Opinion Piece: Celebrating ABmunis’ 2025 Convention & looking ahead to 2026

By Dana Mackie, CEO, Alberta Municipalities

Word count: 394

EDMONTON – Energy, excitement and enthusiasm were off the charts at the 2025 Alberta Municipalities (ABmunis) Convention and Trade Show held in Calgary last week.

About 1,200 delegates came together to share ideas and tackle the common challenges facing Alberta’s communities. Many were first-time local elected officials who participated fully in discussions that will help shape the future of Alberta’s communities.

Our association represents 265 municipalities across Alberta – summer villages, villages, towns, cities, and specialized municipalities. More than 85 per cent of Albertans live in the communities we represent. We work with elected and administrative leaders of Alberta’s municipalities to advocate for solutions to municipal issues with the provincial and federal governments.

Delegates debated and passed resolutions at ABmunis’ Convention on a wide range of issues that affect everyday life in communities across Alberta – issues like affordability, property taxes, housing supply, access to seniors housing, and funding for infrastructure (including for sports and recreation facilities).

Premier Danielle Smith and more than a dozen cabinet ministers participated in Q&A sessions. They heard clearly the priority concerns of Alberta’s municipal leaders. It was evident that local governments are overstretched by the compounding effects of inflation, increasing expectations for social services, rapid population growth, and successive decreases in government funding.

ABmunis’ Property Taxes Reimagined information project, which was launched in early-October, is quickly gaining momentum. It explains how municipal budgets are being strained and why property taxes are increasing throughout Alberta. The project is intended to start a broader public conversation about how municipal services are funded today and how they might be funded differently in years to come.

In late February 2026, we’ll present our initial analysis of and response to the provincial government’s annual budget. We hope the government will acknowledge the financial strain that ABmunis’ member-municipalities are experiencing and present a plan to address it.

Throughout 2026, we will continue discussing with our members and the provincial government priorities like Property Taxes Reimagined, infrastructure funding, police funding, and the benefits of preventative family and community support services.

We believe municipal governments are full partners in shaping Alberta’s future. As the voice of summer villages, villages, town, cities, and specialized municipalities, ABmunis will continue to work collaboratively with the provincial government so that together we can resolve Albertans’ most pressing concerns. This is how we can continue to build our thriving communities. This is the Alberta way.