OLDS — Will the provincial government pay municipal taxes on provincial assets such as land or buildings it owns in the Olds?
Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills MLA Nathan Cooper did not say when asked that question during a Feb. 10 appearance before Town of Olds's council.
But he did say he’d look into the matter.
Coun. Heather Ryan asked that question, saying that during an Alberta Municipalities conference, Premier Danielle Smith seemed open to the idea.
Ryan said there was a time when the provincial government did provide money to municipalities for those assets.
She conceded that Olds doesn’t have a lot of provincial buildings or other provincially-owned land, but big cities like Calgary or Edmonton likely do.
Ryan asked Cooper if he knew where the provincial government stood on that question.
“The short answer is no, I haven't heard anything on it,” Cooper said, adding he will contact Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver to find out the answer.
“I know that the province has been undergoing a review of provincial assets across the province, including potential sale of a number of assets across the province that are provincially owned.
“There hasn't been much discussion at caucus level. Perhaps there's been some more discussion at the department level. I'm not familiar with that, but I'll get back to you.”
Properties belonging to the Government of Alberta are currently exempt from municipal taxation. To account for this, municipalities are paid a grant in place of taxes (GIPOT) on eligible properties within their boundaries.
The 2025-26 budget for the Grants in Place of Taxes program is $55.3 million. The province's website says funding is being restored over two years.
"All eligible GIPOT application amounts will be paid at 75% in 2025-26, with a small number of priority applications continuing to be fully funded. In 2026-27 all eligible GIPOT application amounts will be paid at 100%."
