City of Leduc eyes southern boundary expansion with plan to annex nearly 2,500 hectares

The City of Leduc plans to annex up to 38 quarter-sections of land to prepare for population growth over the next 50 years.

The community south of Edmonton aims to expand south and southeast, bringing nearly 2,500 hectares of rural lands currently in Leduc County within its municipal boundary. 

On Tuesday, Leduc's city council approved a notice of intent to annex the lands.

The city has shared its plans with Leduc County, the municipal affairs ministry, the Land and Property Rights Tribunal and other authorities.

"Our growth over the last little while has far exceeded what we thought we were going to get to," Leduc Mayor Bob Young told CBC News in an interview on Wednesday.

He said it's important to start the planning process now so the city can keep housing affordable and make good decisions about water and sewage infrastructure. 

Young said Leduc has also pursued increasing density within its current boundaries but population forecasts suggest much more land will be needed to house people.

According to provincial data, Leduc's population increased 3.7 per cent last year to about 38,000 residents and the population has increased by 15.1 per cent in the last five years. Leduc County's population has also been increasing, but at a slower rate.

A September 2024 report from the province on population projections between 2024 and 2051 included the local geographic area of Leduc and Devon on the list of the 15 fastest-growing areas in Alberta.

According to the city's website, people who own property in the proposed annexation area will be receiving letters about the process.

Young said the city told Leduc County about its plans before Christmas and met with the county last week.

"By getting out early like this, it gives us more time so we can have conversations with people that are in the annexed area and so we can make sure that it is a benefit for, for them and for us," he said. 

Leduc County Mayor Tanni Doblanko said she could not see how annexation would benefit the county, since previous annexations have displaced residents, removed farmland and created conflict between agricultural, industrial and residential operations

Doblanko says the county is willing to meet with the city to discuss a staged annexation, based on population growth thresholds, and her council will work hard to ensure the county gets the best deal possible.

"Let's sit down, plan this together. Think about that. If not, then we'll be looking very critically at their growth study," she told CBC News in an interview on Thursday morning.

Leduc plans to complete technical studies this year, conduct negotiations and public engagement in 2026 and submit an annexation application to the Land and Property Rights Tribunal for review in 2027. 

The tribunal, an independent board, may hold a hearing if the annexation is opposed and the municipal affairs minister will take the city's annexation application to cabinet to make a decision.