To improve reporting on resolution advocacy, the RMA shares a bi-annual bulletin highlighting recent actions undertaken on expiring resolutions
The Expiring Resolution Update Bulletin offers members more detailed insight into the work being carried out on their behalf on expiring resolutions. Although expiring resolutions will continue to inform RMA’s approach to advocacy on a related issue, the bulletin will be RMA’s final official reporting on a resolution. For the latest formal statuses and reactions to all resolutions, view the RMA’s Resolutions Database.
The Spring 2026 edition of the Expiring Resolution Update Bulletin features the following resolutions:
| Resolution ID | Resolution Name |
| 1-23S | Enhanced Support for Receiving Municipalities in Dissolutions |
| 2-23S | Provincial Funding Stream for Non-Residential Infrastructure |
| 3-23S | Amendments to the National Building Code |
| 4-23S | Strategic Direction for the RMA |
| 5-23S | Access to Mobile Wireless (Cellular) Services |
| 6-23S | Rural Access to Supports for Addictions, Homelessness and Mental Health |
| 7-23S | Revision of the Alberta Land Stewardship Act to provide for an Expiration Date in Conservation Easement Agreements |
| 8-23S | Provincial Review of Agribusiness and Agritourism |
| 9-23S | Rural Fixed Wing Medivac Services |
| 10-23S | Victim Services Delivery Model |
| 11-23S | Reforming the Bail System to Address Rural Crime |
| 12-23S | Casino Opportunities for Charitable Organizations |
| 13-23S | Municipal Access to Open Data |
| 14-23S | Hydrogen Industry Support |
| 15-23S | Capital Funding Support for Housing Management Bodies |
| 16-23S | Applied Research Associations Funding |
| 17-23S | Negative Impact of Bill C-21 on Albertans |
| 19-23S | Non-Profit Exemption from Federal Fuel Charge |
Resolution 1-23S: Enhanced Support for Receiving Municipalities in Dissolutions
Resolution 1-23S calls on the Government of Alberta to review the financial compensation, timelines, processes, and other provincial supports provided to municipalities that absorb dissolved neighbours, ensuring these supports reflect the immediate and long‑term needs of the receiving municipality. RMA released the Post-Dissolution Impacts Study in 2024, recommending that the Ministry of Municipal Affairs develop a guidebook and resource directory to better equip absorbing municipalities for the costs and responsibilities that follow dissolution. The study also recommended the creation of a sustainability monitoring and support program for “at‑risk” municipalities.
Despite this engagement, no formal plans have been confirmed regarding indicator review or adaptation. As a result, Resolution 1‑23S will retire with the status Intent Not Met. RMA will continue to advocate for a more effective viability review process – both before and after dissolution – based on the findings of the Post‑Dissolution Impacts Study.
Resolution 19-23S: Non-Profit Exemption from Federal Fuel Charge
Resolution 19‑23S asked the Government of Canada to amend the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act to allow registered non‑profit organizations to apply for an exemption from the federal fuel charge. RMA also urged the federal government to honour its earlier commitment to support non‑profits by returning a portion of fuel charge revenues to help offset rising operating costs. In April 2025, the Government of Canada repealed the consumer federal fuel charge, leaving the industrial fuel charge in place. Rebate programs funded through the consumer federal fuel charge were also discontinued, including those for small- and medium‑sized businesses the resolution sought to expand to all non‑profits. The repeal also rendered moot the exemption certificate process which previously allowed certain non‑profits to avoid paying the fuel charge.
The federal government did not issue a formal response to RMA regarding Resolution 19‑23S. As a result, this resolution will retire with the status Incomplete Information. However, the diminished range of rebates that originally motivated the resolution are no longer available due to the repeal of the consumer fuel charge. RMA will continue to monitor the impacts of the fuel charge repeal – and the loss of associated rebate programs – on rural businesses, non‑profits, and the public.
Resolution 2-23S: Provincial Funding Stream for Non-Residential Infrastructure
Resolution 2‑23S calls for the creation of a dedicated and long‑term funding model to support capital infrastructure in Alberta, recognizing that rural infrastructure is essential to industrial economic development and must be funded accordingly. In 2024, RMA released the Infrastructure Deficit Project Reports, a comprehensive analysis of the condition of Alberta’s bridges, roads, utilities, and other core assets, and the costs to repair or replace them. The study found that restoring municipal infrastructure to optimal conditions would have cost $17 billion in 2023, rising to a projected $20 billion by 2026. To highlight this growing gap and lack of meaningful provincial action, RMA recently launched the Closing the Gap campaign. Budget 2026 reflects the ongoing challenge: there was a significant decline in provincial investment in infrastructure compared to 2024 and 2025.
