Alberta to Send Out $100 Energy Rebate to 3.4 Million Residents to Help Offset High Fuel Prices

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announces a new affordability measure in Calgary on June 17, 2026. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will send out a $100 rebate to nearly 3.4 million Albertans starting July 1 to help offset high fuel and energy prices as well as broader affordability challenges facing residents.

The rebate will replace Alberta’s fuel tax relief program, which was introduced in 2022 and temporarily suspended all or part of the province’s 13-cents-per-litre fuel tax when the average quarterly price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil reached or went above US$90 per barrel.

“Families are feeling the pressure of rising costs, whether it’s groceries, rent, utilities, or fuel,” Smith said during the June 17 announcement at Calgary’s Gasoline Alley Museum.

“We’re taking action to put more money back in their pockets.”

‘Erased at the Pumps’

The premier was joined by Finance Minister Jason Nixon, Affordability Minister R.J. Sigurdson, and Trellis Society CEO Jeff Dyer for the announcement of the one-time payment.

Smith said Alberta is moving forward with the rebate because rising fuel prices have rendered Ottawa’s cut to the excise tax virtually invisible at the pump.

“When the federal government suspended its 10-cents-a-litre fuel excise tax earlier this year, those savings were seemingly erased at the pumps within days before Albertans could actually feel any relief,” she said.

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on April 14 that the federal fuel excise tax on gas, diesel, and aviation fuels would be suspended from April 20 to Sept. 7 due to rising fuel prices caused by global conflict and supply disruptions in the Middle East.

Carney said the move would cut gas prices by roughly 10-cents-per-litre, reduce operating costs for businesses, help create jobs, and add to other affordability measures such as last year’s removal of the consumer carbon tax.

Who Gets the $100 Rebate?

Nixon said all Alberta residents aged 18 or older who filed the 2025 tax return and reported household income of $225,000 or less will receive the $100 rebate.

He added that households with two eligible adults will get $200, along with further payments of $100 for each additional eligible adult family member residing in the same home.

“We trust Albertans to know what their families need most, whether the pressure is on groceries, rent, bills, or fuel. The Alberta Energy Rebate ensures the choice is theirs,” Nixon said, adding that Albertans receiving the Alberta Seniors Benefit, Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped, Alberta Disability Assistance Program, or Income Support benefits will be automatically enrolled beginning July 1.

Nixon said all other eligible Albertans are able to apply online, with applications opening up July 1 and remaining open until Sept. 30.

Nixon said roughly 70 percent of Albertans, or 85 percent of the province’s adult residents, will get the $100 rebate.

Savings

Smith said the average Albertan saved approximately $65 in fuel taxes last quarter under the province’s existing fuel tax relief, compared with the $100 now being offered, noting that this represents a $35 increase.

“We wanted to make sure that it would ... be a meaningful amount and go to as many people as possible,” she said.