Deadline for School Site JUPAs extended to 2025
Municipalities and school boards have an additional two years to complete their Joint Use and Planning Agreements (JUPAs).
Municipal Affairs Minister Rebecca Schulz extended the deadline for JUPAs for municipalities to June 10, 2025, via Ministerial Order. A copy of the order was sent to all mayors and CAOs from Minister Schulz’s office. School boards were granted the same extension by the Minister of Education.
The process to negotiate and complete a JUPA can be lengthy, so do not delay starting discussions with school boards or finishing JUPAs that are in progress.
With grant funding from the province, Parkland Community Planning Services developed a written resource – Guide for Creating Joint Use and Planning Agreements. The Local Government Administration Association of Alberta (LGAA) provided three JUPA templates that apply to scenarios where schools currently exist and where they do not and held a webinar in late September 2022 called “Creating Joint Use and Planning Agreements with Your School Board” that highlighted these resources.
The guide and templates are free for municipalities to use. Note the templates contain suggested clauses and wording; however, each municipality should review them and ensure they are suitable for the situation in their community. Check out the guide and seek legal advice for direction and advice on what is required in your JUPA.
