Regional Roundup
Nov. 11, 2026
St. Albert city council said it is grateful that the provincial government has addressed part of a resolution about Alberta's charitable gaming model passed at the Alberta Municipalities convention in September. Starting in 2027 under a revised charitable gaming model, charities from outside of Edmonton and Calgary will begin to receive a $14-million share of the proceeds generated by online gaming in Alberta. It's an attempt to help rural charities earn a comparable amount to those in the province's two largest cities, said Dale Nally, MLA for Morinville-St. Albert and the minister responsible for Service Alberta and red tape reduction. "We have a charitable casino model in this province that I think is a jewel in the crown across the country," Nally told The Macleod Gazette. "But there was really one big flaw with it. That flaw was that there wasn't parity between urban and rural Alberta."
That quest for charity parity could explain, perhaps, why one of Camrose's casinos was moved to Edmonton while keeping its proceeds in the rural pool. The ABMunis resolution said casino revenues are not distributed equally, and the frequency of revenue-generating opportunities varies greatly depending on the region. For example, based on figures from 2024, charities in the Camrose casino region typically had to wait about 40 months for their turn to host casino fundraising events, with an annualized return below $6,000, whereas charities in Edmonton only had to wait about 22 months, with a return of over $40,000. St. Albert's wait was 31 months, with the annualized return just over $7,000. When the Camrose casino was originally applying to move to Edmonton in 2024, the proponents said the move meant Edmonton urban charities would see a 5% decrease in charity pool payments, while rural charities would see an increase of more than 50%.
Nally acknowledged that finding a balance for rural and urban charities is difficult. "Any solution you can come up with is going to penalize someone," he said. "We wanted to find a win-win solution … so now we have this new and incremental revenue from iGaming." St. Albert Mayor Scott Olivieri said the new approach, announced at the Rural Municipalities of Alberta convention in Edmonton, "treats charities in St. Albert and other smaller communities across the province much more equitably, and in a way that does not impact the bottom line of charities in Edmonton and Calgary." The introduction of online gambling also has a downside, however, with increased addiction expected.
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Economic development
- Three business groups urged Edmonton council to authorize planning for land south of 41 Avenue SW, annexed from Leduc County in 2019. The campaign involves BILD Edmonton Metro, the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, and CREDA Edmonton Region. Robynn Holstein, CREDA's executive director, said other municipalities have land open for development, and Edmonton could fall behind because it takes several years for development to begin after planning authorization. "Leduc County is booming, Parkland County is booming, they all have a lot of net-new land coming available that is shovel ready," Holstein said. "The city of Edmonton isn't there."
- Capital Power CEO Avik Dey and TransAlta CEO Joel Hunter said Alberta's data centre policies will draw projects to the province and help to avoid the kind of public backlash that has been seen in American municipalities and counties. "We've seen what's happened in other jurisdictions where maybe the build-out has gone too quickly and, as a result, has required a lot more infrastructure that results in higher utility bills for customers and as a result of that we've seen the moratoriums," Hunter said during an earnings call. Dey told analysts that Alberta is "in an enviable position today relative to other markets."
- Stantec's new CEO, Susan Reisbord, said the company will continue to advance data centre development under her leadership, despite growing public backlash. Stantec is part of the team building Meta's $13-billion data centre in Sturgeon County, and it is involved in Walton Global Investments' bid to make it possible to put data centres in the Edmonton Energy and Technology Park.
- Industrial development is shifting from Edmonton to surrounding areas, particularly Nisku and Acheson, as businesses seek lower property taxes and transportation costs, according to an Avison Young report. Edmonton recorded more than 172,000 square feet of negative industrial absorption in the third quarter of 2026, while Nisku added nearly 220,000 square feet and Acheson gained 77,000 square feet. Leduc County's industrial tax rate is less than half of Edmonton's, a gap expected to widen with planned increases to the city's non-residential taxes.
- Alberta Innovates released its 2025-26 annual report, highlighting that it expanded hydrogen testing capacity and connected more than 300 food and beverage organizations to opportunities, as well as opening a commercially accessible carbon-fibre processing facility through InnoTech Alberta.
- River Cree Resort and Casino marked 20 years in business, with more expansion on the way after adding Canada's first Hell's Kitchen restaurant. "Good enough is not good enough," CEO Vik Mahajan told CTV. "Every time we do something, we strive to do even better, and we don't stop."
- The Skills in the Heartland fair connected junior and senior high school students with trades employers at Fort Saskatchewan's Dow Centennial Centre. Skills Canada Alberta hosted the event through its Try A Trade program.
- Sturgeon County will promote opportunities for food-processing and ingredient-manufacturing at Food ingredients Europe. Investment attraction lead Leanne Mistal will attend to discuss investment and expansion.
Municipalities
- Rural Municipalities of Alberta called for a provincial review of regulatory and engagement frameworks for large-scale data centres at its conference in Edmonton on Nov. 2 to 5. The resolution seeks clearer roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority for those projects. "The question is no longer whether municipalities should think about data centres. The question is whether they're prepared when the application comes," said Amanda McDonald, the reeve of the County of Grande Prairie, which is about 40 kilometres north of the proposed Wonder Valley data centre.
- Strathcona County will release its proposed 2027 budget and begin public deliberations on Nov. 16. Residents and businesses can submit written comments or register to speak at a public hearing on Nov. 25. The budget is expected to be finalized by Dec. 4.
- Stony Plain council revised its proposed 2027 property tax increase to 3.58%, including 1.60% for a community recreation centre. Council will consider final approval of the corporate plan and budget on Nov. 23.
