Dormant site of cancelled Downtown high-rise listed at $4 million

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Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-10-30 11:07:29.0
Tags: [Alberta, Municipal, Housing, Taxation]

The dormant $34-million high-rise development site at 121 Street and 102 Avenue in Edmonton, originally planned by Open Sky Developments as a 22-storey apartment complex with 185 units, has been listed for sale at $4 million by JLL after being abandoned by its former contractor. Ward O-day-min Councillor Anne Stevenson noted that the property narrowly avoided Edmonton's derelict commercial property tax subclass due to legal definitions regarding land improvements, prompting municipal officials to petition the provincial government to amend legislation to allow higher tax rates for abandoned commercial parcels.

Industry leader lauds Edmonton's proposed industrial investment plan

Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-10-21 20:53:29.0
Tags: [Alberta, Municipal, Economy, Taxation, Industry, Infrastructure]

The City of Edmonton is considering a new industrial investment plan during its upcoming four-year budget deliberations to stimulate non-residential tax growth and job creation. Proposed incentives include a 25 per cent property tax forgiveness for three years for new industrial builds—costing the city roughly $1 million annually while opening up 15 hectares of land per year—and a $23 million four-year 'first mover' plan allowing developers to apply for municipal infrastructure cost reimbursements. Panattoni Development vice-president Mark Edwards lauded the initiatives, noting they will help overcome investment freezes and competition from surrounding municipalities with lower service costs. Currently, only 2.6 per cent of Edmonton's industrial land is shovel-ready, falling short of the city's 4.5 per cent target.

Small-town mayors face growth backlash as Edmonton grapples with population surge

Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-10-15 21:49:05.0
Tags: [Alberta, Municipal, Housing, Infrastructure, Governance, Taxation]

According to the BILD Edmonton Metro 2026 State of the Region report, row house and apartment permits in regional Edmonton municipalities surged by over 600 per cent over a five-year period amid population growth. Regional leaders, including Sturgeon County Mayor Alanna Hnatiw, Strathcona County Mayor Rod Frank, and Fort Saskatchewan Mayor Lisa Makin, highlighted constituent backlash against development and the ongoing challenge of balancing growth with demands for municipal services without raising property taxes. The data shows provincial housing starts increased 130.8 per cent between 2020 and 2025, with Edmonton issuing $3.2 billion in building permits in 2025, while regional municipalities experienced average permit turnaround times ranging from 5 to 26 days compared to Edmonton's 53.8 days.

Provinces call on Ottawa to expand mining credit

Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-10-10 12:17:12.0
Tags: [National, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Taxation, Economy, Resources, Mining, Finance]

Nearly half of Canada's provinces and territories—specifically Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and Yukon—are urging the federal Liberal government to fulfill its 2025 election promise to expand the mineral exploration tax credit to include engineering and feasibility study costs. The Association for Mineral Exploration and the Nunavut and N.W.T. Chamber of Mines argue this measure is crucial to help junior mining companies navigate the late-stage 'valley of death' financing gap. An Ernst & Young report commissioned by the association indicates that covering feasibility and economic viability studies could generate between 14,000 and 34,000 jobs and add $5.2 billion to $12.2 billion in GDP over 10 years. While Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne's office highlighted recent federal initiatives such as the Productivity Mega Deduction and the Critical Mineral Exploration Tax Credit, federal expenses under the Canadian exploration expenses framework still exclude economic assessments and feasibility studies.

Edmonton mayor slams 'uninformed directive' after province intervenes on city infill rules

Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-10-08 21:15:11.0
Tags: [Alberta, Municipal, Housing, Governance, Taxation]

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams issued a provincial directive forcing the City of Edmonton to roll back its recent infill housing policies and rewrite its zoning bylaws within 18 months. Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack and municipal leaders criticized the intervention as an attack on municipal autonomy that will restrict housing growth, drive up property taxes, and increase housing and rental costs. City councillors including Erin Rutherford and Anne Stevenson raised concerns that the directive undermines years of planning consultations and shifts growth pressures toward costly suburban sprawl.

With city's next four-year plan less than a month away, Edmonton's budget deliberation process unveiled

Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-10-06 20:29:58.0
Tags: [Municipal, Alberta, Finance, Taxation, Governance, Affordability]

The City of Edmonton unveiled its upcoming four-year budget deliberation process, which will encompass five distinct budgets: the capital, operating, utility services operating and capital, office of the city auditor, and climate budgets. Draft budgets are scheduled for publication on November 2, followed by a public hearing beginning on November 23 that will remain open for up to 10 days until December 18 or budget approval. In an 8-5 vote, City Council approved raising the city's franchise fee to 19.4 per cent to match Calgary's rate, aiming to offset property tax pressures on residents and businesses while the city works to rebuild its financial stabilization reserve back to the $150-million baseline.