Securing a stable, adequate, and dedicated funding stream for non‑residential rural infrastructure remains a long‑standing concern. However, with no progress toward establishing such a funding model, Resolution 2‑23S will retire with the status Intent Not Met. RMA will continue advocating for the sustained investment rural communities need to support Alberta’s economic success.
Resolution 3-23S: Amendments to the National Building Code
Resolution 3-23S called on the Government of Alberta to advocate at the federal level regarding the potential negative impacts on Albertans that may result from proposed National Building Code changes. In response, the Government of Alberta emphasized its support for a consistent national framework while preserving the ability to diverge when necessary. While flexibility is welcome, the resolution specifically requested that Alberta not adopt net‑zero emissions requirements. Despite this, Alberta implemented Tier 1 energy efficiency requirements in the 2023 Alberta Edition of the National Building Code. These requirements remain today.
RMA will continue advocating for increased flexibility in Alberta’s building codes, especially regarding net‑zero emissions requirements, while remaining engaged in national and provincial code development to ensure rural municipal interests are represented. RMA is also assessing how federal greenhouse gas objectives, Alberta’s ability to diverge from national models, and the impacts of energy‑efficiency tiers, affect rural affordability, capacity, and implementation. As the Government of Alberta participated in national building code engagement processes, the second operative clause of Resolution 3-23S, the resolution is assigned a status of Accepted in Part. RMA will continue advocating for future code requirements that reflect rural realities and municipal capacity.
Resolution 5-23S: Access to Mobile Wireless (Cellular) Services
Resolution 5-23S highlights the discrepancy between cellular network coverage reported by the CRTC and actual service coverage experienced by rural Albertans. The resolution calls for the CRTC to verifiably improve cellular coverage in rural Alberta to ensure the continued operation of local businesses, timely emergency response, and other essential services.
In Spring 2023, the Auditor General of Canada released a report reviewing the federal connectivity strategy and found that no specific targets or timelines related to mobile cellular connectivity along major highways. The report also found that as of 2021, only 59.5% of households in rural and remote areas across the country had access to minimum connection speeds.
Throughout this resolution’s life cycle, RMA had not received a response from the CRTC addressing the highlighted issues related to cell service in rural Alberta. The Alberta Minister of Technology and Innovation provided a response indicating that cellular network coverage is a priority for the ministry; while this is encouraging, matters relating to cellular network coverage fall largely under federal purview.
In December 2025, the Auditor General of Canada shared an additional review of cellular service connectivity in rural and remote areas to the House of Commons with recommendations that by March 2026, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) and the CRTC should provide updates to the reporting and verification methods of telecommunications service providers.
While Resolution 5-23S expires with a status of Intent Not Met, RMA has been participating in the CRTC’s recent National Public Alerting System engagement and the Mobile Reporting Standard engagement. RMA emphasized the need for accurate service coverage reporting and reliable access to adequate cellular coverage in rural Alberta.
Resolution 7-23S calls for the implementation of expiration dates for Conservation Easements to help promote increased land use flexibility and maximize the potential value of land within municipalities. Currently, Conservation Easement Agreements are enacted in perpetuity, limiting the available uses of land and hindering potential land use planning and development decisions.
RMA did not provide a response to this resolution. In 2024, RMA engaged with members and stakeholders from various sectors, emphasizing the need for non-permanent conservation easements during a Government of Alberta engagement on various land conservation tools. In July 2025, the Government of Alberta announced the launch of two new private land conservation programs with the intention of providing more investment and funding towards shorter term and temporary conservation easements. Although these are welcome changes, the Government of Alberta did not implement an expiry date to conservation easements specific to the resolution request. Resolution 7-23S expires with a status of Intent Not Met.
Resolution 13-23S: Municipal Access to Open Data
Resolution 13-23S calls for the Government of Alberta to provide further investment and support towards increased access to Open Data for municipalities. The Government of Alberta response acknowledges Open Data access as a commitment of the Technology and Innovation Strategy and was open to engagement and feedback opportunities from municipalities. Furthermore, recent provincial budgets allocated $7.5 million annually towards the implementation of the Data Strategy, administered by the Ministry of Technology and Innovation, and an additional $10 million was allocated in Budget 2024-2025 towards addressing data constraints for upcoming unspecified programs. RMA has also been working to action the recommendations of the Wildfire Working Group, which calls for better access to fuel inventory and fire behavior data for municipalities. This resolution expires with a status of Accepted in Part.
