EISEN, THOMPSON: Albertans should question municipal gov’t spending

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According to our recent study, from 2008 (the earliest year of available data) to 2023 (the latest year of data), total spending by municipal governments around the province increased from $3,187 per person to $3,750. That’s an increase of 18% (inflation-adjusted). During the same period, total municipal property tax revenue increased by 13% (inflation-adjusted).

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In light of these spending and tax increases, it’s fair to ask — have your local municipal services improved in recent years?

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Value for muni dollars?

Well, it depends on who you ask. But a 2025 survey conducted by the City of Calgary found only 46% of residents said they receive “good” value for their property tax dollars (rather than “neutral” or “poor”). Satisfaction with the overall level and quality of municipal services declined from 76% in 2017 to 61% in 2025. And only about 9% of Calgarians want the city to increase taxes beyond the current inflation rate to expand services, with the rest preferring to maintain or reduce taxes.

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Albertans in other municipalities share similar concerns. According to a 2024 city survey, the vast majority of Edmontonians said winter road maintenance is “very important” but only 45% report being satisfied with this municipal service. And according to a 2023 survey of citizen satisfaction, only 11% of the residents of Grande Prairie County want to “increase taxes to expand services.”

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Meanwhile, evidence of municipal waste is not hard to find. In Cochrane, an ordinary park bench costs between $5,000 and $7,000. The City of Calgary will spend $515 million of taxpayer money to build a new arena for the Flames — this is splashy corporate welfare with dubious public benefits. Edmonton fire stations cost 63% more than comparable facilities elsewhere — an independent report suggests that “the largest portion of the cost premium… is attributed to the City of Edmonton’s Climate Resilience policy.”

Albertans are skeptical

In short, municipal spending has increased significantly but many Albertans do not see how this increase translated into better services that have improved their lives.

This should make taxpayers and senior levels of governments skeptical of claims from municipalities that they need even more money to help deliver core services. (For example, Alberta’s municipalities claim they need an additional $30 billion to maintain local infrastructure such as roads, wastewater systems and recreational facilities.)

Are you getting good value for your property tax dollars?

For many Albertans, the answer appears to be “no.”

Until municipalities can demonstrate that existing resources are being used effectively, calls for even more funding should be met with healthy skepticism.

Ben Eisen and Austin Thompson are analysts at the Fraser Institute.

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