DIDSBURY - The Town of Didsbury is in support of calls for the provincial government to increase financial support to municipalities to help support crucial infrastructure assets, says mayor Rhonda Hunter.
“Didsbury council has committed to an effective and thoughtful asset management strategy, and we believe and also advocate for increased financial support through the LGFF (Local Government Fiscal Framework) that is critical to ensure the longevity of assets to deliver municipal services in Didsbury and throughout the province,” Hunter told the Albertan.
Ric McIver, minister of Municipal Affairs, recently announced that municipalities will be receiving $770 million under the new LGFF program in 2024-25, increasing to $820 million the following year.
“Communities across Alberta have long asked for funding that is predictable and tied to provincial revenue changes. We have listened and we are delivering,” McIver said in a release.
“The LGFF will provide infrastructure funding where it’s needed most and allow flexibility for communities to focus their funding on local priorities.”
Alberta Municipalities (ABmunis), which represents more than 200 municipalities including Didsbury, has passed a resolution calling on the province to provide $1.75 billion through LGFF in 2024-25.
The $722 million in funding announced by McIver will not be sufficient to meet needs, the association said.
“The $722 million in LGFF baseline funding does not begin to address Alberta’s $30 billion (and growing) infrastructure deficit,” ABmunis said in a release.
“Alberta is facing unprecedented growth and yet the provincial government has been cutting funding for community infrastructure for more than a decade.”
Provincial funding for local infrastructure has dropped from about $420 per Albertan in 2011 to about $150 per Albertan in 2023, the association said.
“A much larger funding pot is needed to meet current and future needs. Provincial and federal housing initiatives will not succeed unless additional funding for local infrastructure is provided by the two senior orders of government.”
Mayor Hunter says adequate funding for local infrastructure is vital to Didsbury and many other towns and villages.
“To bring clarity to our support for this (ABmunis) resolution, in Didsbury’s five-year capital plan we must address our $15 million worth of infrastructure repairs, replacements, and new critical infrastructure to ensure the viability of services provided to our citizens through functional roads, undergrounds, reservoirs, lagoons, and more,” Hunter said.
“This $15 million does not address all of the repairs, improvements, and/or replacements needed for infrastructure deficits, and there is always another $15 million (and more) of outstanding projects that will have to wait until funding is available.”
Didsbury council supports Alberta Municipalities’ advocacy for a substantial increase in infrastructure funding, she said.
