Community and People Services Position Statement

2026 - Volume 1

Rural municipalities face unique challenges and opportunities related to funding and local delivery of provincial services such as health care and policing, as well as services such as broadband, education, recreation, and Family and Community Support Services (FCSS), which are the responsibility of municipalities, non-profits, or the private sector. Large geographic areas and low population densities make service delivery complex, yet rural municipalities continue to innovate to create safe and healthy communities, even as provincial approaches to funding and service delivery often fail to align with rural needs and realities. Historical challenges associated with delivering rural community services have been exacerbated recently by reductions in rural delivery of provincial services, reduced provincial funding for locally-delivered services, and increasingly complex rural service needs.

Community and People in Context

The core programming of FCSS is meant to be funded by an 80% contribution from the Government of Alberta, with the remaining 20% from the FCSS’s municipality. However, many municipalities estimate their funding contributions to FCSS programming to be over 35%.
Alberta’s seniors’ lodge system is deeply rooted in rural life. Of the province’s 150 lodges, roughly 70% are located in rural communities, making them on of the most critical supports for aging Albertans outside of major centres.

What is RMA’s position on the importance of community and people services?

Delivering services in rural areas will likely look different than in urban areas. Effective rural service delivery requires creative strategies and collaboration among municipalities, the Government of Alberta, and community partners to ensure sustainability and resilience.
Across service categories, the Government of Alberta support (in the form of direct service delivery or funding contributions) has either been reduced or not kept pace with rural community needs. Municipalities consistently fill these local gaps, creating enhanced viability risks and diverting funding and capacity from core municipal infrastructure and services.
Rural Albertans deserve equitable access to quality health care, with a strong local voice in how services are funded and delivered. Any changes to the health care system must support local needs, improve service availability, and build healthier, more resilient rural communities.
Municipal contributions to policing must lead to improved service levels, faster response times, and greater local input in collaboration with policing agencies across the province. These investments should ensure that rural communities receive fair, effective, and responsive policing that reflects their unique needs and priorities.
Reliable broadband and cell service are essential for enabling rural participation in the digital economy. Providing these services in rural and remote areas requires innovative strategies, partnerships among multiple levels of government and non-profit organizations, and private sector internet service providers.
Essential community services such as education, recreation, Family and Community Support Services (FCSS), and health care are the backbone of rural vitality. Ensuring their availability helps sustain community well-being, attract families and businesses, and fosters long-term growth.

Why are community and people services relevant to rural municipalities?

Rural municipalities play a direct role in coordinating, funding, and delivering community services, often working with provincial government, agencies, and local providers to ensure residents are not disadvantaged by distance or limited resources. Their involvement helps tailor solutions to local realities, ensuring that communities remain healthy and supported.
The Government of Alberta is primarily responsible for the funding and delivery of community and people services. Due to the Government of Alberta’s unwillingness to design service delivery and funding through a rural lens, rural municipalities are increasing their role in funding and delivering services that are not within their mandate to fill provincial service gaps.
Properly funded and delivered community and people services attract businesses, welcome families, and allow people to age in place. This ensures that despite geographic and population challenges, rural communities remain viable and resilient.
Access to health care, connectivity, emergency services, and social supports are not optional extras, but are the backbone of community sustainability. Applying a rural municipal lens to planning and funding these services ensures that community infrastructure is delivered equitably, enabling rural residents to thrive.

Who does RMA partner with to advance the rural perspective on community and people services?

RMA Members: RMA relies on the perspectives and feedback of members to understand the unique challenges and opportunities associated with effective community and people services in the province.
Government of Alberta: Many community services require collaboration among the Government of Alberta, the local municipality, and one or more non-profit organizations. It is critical that all organizations involved in the delivery of community services have a shared voice as to how the service is delivered within the community.
Healthcare Organizations: RMA partners with professional organizations, such as Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RhPAP), Nurse Practitioners Association of Alberta (NPAA), Rural Development Network (RDN), and College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA), to provide joint advocacy for the recruitment and retention of health care workers in rural areas.
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): RMA encourages municipalities to work with ISPs to support rural broadband service development (e.g. purchasing infrastructure and allowing ISPs to service these facilities to facilitate broadband distribution to low population density areas, partnering with an ISP to share the cost of building infrastructure).
Royal Canadian Mounted Police: RMA regularly communicates with the RCMP to pursue options for enhanced service and greater local input into policing. Emergency services, like policing, are essential to community safety and must be prioritized.

What are RMA’s current priorities on community and people services?

Alberta Health Restructuring

In November 2023, the Government of Alberta and Alberta Health announced a massive restructuring of the health care system into four pillars (acute care, continuing care, primary care, and mental health and addictions). This restructuring will only be successful if there are careful considerations to the effects it will have on rural municipalities and access to care in rural communities.
RMA is working with the Rural Health Branch (RHB) and the Regional Advisory Councils (RACs) to find opportunities for municipal perspectives to be included in healthcare reform and service delivery discussions.
The centralization of services increases the risk of rural health services being reduced or eliminated in some areas as service level decisions could become more linked to profit generation under the change.

Police Funding Model (PFM)

The new PFM, which took effect on April 1, 2026, introduces several changes to the formula used to calculate municipal contributions to frontline provincial policing. The PFM changes did not align with RMA input, and continue to reflect a disconnect between the contributions of individual municipalities, local service levels, and municipal input into policing.
The PFM formula places an inequitable burden on municipalities in multiple ways because it was not designed through a municipal lens. Inequities among municipalities include the portion of locally-derived property tax revenue that is contributed to the GOA to fund policing, the change in local policing capacity, and significant differences among municipalities in expected annual increases to PFM cost contributions.
Municipalities are paying a growing share of frontline policing costs without an apparent connection to increased local service levels. Because of this, RMA sees the PFM as a significant download onto municipalities, rather than a municipal/provincial partnership.

Family and Community Support Services (FCSS)

Legislation requires that the costs of delivering FCSS is funded by an 80% contribution from the Government of Alberta, with the remaining 20% from the municipality hosting the local FCSS service. However, the overall contribution to the entire provincial FCSS program has remained stagnant at $100 million since 2015, with a small increase of $5 million in 2023. Due to the rising cost of FCSS programming, many municipalities contribute more to FCSS programming than required in order to keep the services operational.
The core mandate of FCSS is prevention. Unfortunately, FCSS programs have been expected to fill gaps in the community and provide services that go beyond their scope. FCSS programs require an increase in sustainable funding to maintain their service provision.