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

It would appear Edmonton’s growing pains are not unique.

Three regional mayors spoke during a Thursday gathering of municipal leaders at the Royal Glenora Club, with all three saying they’ve received significant negative feedback from residents about how their municipalities are managing population growth.

“(People tell me) we moved here for the country lifestyle — don’t build anything else around us,” said Sturgeon County Mayor Alanna Hnatiw in response to host Andrew Usenik’s question on what they hear most from their constituents about growth.

This sentiment was echoed by Strathcona County Mayor Rod Frank and City of Fort Saskatchewan Mayor Lisa Makin, who said it is an ongoing challenge to balance current resident’s immediate concerns with future growth needs.

The panel was part of a regional leaders gathering to hear BILD Edmonton Metro’s State of the Region report, which found housing starts provincewide have increased 130.8 per cent between 2020 and 2025.

The median home price in Edmonton is the third-lowest in the capital region — an average house is cheaper in Edmonton than Leduc, Stony Plain, Spruce Grove and Beaumont. Only Devon and Morinville have a lower median home price.

As for property taxes, Edmonton is right in the middle with an estimated $4,207.73 bill for a median home. Homeowners in Fort Saskatchewan can expect to pay approximately $600 less per year, while homeowners in St. Albert can expect to pay over $1,400 more in property tax.

A median home price in Edmonton is $415,000, compared to $449,949 in Fort Saskatchewan and $499,900 in St. Albert. At the higher end are Leduc County at $678,000, and Sturgeon County, averaging $708,000 for a home.

Building permits in Edmonton brought in $3.2 billion in 2025 — miles ahead of the rest of the region. The second biggest permit issuer was Spruce Grove, which issued $289.2 million, less than 10 per cent of Edmonton’s economic activity.

Housing diversity is taking off all over the region — outside of Edmonton, BILD’s data shows row houses have multiplied by 655.7 per cent and apartment permit applications in the area have increased by 600 per cent, outpacing Edmonton’s own growth.

Edmonton is the slowest in the region when it comes to approvals — average permit turnaround time in Edmonton is 53.8 days, more than double the next two municipalities, Strathcona County and Parkland County, which both take an average of 26 days to approve a building permit. At the opposite end of the spectrum is Sturgeon County, which averages five days to approve a development.

Panelists also noted the abolishment of the Edmonton Municipal Region Board has led to more siloed development. BILD Metro CEO Kalen Anderson said BILD will be launching a regional strategy in the new year to fill that void.

Adding his municipality isn’t looking for guidance, Frank said the region’s diversity is both a strength and a challenge.

“In some ways it would be a real advantage to have unity and deal with one political entity — we have 13 here,” he said. “This gives a lot of choice to residents and businesses.

“What folks want is excellence in municipal services — but don’t raise my taxes. That’s a real challenge.”

ebowling@postmedia.com

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