Large businesses and post-secondary institutions could see five-digit utility fee hike if Epcor franchise fee increase approved

Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-10-05 21:00:32.0
Tags: [Alberta, Municipal, Taxation, Finance, Energy]

The Edmonton City Council utility committee voted to send a proposed increase in the city's franchise fee charged to Epcor from 17.65 per cent to the provincially capped maximum of 20 per cent to the full city council. If approved, the hike takes effect on January 1, 2027, generating an estimated additional $14.8 million for the municipality while increasing monthly utility bills by up to $31,500 for post-secondary institutions, $10,400 for large commercial properties, and $6,250 for hospitals.

Alberta extends $100 rebate period as uptake lags below 50 per cent

Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-09-30 17:56:13.0
Tags: [Alberta, Affordability, Energy, Taxation]

The Government of Alberta has extended the application deadline for its $100 energy rebate program by one month from September 30 to October 31, 2026. Administered under Finance Minister Jason Nixon, the program has seen uptake from 1.45 million out of nearly 3.4 million eligible Albertans, representing roughly 43 percent of the eligible population. The rebate was initially introduced on July 1, 2026, to replace the province's former fuel-tax relief program, which the government subsequently moved to reinstate by removing the entire 13-cent-per-litre provincial fuel tax starting October 1, 2026.

Alberta drivers get relief at the pump, while producers squeezed by lower prices

Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-09-23 12:05:22.0
Tags: [Alberta, Taxation, Energy, Economy]

Premier Danielle Smith announced that Alberta will suspend its 13-cent-a-litre provincial fuel tax from October 1 through the end of 2026, driven by North American oil prices averaging nearly US$91 a barrel. Meanwhile, Alberta oil producers are facing a US$21 per barrel discount relative to North American benchmarks due to a power outage and subsequent shutdown at ExxonMobil Holdings Corp.'s 275,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Joliet, Illinois. Market experts such as Richard Masson of the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission and Plainview Energy Analytics founder Matthew Lewis note that production growth, full pipelines, and refinery outages in the U.S. Midwest are heavily impacting regional heavy crude pricing differentials.

Carbon capture CEO says critics ‘told me I was crazy,’ hopes Alberta project proves them wrong

Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-09-17 11:00:33.0
Tags: [Alberta, Energy, Environment, Climate, Technology, Taxation]

Montreal-based Deep Sky Corp. operates its Deep Sky Alpha direct air capture facility near Innisfail, Alberta, where it pulls carbon dioxide from the air, stores it underground, and sells offset credits to corporations such as TD Bank Group, Microsoft Corp., and Royal Bank of Canada. U.S.-based GE Vernova Inc. is partnering with Deep Sky to install a machine designed to capture up to 1,500 tonnes of carbon annually by late 2026. The capital projects and equipment are supported by a federal refundable tax credit covering up to 60 percent of eligible direct air capture spending through the end of 2035.

'Momentous decision': Alberta separation could cost up to $170 billion, says U of C report

Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-09-16 17:30:44.0
Tags: [Alberta, Economy, Finance, Governance, Taxation, Trade]

A government-commissioned report from the University of Calgary School of Public Policy estimates that establishing an independent Alberta would cost between $50 billion and $170 billion in the first five years following separation. Under a 'smooth' secession scenario, the report projects Alberta would add nearly $210 billion in debt—largely from its share of Canada's national debt—along with short-term GDP contraction and initial per-capita tax increases of over $800. Under a 'difficult' scenario involving adversarial negotiations, Alberta's total debt could approach $442 billion (making up nearly 90 per cent of its GDP) with per-capita wage losses reaching $5,500 and short-term tax increases of $5,400 over the first five years. The findings precede an October 19 vote regarding whether the province should further pursue separation, as overseen by Finance Minister Jason Nixon's office and a five-member advisory panel.

Ottawa’s giant tax write-off could win over investors for oilsands carbon storage project: industry

Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-09-15 23:36:03.0
Tags: [National, Alberta, Energy, Environment, Taxation, Industry]

Prime Minister Mark Carney proposed a productivity mega deduction at the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto, allowing businesses to deduct the full cost of new equipment and long-term assets in their first year. Industry representatives from the Pathways Alliance, including President Kendall Dilling, stated this federal tax policy addresses a crucial hurdle for financing the alliance's multi-billion-dollar carbon capture and storage project in Alberta. The Pathways Alliance project aims to cut approximately six million tonnes of emissions annually and is targeting a November 15 memorandum of understanding deadline for final binding agreements, with pipeline construction projected around 2030.