- New traffic signals have begun operating at the intersection of Highway 16A and Range Road 20 in Parkland County. The province provided funding to improve two intersections where Range Road 20 crosses highways after years of deadly collisions. An interchange is being planned for the intersection with Highway 16.
- Sturgeon County launched an online winter maintenance map showing where crews recently plowed or graded roads. It updates every five minutes but does not track equipment in real time.
- St. Albert's Toys for Tickets program will accept toy donations instead of payment for eligible parking tickets issued from Nov. 15 to 30. Toys must be new, in original packaging, and worth at least $30, with a receipt.
- Spruce Grove opened a community scattering garden at Pioneer Cemetery. Residents can scatter the ashes of family members for free and have the option to purchase memorial plaques.
- Four Alberta mayors — Alanna Hnatiw of Sturgeon County, William Choy of Stony Plain, Krista Gardner of Calmar, and Robert Snow of Vermilion — discussed the first year of the municipal term and priorities ahead on the Municipal Affairs podcast.
- Beaumont Mayor Lisa Vanderkwaak said she was glad to see the Leduc-Beaumont constituency restored in the latest electoral boundary report. "I am reassured that the panel noted our wishes in their report to the Legislature and I want to thank the dozens of residents who provided feedback during this process," she said in a statement. "The panel's report reflects that your voices were heard."
- Leduc reminded residents that it may ticket and tow vehicles left on streets during snow-clearing parking bans, with fines of $225. Residents receive 24 hours' notice for collector roads and 48 hours for residential streets.
- Leduc's Community Development team received an honourable mention at the 2026 Creative City Impact Awards for its VolunteerFest, an annual volunteer appreciation event.
Headlines
- The Beaumont Music Festival said it will pause in 2027 after weather forced it to cancel the second day of its 2026 event. Organizers reported a deficit just under $107,000. The City of Beaumont has advanced the festival's 2027 grant of $30,000, and the festival is fundraising to help pay out its outstanding obligations.
- The WestView Health Foundation aims to raise $5.1 million for a CT scanner at Stony Plain's WestView Hospital and Continuing Care Centre. Executive director Tammy Brent said it has raised more than $3 million so far. The province said it will provide $3.8 million annually for operations and expects the scanner to enter service in 2028.
- The St. Albert Community Hall has partially reopened after mould removal, though its basement remained closed. League president Vic Charlton said repairing the basement will cost about $160,000, with completion expected by January 2027.
- REACH Edmonton convened a forum for 12 Alberta communities on gaps in crisis diversion services. Representatives from communities including Edmonton, Fort Saskatchewan, Spruce Grove, St. Albert, Stony Plain, and Strathcona County attended. A report on the discussions and priorities for future services is due before the end of 2026.
- The West Central Airshed Society will offer free workshops on wildfire smoke and health in Entwistle on Nov. 18 and Wabamun on Nov. 25. Participants can learn how air quality affects their daily lives and communities and how they can make informed decisions to protect their health and well-being.
- Gridmakers is on display at the Art Gallery of St. Albert until Nov. 21. Edmonton's Kim McCollum based the work on the intricate grids of weaving patterns. "I love the way that the grid can say many things at once," McCollum told the St. Albert Gazette.
- The latest exhibition at Musée Heritage Museum, called What's Underneath? Mining in St. Albert, tells the story of coal, gold, and oil extraction in the region. Curator Martin Bierens said he got the idea for the exhibit during Corb Lund's Water Not Coal campaign.
- Flame & Barrel owner Raj Mahanta spoke to the St. Albert Gazette about plans to open a second location in St. Albert later this month. The steakhouse is at 388 St. Albert Trail, in the former Thirsty Rooster space.
- Strathcona County's Celebration of Lights will return on Nov. 21 with free holiday activities from 3pm to 5pm at Festival Place.
- Devon Minor Hockey brought its coaches together with six guest coaches for its inaugural Coaches Hot Stove to share knowledge and experience. "There is so much value in learning from one another, and it was great to see our hockey community come together with a shared passion for the game and the development of our players," the hockey group wrote in a submitted article.
- Morinville sold out its free Family Fright Halloween Dance.
- Strathcona County will host a seminar on Nov. 30 in the Future Forward Speaker Series on winning small-business grants, featuring Alberta Business Grants founder David Kincade.
Happenings
Here are some events coming up soon:
- Nov. 12: Set Up Your Business in Alberta starting at 12pm online
- Nov. 12: Startup TNT: Top 6 Finale Night starting at 6pm at Citadel Theatre
- Nov. 14: Velmora Summit starting at 8am at Evario Events Centre
- Nov. 17: The Walrus Talks North of Now starting at 7pm at Rogers Place Ford Hall
- Nov. 17-18: Alberta Co-operatve Conference 2026 at Westin Edmonton
- Nov. 18: 2026 State of the Economy starting at 11:30am at Westin Edmonton
- Nov. 18: Air Aware: Wildfire Smoke & Health Workshop starting at 6pm at Entwistle Hub
- Nov. 19: Unpacking Alberta's Emerging AI Data Centre Industry starting at 2:30pm online
And here are more to keep in mind:
- Nov. 22-24: Canadian Innovation Conference at Edmonton Convention Centre
- Nov. 25: Big Shot: Circular Economy Pitch Night at Edmonton Unlimited
- Nov. 30: State of the Province at Edmonton Convention Centre
Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.
This roundup was sponsored by Park Power.
Park Power is your friendly, local utilities provider, offering electricity, natural gas, and internet throughout Alberta. Park Power offers low rates, awesome service, and through their Community Partners program, shares 10% of electricity profits with some awesome Alberta charities. Their Green Power program supports the production of renewable energy in Alberta and their Solar Club helps Albertans gain more value from their investment in solar power.