Edmonton city council requests Smith's infill edict in writing 'as soon as possible'

Eight days after Premier Danielle Smith decreed Edmonton city council must rescind its zoning bylaw, councillors are still at a loss as to how to implement her orders.

On Friday, at the first of what could be many emergency meetings on the subject, council voted 12-1, with Ward tastawiyiniwak Coun. Karen Principe voting against, on a motion asking the province to provide the written directive as soon as possible.

“It’s silly that I actually have to make a motion like that, that should have been part of the announcement eight days ago,” said Mayor Andrew Knack. “Every day added is a day we can’t do proper engagement on these issues.”

Administration told council the province has indicated the required changes only apply to the small scale residential (RS) zone. Administration added the province did not request any data ahead of their decision, and the city offered to reach out to cabinet with data in advance of last week’s announcement but the offer was declined.

As part of the decree, council has been ordered to hold a public hearing within three months, the earliest possible date being Jan. 8, meaning notifications of the hearing would be mailed out on Dec. 23. A normal timeline to organize a public hearing on a zoning change is six months.

While Knack has previously questioned how councillors can go into a public hearing with an open mind if they’ve had their vote already decided by the province, city solicitor Michael Gunther said under the Municipal Government Act, the minister can order councillors to ignore their obligations to keep an open mind, but to date the city has received no indication the province will implement that provision.

Administration added Edmonton was on track to meet its goal of 50 per cent of new builds within Anthony Henday Drive by the time the city reaches two million, but depending on what the province directs council to do, that could change. The city is also still waiting on demographics from the 2026 federal census data, which will be released in 2027.

Knack said he was concerned about the erosion of municipal independence.

“This is probably, by far and away, the most significant line crossing that we’ve ever seen in our local government across Alberta in our history,” he said. “But even in the last few months, municipalities have had a tool removed to make our streets safer. Municipalities have been told how their libraries should operate. They’re about to be told how to plan their transportation networks.

“We are seeing a clear and repeated pattern of severe violations of local autonomy. Any decision we make can be overturned by this provincial government — you don’t want to create a situation whether it’s a UCP government, a NDP government, whoever, you don’t want to have to be dictated to by a provincial government because what’s the purpose of a local election then? That’s a troubling philosophical question we have to answer but let’s get through the referendum first.”

Administration projects Edmontonians will lose out on between $420 and $610 million in construction business next year and more than 2,000 row house dwelling units won’t be built. A ‘State of the Region’ published by BILD Edmonton Metro found Edmonton’s construction industry generated $3.2 billion in permits alone in 2025.

The change will also put budget pressure on the city, with six per cent of the city’s total revenue cut out. Administration projects the city’s planning and development reserves could drop from $40 million to $25 million by 2030, which the city would need to raise property taxes to cover.

Administration estimates rectifying the zoning bylaw to meet the province’s demands will cost between $5 and $10 million, and delay several other files, including a planned urban tree protection bylaw, tweaks to the now-defunct zoning bylaw to account for solar systems, wildfire resistance, floodplain protection, landscaping and new guidelines for rowhouse design.

The city will still be able to complete the work it planned to step up enforcement of existing and approved infill builds, including a dedicated infill liaison team. The enforcement, which is set to launch next January, includes a detailed project implementation plan review, proactive inspections, a mandatory training program for builders and a structured cost recovery program.

However, the city still cannot deny a permit to a problem developer under the Municipal Government Act.

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