Huge annexation plans may be on the horizon in Alberta.
Parkland County, Leduc County, Strathcona County, Sturgeon County and the City of St. Albert will no doubt be targeted in the coming years by the City of Edmonton for a large-scale annexation.
Rocky View County industrial and commercial locations will no doubt be targeted in the coming years by the City of Calgary for a large-scale annexation.
In 2007, a good decision was made by the Premier at the time, Premier Stelmach, to establish the Edmonton and Calgary Regional Boards. At the time of formation, the 24 municipalities, including Edmonton, were mandated to properly plan the Edmonton Region in a variety of categories, including housing, land use, economic development and more. The Calgary Regional Board included Calgary and a total of 13 municipalities were provided with a similar mandate.
For almost 20 years, those boards did outstanding work, planning for the future without any interventions by the Municipal Government Board plus its work resulted in not one single political intervention by the Government of Alberta to settle an intermunicipal dispute. In 2025, various decisions resulted in the dissolution of these boards. They no longer exist. Municipalities were slowly removed (at their request) by various provincial governments over the past 20 years while some municipalities walked away one by one by one from various initiatives. Short-sighted leadership individuals were not willing to see the long-term needs these boards were fulfilling.
There were also times when many of the mayors and reeves from each of these nearly 40 regional municipalities did not wish to be members of these respective boards. Many of the same mayors and reeves did not wish to collaborate on regional matters. Strathcona County, for example, chose not to be a member of the regional transit commission, wishing to “go it alone”, ultimately triggering the demise of the Transit Commission.
Over the past 15 years, the province also decided that housing did not need any regional planning (as part of the mandate of these boards) and removed that component of the legislation for some unknown reason. Today the housing crisis in these regions can be, in part, attributed to a lack of cooperative thinking on what the regional housing needs are.
For almost 20 years, there were no annexations launched by either of the cities of Edmonton or Calgary, mostly because of the great work being done by the Edmonton Metro Regional Board and the Calgary Metro Regional Board. That (annexations) is no doubt about to change.
Individual councillors and mayors and reeves from many councils in both regions, including members of the councils of St. Albert, Sturgeon County, Leduc County, Parkland County, Airdrie, Rocky View County, spoke out against having to sit at the table and collaborate. It was obviously too difficult for some leaders to plan for a decade or two in advance.
Now, in 2025, the municipalities that administer Acheson, Nisku, Refinery Row (in the Edmonton region) and the New Horizon Mall and CrossIron Mills near Calgary should all now take heed; heed the likelihood of an annexation launch by the City of Edmonton and/or the City of Calgary. Instead of ‘being at the table collaborating, each of these rural areas should now expect annexation plans.’
So, here we are, in 2025, municipalities that demanded not to have to plan together with their neighbours preferred to “go it alone.” The leaders of these “go-it-alone” municipalities got their wish and no longer need to be part of regional collaboration. Be careful what you wish for. They got what they wished for and now face the threats of annexation. Why did they not stay at the table because huge annexation plans may soon be on the horizon?. Folks, this is the result of collaborative shortcomings, short-term thinking and spineless long-term leaders.
