Bill 28 makes wide-ranging changes to the Municipal Government Act and other legislation which will significantly impact municipal autonomy, decision-making, and operations.
On May 14, 2026, Bill 28, Municipal Affairs and Housing Statutes Amendment Act, 2026, received Royal Assent. Some provisions in the Bill will come into force immediately while others will come into force upon proclamation, at a later date.
Bill 28 is an omnibus Bill which includes wide-ranging and impactful amendments to the Municipal Government Act, Libraries Act, and Housing Act. While the various changes will impact municipalities of different types and sizes in different ways, at an overarching level Bill 28 significantly reduces municipal autonomy related to local planning and development, reduces flexibility in terms of governance and decision-making, and introduces new implementation costs onto municipalities while further restricting or reducing the certainty of the limited revenue drivers available to municipalities.
Bill 28 reflects a broader Government of Alberta trend of clawing back local autonomy and decision-making, and centralizing power at the provincial level. Similar changes were made through Bill 20 (2024) and Bill 50 (2025). Given the importance of municipalities of all types to supporting strong communities and economic growth, and in particular rural municipalities in providing infrastructure and services that are crucial to Alberta’s natural resource sectors, this apparent provincial intent to reduce municipal autonomy while increasing municipal responsibility is not only unjustified, but introduces significant risks to all Albertans.
In the coming weeks, RMA will share additional information and analysis with members on specific Bill 28 changes, and will continue to advocate to government as to how the changes should be implemented. RMA also plans to reach out to members to better understand the potential impacts of many of the Bill 28 changes. In April, RMA released an initial Bill 28 analysis that includes an overview and initial analysis of the most significant changes.
Wyatt Skovron
General Manager of Policy & Advocacy
780.955.4096
wyatt@RMAlberta.com