Resolution 14-23S: Hydrogen Industry Support
Resolution 14-23S calls for the Governments of Canada and Alberta to further support and invest in the hydrogen economy, helping to ensure rural Alberta becomes and remains a leader in the emerging hydrogen ecosystem. The Government of Alberta has signaled its commitment to growing this sector by allocating $57 million in funding towards Emissions Reduction Alberta and Alberta Innovates in 2024. The provincial government has also facilitated the development of the Calgary Region Hydrogen Hub, a multi-stakeholder partnership designed to collaboratively promote innovation and investment in the hydrogen sector across Alberta. The Government of Canada has also taken steps to support the sector by introducing the Clean Hydrogen Investment Tax Credit in 2024. This resolution expires with a status of Accepted.
Resolution 16-23S: Applied Research Associations Funding
Resolution 16-23S calls for the Government of Alberta to provide continued investment towards Applied Research Associations (ARAs), particularly given their importance towards generating locally specific and unbiased agricultural research in Alberta. In Budget 2023, the Government of Alberta committed to increased multi-year operational funding for ARA operations. The provincial government also provided targeted investments towards Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) in 2024; however, these funding allocations gradually decreased over subsequent budget years. Budget 2025 does not allocate funding for ARAs from 2025-2026 onwards, and instead announced a one-time grant of $3.2 million to invest in agri-research through twelve ARAs. However, because this announcement represents a temporary allocation rather than a long-term commitment towards supporting the sustained operations of ARAs, this resolution expires with a status of Intent Not Met.
Resolution 6-23S: Rural Access to Supports for Addictions, Homelessness and Mental Health
Resolution 6-23S calls on the Government of Alberta to provide adequate funding to address rural addiction, homelessness, and mental health challenges. RMA members would like to see the Government of Alberta better fund rural municipalities and community organizations outside of Edmonton and Calgary to address rural addictions, homelessness and mental health. In addition to sending resolution 6-23S to the Government of Alberta, RMA requested more information and a seat on the homelessness advisory panel from the Minister of Mental Health and Addiction. The panel was formed in late 2024, without an RMA representative. RMA carefully monitored the implementation and rollout of Recovery Alberta to ensure rural Alberta was well served. RMA will continue to advocate for government to apply a rural lens to homelessness funding and policy development. Resolution 6-23S expires with a status of Intent Not Met.
Resolution 8-23S: Provincial Review of Agribusiness and Agritourism
Resolution 8-23S calls on RMA to advocate for more support for agribusiness and agritourism as an important part of strengthening rural economies, as agribusiness and agritourism are leading contributors to rural economies. After sending the resolution to the Government of Alberta, RMA met with the Minister of Tourism and Sport in summer 2024 while monitoring the effects of the All Seasons Resort Act released earlier that year. RMA formed a joint provincial/municipal review of agritourism to enhance their value to rural Alberta, with participation from the Government of Alberta. The Agritourism Strategy Working Group was established to guide the development of a comprehensive provincial strategy that supports the responsible growth, promotion, and regulation of agritourism in Alberta. Committee work began in February 2026. The committee anticipates sharing their final deliverable, which will be publicly available, in fall 2026. Resolution 8-23S expires with the status Intent Not Met.
Resolution 9-23S: Rural Fixed Wing Medivac Services
Resolution 9-23S calls on the Government of Alberta to ensure that air ambulance service providers are meeting their contractual obligations. The resolution emphasizes the need to pursue airport upgrades to allow for continued service as an alternative to service discontinuation. RMA shared Resolution 9-23S with Alberta Health and reached out to request the results of the air ambulance review of landing sites. RMA has confirmed that the review has not yet been released or is not publicly available. RMA will continue to monitor for the review’s release and will continue to advocate for the importance of timely air ambulance access in rural communities and adequate provincial funding for community airports. Resolution 9-23S expires with the status Intent Not Met.
