Modernizing municipal legislation across the province

When development rules are unclear or approvals take too long, it can slow housing construction, increase costs and make it harder for communities to keep up with demand. Clear, predictable processes help municipalities support growth while maintaining local standards and community planning goals.

Bill 28 also includes related legislative changes led by other ministries that further support growth and housing.

Proposed amendments would:

• Support parental choice in education by aligning charter schools with other publicly funded school systems in access to municipal and school reserve land.
• Exempt charter and independent schools from off-site levies to streamline development of needed school infrastructure, aligning them with other publicly funded school systems.
• Require public reporting on development permit activity and timelines for municipalities above 15,000.
• Clarify allowable off-site levy costs.
• Support automated permitting tools and enable creation of a framework for Automatic Yes approvals.
• Align charter schools with other publicly funded school systems in access to reserve land.
• Allow the Minister to establish community design codes.
• Support updates to the Alberta Housing Act aimed at improving the long-term sustainability of seniors’ lodge housing:
  • Establish capital reserve requirements to support long-term maintenance of seniors’ lodge housing assets.
  • Allow housing management bodies to requisition municipalities for capital reserve contributions where agreed to by member municipalities.
• Clarify how municipal land-use decisions must align with provincially approved aggregate pit registrations on private land under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act.

Building on the provisions introduced in Bill 28, further work will continue to streamline development approvals, including through future regulatory review of non-statutory studies and other requirements that can add cost and delay.

When assessment and taxation rules are unclear, it can undermine confidence in the system and create frustration for property owners and municipalities alike.

Clear, consistent assessment and taxation rules help ensure everyone is treated fairly and that municipalities have stable, reliable revenue to deliver services.

Proposed amendments would:

• Prohibit higher residential property tax sub-classes based on occupancy status for Albertans.
• Enable modernized assessment rules for regulated properties, which will clarify which costs may be included in regulated property assessments.
• Enable standardized assessment rates where appropriate.
• Strengthen compliance and reporting requirements.

Local government works best when roles and expectations are clear. Residents expect elected officials to act professionally, make decisions in the public interest and be accountable for their own conduct.

When standards are unclear or applied inconsistently, it can undermine confidence in local decision-making and distract councils from focusing on community priorities. Clear, provincewide expectations help support professionalism, fairness and public trust in municipal government.

Proposed amendments would:

• Establish a provincewide councillor accountability framework.
• Introduce independent, third-party investigation of complaints.
• Create a roster of commissioners to hear appeals.
• Change municipal viability votes to non-binding plebiscites.

Building on the provisions introduced in Bill 28, further work will support implementation of the councillor accountability framework, including through future regulations and guidance on matters such as council meeting procedures.

Albertans expect openness from their local government. Residents want to understand how public dollars are used, councillors need access to information to do their jobs and councils need clear rules about roles and responsibilities.

Proposed amendments would:

• Require public disclosure of senior municipal employee salaries above a threshold.
• Allow clear display of policing costs on property tax notices for eligible municipalities.
• Refine provincewide expectations for councillor access to information.
• Allow councils to manage substantial information requests through local policy.
• Require reporting to council when CAOs use natural person powers outside established approvals.
• Modernize Business Improvement Area governance and administration.

Clear, consistent rules help ensure public institutions reflect community values, protect vulnerable users and operate with appropriate oversight. They also help municipalities manage essential services responsibly and plan for long-term sustainability.

Proposed amendments would:

• Amend the Libraries Act and Libraries Regulation to allow the Minister to initiate reviews or respond to complaints related to public libraries.
• Allow ministerial guidance and non-binding guidelines to support public library governance.
• Create authority to direct the governance and oversight of municipal public utilities.

Building on the public library provisions introduced in Bill 28, further work is underway to establish clear, consistent standards for age-appropriate access to library materials with explicit visual content. Additional details will be introduced through future regulations.

• Age-appropriate access to library materials in public libraries