The Government of Alberta will no longer provide funding to the Edmonton and Calgary Metropolitan Region Boards, and membership is now voluntary.
On Friday, November 22, Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver informed both the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board (EMRB) and the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB) that the Government of Alberta would no longer provide funding to either board beginning in the 2025 budget year. In 2024, each board received $1 million through the Alberta Community Partnership Grant. The announcement also indicated that membership in the growth management boards (GMBs) would be voluntary moving forward.
RMA members that have been part of GMBs have had long standing concerns with the impact of GMBs on rural land use planning and service delivery. This includes issues with a voting and governance structure that provides urban municipalities with a disproportionate level of control over both regional plans developed by the GMB and local planning decisions made by individual municipalities that are required to align with GMB plans. Resolution ER1-19F: Dissolution of Mandatory Growth Management Boards and Resolution 12-23F: Growth Management Board Voluntary Membership called for the removal of mandatory GMBs from the Municipal Government Act (MGA). Alternatively, Resolution 12-23F called for GMB membership to be voluntary, and Resolution ER1-19F sought changes to the voting structure, the establishment of an independent appeal process, and amendments to the Regional Evaluation Framework.
In 2023, RMA released a report recommending changes to the GMB voting model to enhance equitability between rural and urban members. The report recommended the following:
- GMB member voting strength should be determined based on a combination of member population, area, and infrastructure responsibilities.
- No single GMB member should have the ability to individually pass or veto a motion.
- To maximize equity, the GMB voting structure should utilize a combination of weighted and unweighted voting, similar to the approach used in BC’s regional districts.
- GMB appeals should be sent to an independent third party.
- The scope of decisions subject to member votes under the Regional Evaluation Framework should be reduced.
While the announcement did not remove the GMBs from the MGA, it did result in an acceptable alternative identified by RMA members, as participation in GMBs is now voluntary.
Next Steps
RMA will be reaching out to affected members to learn of their intentions regarding membership and the issues or questions they may have arising from their decision. RMA will also contact Municipal Affairs staff to gather information regarding the legislative, financial, and broader implications of the announcement. The RMA will keep members informed of developments regarding this issue.
Jared Shaigec
Policy Advisor
825.319.2312
jared@RMAlberta.com
Wyatt Skovron
General Manager of Policy & Advocacy
780.955.4096
wyatt@RMAlberta.com