Resolution 10-23S: Victim Services Delivery Model
Resolution 10-23S supports the current model of victim services program delivery. RMA members oppose the Government of Alberta’s plan to regionalize victim services delivery due to its potential implications for rural communities and victims of crime. RMA sent this resolution to Alberta Public Safety and Emergency Services, and Alberta Justice. Since this resolution passed, RMA has held numerous meetings with the Alberta Public Safety and Emergency Services and staff supporting Victim Services. RMA board members have publicly spoken on the topic on numerous occasions to draw attention to the issue. Further, RMA released a member issue briefing on Victim Services regionalized structure. RMA met with Victim Services in November 2025 and continues to follow up on resulting action items, including learning more about public spending and reporting in the new delivery model. RMA will seek to access and analyze this information, using it to better understand how service delivery under the new regional model compares to the previous local model. Resolution 10-23S expires with the status Intent Not Met.
Resolution 11-23S: Reforming the Bail System to Address Rural Crime
Resolution 11-23S calls on the Government of Alberta to revise the existing bail structure to help make rural communities safer. Rural municipalities would like to see the Government of Alberta use provincial powers to impose restrictions for offenders to obtain bail. RMA has taken several actions including sending the resolution to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services and co-signing a letter with western Canadian municipal associations asking the Government of Canada to reform the federal bail system. RMA carefully monitored the introduction of the Government of Alberta’s new ankle monitoring program. Additionally, RMA analyzed the Government of Canada’s Bail and Sentencing Reform Act which expanded the applicability of the reverse onus clause to a broader set of crimes. The reverse onus clause removes the prosecutor’s obligation to prove why the accused should be detained and places the responsibility on the defence to prove why there is no reason that the accused should not be released. Resolution 11-23S expires with the status Intent Not Met.
Resolution 12-23S: Casino Opportunities for Charitable Organizations
Resolution 12-23S calls for a more equitable charitable gaming model that distributes funds fairly to charitable organizations outside of Edmonton and Calgary. Rural charities receive disproportionately less charitable gaming funding from the AGLC; RMA wants to see the Government of Alberta and Alberta Gaming Liquor and Cannabis correct this. RMA sent resolution 12-23S to Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction. In spring 2025, RMA released an updated Charitable Gaming report and accompanying campaign. The report included multiple commonsense recommendations to support the equitable distribution of charitable gaming funds. RMA requested a meeting with the Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction to discuss the report. RMA will continue to monitor the introduction of the Alberta iGaming Corporation, the Camrose casinos relocation, and the impact of the charitable gaming model on rural community organizations and municipalities. Resolution 12-23S expires with the status Intent Not Met.
Resolution 15-23S: Capital Funding Support for Housing Management Bodies
Resolution 15-23S calls for seniors’ lodge capital funds to be appropriately sourced and funded. A lack of operational and capital funding from the Government of Alberta to housing management boards has had a detrimental impact on seniors’ lodges, leading to higher municipal funding requests. RMA sent resolution 15-23S to Alberta Affordability and Utilities, and Seniors, Community and Social Services. To learn more about affordable housing concerns identified in resolution 15-23S and others, RMA conducted two member surveys. RMA found that, in 2024, the average responding member’s operating deficit requisition was $583,069. In addition, some respondents reported being incorrectly requisitioned for capital costs or contributions to capital reserves. Seniors’ lodge requisitions requested these capital contributions outside of rural municipalities legislated obligation to fund the previous years’ operating deficit. RMA anticipates releasing findings from these surveys along with key recommendations for the Government of Alberta in 2026. RMA will continue to advocate for affordable housing operational and capital maintenance and renewal funding for housing management boards. Resolution 15-23S expires with the status Intent Not Met.
Resolution 17-23S: Negative Impact of Bill C-21 on Albertans
Resolution 17-23S directs RMA to advocate against proposed restrictions on certain firearms often used for hunting or other rural recreational purposes. As changes to firearms legislation in the Firearms Act could restrict firearms’ usage, RMA members want RMA to continue to advocate for rural recreational firearm opportunities. RMA sent resolution 17-23S to Justice Canada and monitored the implementation of Bill C-21. An amendment to Bill C-21, which would have prohibited all semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, was withdrawn. However, the bill did proceed in restricting certain firearm types and directing a gun buyback program. More information on the assault-style firearms compensation program is available here. As this resolution expires, RMA will continue to monitor Bill C-21’s implementation and the implementation of the firearms’ surrender/buyback program. Resolution 17-23S expires with the status Intent Not Met.
Warren Noga
Manager of Policy and Research
825.319.2285
warren@rmalberta.com