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Regional Roundup
March 18, 2026

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Province eyes stronger regulation amid $250M in unpaid oil and gas taxes

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The Alberta government is reviewing 17 recommendations to improve how the province recovers unpaid property taxes from oil and gas companies. A report from the Property Tax Accountability Strategy working group urges integrating property taxes into the Alberta Energy Regulator's mandate and giving the regulator faster, stronger tools when companies fall behind on tax obligations.

The working group includes representatives from the province, Rural Municipalities of Alberta, and rural municipal administrators, with support from AER and industry representatives as observers. While the recommendations aim to reduce future arrears, the province says it is unlikely to recover about $250 million in unpaid taxes accumulated over several years. Some measures are already in motion: Assets belonging to insolvent companies will be removed from municipal assessment rolls more quickly to limit uncollectible taxes, and municipalities will not be on the hook for uncollectible taxes from oil and gas assets for at least the next three years.

The push for stronger enforcement comes as landowners in south Edmonton have erected a blockade against MAGA Energy, a Calgary-based company that they said hasn't paid its lease on their property for three years. The AER is supposed to block the transfer of oil and gas leases to companies that are more than $20,000 in arrears on property taxes. But the Investigative Journalism Foundation reported that MAGA Energy has been able to drill new wells despite owing municipalities such as Parkland County and Sturgeon County hundreds of thousands of dollars, in addition to leaving landowners with unpaid bills. While the recommendations in the report are non-binding, the government aims to implement some through ministerial orders and regulatory change, Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams told reporters as the RMA's spring convention opened in Edmonton on March 16.

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Economic development

Municipalities

  • Sturgeon County Mayor Alanna Hnatiw said the expedited viability review process for Gibbons does not fit the unprecedented situation the municipalities find themselves in. "We're being constrained within a regulatory framework that does not meet the current situation," Hnatiw said at a council meeting on March 10, at which the province's manager of municipal viability outlined the process ahead of a decision on dissolving the town into the county.
  • St. Albert will prepare updates to its land use bylaw as part of its work to secure funding from the federal Housing Accelerator Fund. Administration is seeking public input until March 27 on four proposed housing principles as well as housing experience and priorities.
  • St. Albert has renamed and expanded its storefront grant program, increasing matching grants from $2,500 to $3,000 for eligible improvements such as signage, lighting, and patio elements, and adding a pre-approval process.
  • Strathcona County is set to begin construction this spring on a long-planned indoor fieldhouse at 240 Broadview Drive, featuring a full-sized turf field and facilities for rugby, baseball, track and field, and other sports.
  • St. Albert is accepting applications until April 2 for its Young Artist Legacy Award, which provides grants of up to $500 for individuals and $1,000 for groups to support arts programs, workshops, and travel for residents aged 13 to 21.
  • Strathcona County Enforcement Services has completed a one-year pilot that granted community peace officers the authority to conduct mandatory alcohol screening and issue sanctions. The county said officers issued 89 impaired driving sanctions, and impaired driving collisions fell by 11% in 2025 compared to 2024.
  • Beaumont's e-scooter program is set to relaunch after provider Neuron confirmed the return of the service, chief administrative officer Mike Schwirtz told councillors.
  • The City of Beaumont has published an FAQ about a two-building commercial development approved for 9 Coloniale Way, which will include retail space, a daycare, and a possible restaurant or café — a decision upheld by the Subdivision Development Appeal Board after one appeal.

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