Infrastructure funding needs $1 billion/year boost
Alberta Municipalities’ ‘Think Alberta, Vote Local’ information campaign got underway on May 9 with an online media event that addressed one of our 275 member communities’ top priorities – Alberta’s current $30-billion infrastructure deficit.
Vice-President Tyler Gandam (Cities up to 500,000) and guest speaker Penhold Mayor Michael Yargeau spoke for about 20 minutes before taking questions from reporters who tuned into ABmunis’ first-ever online media availability.
VP Gandam, who also serves as mayor of the City of Wetaskiwin, acknowledged that many Albertans do not immediately think of infrastructure when considering which political party or candidate to support during a provincial election.
“It may come as a surprise or shock to some Albertans when I say the Government of Alberta has chronically underfunded infrastructure in our province’s summer villages, villages, towns, cities and specialized municipalities for the last 15 years,” said Gandam. “It doesn’t matter which political party was in power during that time – all of them underfunded infrastructure to some degree.”
Mayor Yargeau spoke passionately about the infrastructure-related challenges that Penhold, a thriving town of nearly 4,000 near the City of Red Deer, faces. His town’s public works building and fire hall were built in the 1970s and do not meet current safe working conditions.
“With a mostly residential tax base, it’s hard to properly plan for and keep up with the needs (of the community) without provincial help,” said Yargeau.
The provincial government allocated $722 million a year for three years for municipal infrastructure in its 2023 Budget. ABmunis estimates that current provincial funding for infrastructure is about $1 billion short of what municipalities need each year.
Alberta Municipalities calls on the next government to allocate $1.75 billion a year for municipal infrastructure.
VP Gandam said the status quo – chronic underfunding by the provincial government – is unacceptable and will not be well received by Albertans.
“Albertans need better; Albertans deserve better,” said Gandam.
