Uniquely Rural

Elections are a time for opportunity: opportunities to hear different visions for the future of the province; opportunities to engage on what is working, what is not, and what party is best positioned to lead Albertans.

For us at the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA), the upcoming provincial election provides an opportunity to work with our member municipalities to tell parties and candidates across the province the story of rural Alberta. In Alberta, rural municipalities play a unique and crucial role in driving the economy that is not found in other provinces.

What are Alberta’s Rural Municipalities?

Alberta has 69 rural municipalities stretching from the American border to the Northwest Territories. RMA member municipalities cover 85% of Alberta’s land mass. Though our members are diverse in many ways, rural municipalities are best characterized by their large geographic area, low population density, and high levels of industrial development in areas such as oil and gas, agriculture, forestry, and renewable energy. When you think of Alberta’s scenic and open spaces, you’re mostly likely thinking about somewhere in a rural municipality.

Rural municipalities are essential to the vibrancy of rural Alberta and the province as a whole. Rural municipalities manage approximately 75% of Alberta’s roads and 60% of Alberta’s bridges, many of which are the first steps in the supply chain that bring the province’s natural resources to national and international markets. Alberta’s rural municipalities play a role in supporting the province that is unmatched by municipalities anywhere else in Canada. This responsibility and the innovation that makes it happen is what makes RMA members uniquely rural.

What is the RMA?

The Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) is the association that represents Alberta’s rural municipalities. At the RMA, we provide an array of advocacy and business services that assist our members in providing core services to rural Albertans and tell the story of their unique contributions to Alberta. Learn more about the RMA here.

This election, we want Albertans to understand the importance of rural Alberta and the role that rural municipalities play in making Alberta the great province it is. The following are the RMA’s priority issues for the 2023 provincial election. Click each one to learn more.

Rural Voices

Too often, the true story of what goes on in rural Alberta is distorted or even lost amidst the big numbers of busy cities, leading to unfair or even completely incorrect comparisons and a lack of understanding of what rural municipalities do. RMA staff recently visited member municipalities across the province to learn about what makes rural Alberta unique. These are their stories.