There is a great deal we still do not know about the regulations Alberta will eventually put around its new provincewide framework for municipal councillor accountability. What we do know is that the Alberta government has moved well beyond simply talking about changing the rules. Bill 28, the Municipal Affairs and Housing Statutes Amendment Act, 2026, received Royal Assent on May 14, creating the legislative foundation for a provincewide councillor accountability framework.

This year Ontario's municipal election is shaping up to be remembered less for debates over taxes, roads, or even housing than for two forces that, at first glance, seem unrelated but are increasingly intertwined: data centres and artificial intelligence. One represents the physical infrastructure of the digital economy, with sprawling campuses consuming vast amounts of electricity and water while promising jobs, tax revenue, and economic development. The other represents the

As I travel across Canada and speak with municipal leaders from St. John’s to Victoria, from Whitehorse to Windsor, I continue to hear the same question whenever people discover that I am a municipal affairs reporter based in Alberta. It comes up repeatedly, almost without fail: “Give us your honest thoughts about what is happening with Alberta separatism.” I always appreciate the question because it shows just how much attention Alberta’s political conversation is receiving

To borrow, or perhaps semi quote, Jim Prentice during Alberta's 2015 provincial election, "Mayors, it's time to look in the mirror." I know this probably will not make me popular in every council chamber across Alberta, but it is time someone said what a lot of municipal leaders are quietly admitting behind closed doors. Yes, municipal funding is a real challenge. Yes, infrastructure is expensive. Yes, provincial governments deserve their share of criticism. But more and more

Over the last several months, especially over the last week and a half, I've been asked the same question repeatedly: Why don't I comment on what municipal leaders have said on other podcasts? Why don't I react to council meetings or provide colour commentary on the challenges local councils are facing? The answer is actually quite simple. When I rebranded in 2023 as the Cross Border Network, I made a conscious decision that would shape everything the network would become. I

There are moments in life that make you stop, look around, and wonder if everyone else is participating in a completely different movie than the one you thought you were starring in. I had one of those moments recently while attending the Alberta Municipalities Municipal Summer Leaders Caucus in Red Deer. I walked into the room, ready to shake a few hands, catch up with familiar faces, and maybe locate the coffee before someone else emptied the pot. Instead, I was greeted wit

Watson Lake is the kind of place you can miss with a blink if you’re in too much of a hurry to get somewhere else. That would be a mistake. Because in Watson Lake, every sign has a story, and every story means something. For those who have never travelled the Alaska Highway — and yes, I know some people still call parts of it Highway 97 or Highway 1 depending on where they are standing — I would highly recommend it. Not because it is flashy. Not because every kilometre has so

Minister of Municipal Affairs Dan Williams Last Thursday, I found myself in a room that has become increasingly familiar to anyone who follows the evolving relationship between Alberta’s provincial government and its municipalities. It was a press conference featuring the Hon. Dan Williams, Alberta’s Minister of Municipal Affairs, alongside Dylan Bressey, president of Alberta Municipalities. The topic at hand was the municipal code of conduct, but like so many conversations i

Over the last few weeks, there has been one certainty in Alberta politics. It was predictable, telegraphed, and discussed openly by policy analysts, municipal administrators, and elected officials alike. And yet, when it finally happened, it was met with a chorus of surprise, frustration, and—most troublingly—political theatre. On February 27, the Government of Alberta released its long-awaited provincial budget. For most Albertans, provincial budgets are distant documents, f