Municipal Government Act changes

Overview

The Municipal Government Act (MGA) is the guide to how municipalities operate, and is one of the most significant and far-reaching statutes in Alberta. The MGA affects everyone in Alberta, the private sector and every ministry in the Government of Alberta.

In December 2020, the Government of Alberta made changes to the Municipal Government Act (MGA) through Bill 48, the Red Tape Reduction Implementation Act, 2020. These changes updated Part 17 of the MGA to create more efficient and streamlined municipal land development application and approval processes.

Changes to the act

Planning and Development (Part 17)

• Subdivision and Development appeals (PDF, 261 KB) – Enables the Land and Property Rights Tribunal, which will assume the role of the Municipal Government Board, to hear permit appeals associated with decisions of provincial regulators.
• Subdivision and Development Decision Making Timelines (PDF, 257 KB) – Eliminates the ability of municipalities larger than 15,000 citizens to determine their own subdivision and development timelines.
• Golden Girls (PDF, 314 KB) – Ensures unrelated seniors can live together.
• Off-site Levies (PDF, 365 KB) – Clarifies the Off-site Levy calculation, improves levy stakeholder engagement and reporting requirements, expands levies appeals and makes several general clarifying amendments.
• Reserve Land (PDF, 215 KB) – Adds certainty to the amount of land developers are required to set aside for municipalities.
• General Streamlining (PDF, 370 KB) – A number of minor amendments were made to Part 17 to improve the Part’s readability and reduce the size of the MGA.

Contact

Connect with Municipal Affairs:

Phone: 780-427-2225
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
Email: [email protected]