policy decisions.
The announcement comes as Alberta continues to experience strong population growth, increasing demand for roads, water systems, transit networks and other municipal infrastructure.
Municipal organizations welcomed the initiative.
Alberta Municipalities president Dylan Bressey said local governments have long faced growing pressure on property tax revenues while trying to maintain services and accommodate growth.
Jeff Acker, chair of the Alberta Mid-sized Cities Mayor’s Caucus and mayor of Spruce Grove, said rapidly growing communities need new tools to meet rising infrastructure demands.
The province says it remains committed to traditional infrastructure funding programs. Budget 2026 includes $7.1 billion over three years for municipal infrastructure projects.
Through the Local Government Fiscal Framework, Alberta municipalities are receiving $820 million in 2025 and $800 million in 2026. Municipalities are also receiving $276 million annually through the federally funded Building Communities Strong Fund.
For many residents in Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo, however, the question will be whether new financing tools and additional infrastructure investment can help address persistent local concerns, including road maintenance and potholes, which remain among the most visible infrastructure issues raised by residents each spring.
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