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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, right, stands with new Minister of Municipal Affairs Dan Williams, following a swearing-in ceremony in Calgary, May 16, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has directed her minister of municipal affairs to conduct a review of how much elected municipal officials are paid, and to look for ways to limit “excessive” municipal property tax increases.
Smith wrote a mandate letter to Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams this week, asking him to review municipal officials’ compensation and benefits to “ensure taxpayer dollars are being respected and compensation levels are commensurate with time commitment and responsibility.”
Williams has also been tasked with recommending ways to limit “excessive” municipal property tax increases for businesses and residents, as well as developing a strategy to “protect Albertans from specialized municipal taxes” on second homes.
Smith gave Williams several other tasks, such as reducing permit approval times, eliminating conflicts between provincial policy and municipal bylaws and policy, and creating a “universal code of conduct” for elected municipal officials and senior municipal staff.
The premier said she expects Williams to find ways the province can reduce “burdensome and unnecessary red tape and barriers.”
“Through this mandate, we are driving forward with change that will make local governments more accountable, reduce the regulatory burden on Albertans, ensure municipalities are set up for success, and Albertans are able to live, work and play in safe, affordable, attractive and family-friendly communities,” Williams said in a Sept. 22 statement.
Edmonton Councillor and mayoral candidate Andrew Knack criticized Smith’s directive asking Williams to limit municipal tax increases, noting provincial infrastructure funding has decreased by nearly 60 percent since 2011. He said this means municipalities have had to “pick up the bill.”
“If the province truly wants to support Edmontonians and reduce municipal taxes, one clear way would be to restore the funding that has been cut,” Knack said in a Sept. 23 post on X.
Smith’s mandate for Williams comes as part of a set of mandate letters provided to five Alberta ministers. The letters “focus on delivering the priorities that shape our future, grow our economy and build a province where families prosper for generations,” Smith said in a Sept. 22 statement.
In addition to Williams, the premier issued mandate letters to her ministers of education and childcare, advanced education, transportation and economic corridors, and infrastructure.
Last week, the premier issued another set of mandate letters to her ministers, including her jobs minister, forestry and parks minister, tourism and sport minister, and arts and culture minister. These set of directives were aimed at promoting Alberta’s industries, driving investment, and creating jobs.
