Municipal Census & the LGFF Capital Allocation Formula

Last year, the Government of Alberta approved a new Municipal Census Regulation, which gives municipalities the renewed ability to conduct a municipal census in any particular year. With the implementation of the new Local Government Fiscal Framework (LGFF) Capital funding program this year, we have received questions from members about whether municipal census counts will be used in the allocation formula for LGFF Capital funding.

ABmunis has worked with Alberta Municipal Affairs to provide the following answers to common questions on municipal census counts and LGFF Capital funding.

Will Alberta Municipal Affairs use a municipality’s census count in the LGFF Capital allocation formula?
Yes, as long as the municipal census is conducted in accordance with the regulation and municipal census manual. However, populations for Edmonton and Calgary will continue to be determined by Alberta Treasury Board and Finance.

What funding year will it apply to?
The LGFF Capital formula uses data from three years prior to the funding year. Therefore, if you conduct a municipal census in 2025, that population count will be used starting in the 2028 funding year for LGFF Capital.  

The three-year lag provides predictability to municipalities through confirmation of each municipality’s future LGFF Capital allocations for the next two years.  

What population year was used for the 2024 and 2025 LGFF Capital allocations?
The charter cities’ allocations (Calgary and Edmonton) were calculated using the three-year lag using population estimates for 2021 and 2022.

For all other local governments, the most recent (2019) Municipal Affairs Population List was used. With the new Municipal Census Regulation introduced in 2023, the LGFF Capital allocations for 2026 and beyond will be based on the Municipal Affairs Population List from three years previous. This was not possible for 2024 and 2025 LGFF Capital funding because the Municipal Affairs Population List was not prepared from 2020 to 2022.

What if my municipality does not conduct a municipal census?
For all municipalities except Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta Municipal Affairs will defer to the most recent population count by Statistics Canada, or the most recent municipal census if conducted after the federal census, as reflected in the applicable Municipal Affairs Population List.

When can my municipality conduct a municipal census?
To conduct a municipal census, your municipality must notify Alberta Municipal Affairs by February 28 of the year in which the census will be conducted and follow the rules set out in Alberta’s Municipal Census Regulation. Training resources are available on the Government of Alberta’s website.  

Questions about LGFF Capital may be sent to ma.lgffcapital [at] gov.ab.ca (ma[dot]lgffcapital[at]gov[dot]ab[dot]ca).