Alberta's population is booming, but that comes with challenges for some communities
StatsCan data shows large population increase across Canada, with highest gains in Alberta
New population data shows a huge increase in the number of people calling Alberta home — but it's a boom that "snuck up" on some of the province's smaller communities, one mayor says.
Leduc Mayor Bob Young said they've seen large growth in the city before, but not like this. The city's population has increased roughly nine per cent since 2019, according to its latest census. It's now home to around 36,060 people.
Leduc isn't alone in its rapid growth. Alberta has seen a record population increase, according to Statistics Canada data released this week.
"I think it snuck up on all of us," Young said. He added that Leduc has felt pressure on its recreation and emergency facilities, and due to that growth they're in the process of adding a third firehall.
"These facilities aren't getting cheaper, they're getting more expensive. It is a challenge," he said.
WATCH | CBC's Andrew Brown and Robson Fletcher discuss the 'Alberta is Calling' campaign the provincial government launched last year:
Provincial funding is transitioning from the current funding model to a new model, called the Local Government Fiscal Framework, which will result in decreased funding to municipalities, Young said.
The issue was raised at the Alberta Municipalities Convention Thursday. A resolution moved by the City of Airdre, seconded by Leduc, said the "Alberta is Calling" campaign — which targets skilled workers — has successfully drawn people in, but resulted in strains on infrastructure that without provincial funding would need to be addressed through tax increases.
The resolution, which was passed Thursday, asks the province for funding specifically to address population growth.
Airdrie Mayor Peter Brown, said on The Calgary Eyeopener that his community has grown "leaps and bounds." Airdrie's 2023 census said its population has surpassed 80,000.
"I really believe that the ["Alberta is Calling"] campaign has been successful. We're starting to see some of that now," he said.
"I'm not pleading on behalf of Airdrie. I think it's on behalf of all the growing municipalities."
Okotoks Mayor Tanya Thorn said her town has also seen a population increase, which is driving up the cost of housing, but it is in a unique situation when it comes to growth.
"We very much limit growth right now because of water. We're working on that long term solution, but because of that we have limited supply, but we have very significant demand," she said.
"It's changing affordability in our community right now."
The town operates within a controlled growth model due to its limited water supply. Okotoks has faced water supply challenges for more than a decade.
Thorn said that means they're in a position where they're only able to expand cautiously, and council is currently looking at its growth strategy.
She said that she wants to be mindful about how quickly and how fast the community grows. And when they do, she said, she wants to increase the diversity of housing available in the town — more multiplexes, townhomes, row housing and secondary suites.
Alicia Planincic, an economist and the manager of policy with the Business Council of Alberta, said the province's population growth has been remarkable.
"Over 180,000 people added to the province in a single year. Just to kind of put that in perspective, that's basically two whole Red Deers," she said on CBC Radio's The Homestretch.
She said the Business Council of Alberta roughly calculated that for every 20,000 new households in Alberta there were only about 8,000 new homes built.
She said in addition to more homes being built, there needs to be increased attention on health care, education, daycares and resettlement support agencies.
"Clearly we're not keeping up with this population growth," she said.
"We're really going to have to think about, how do we build more housing? How do we make sure that schools can respond? … So quite a bit of planning that I think we've got ahead for ourselves."
She added that she thinks, ultimately, the population growth is a good thing for the province's economy.
"I would much rather have the problems of 'how do we prepare for that growth?' Versus 'how do we attract people to our province?'"
Scott Johnston, the government of Alberta municipal affairs press secretary, said in an emailed statement that the province understands that investments in municipal infrastructure are vital to economic development.
He said base funding for the initial Local Government Fiscal Framework will be $722 million and will increase by 14 per cent in 2025, to $820 million.
"We are committed to developing an LGFF funding allocation formula that is equitable and that balances the needs of all municipalities, including those experiencing population growth, while supporting communities with the greatest needs whose populations may grow slower or even decline," the statement read.
"Municipalities also benefit from population growth through increased property tax revenues and ability to attract economic investment."
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