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Alberta legislature. (Photo credit: Dreamstime)
By Curtis Galbraith
Provincial Budget

Positives in new budget for GP, but province raising school portion of property tax bills

Feb 28, 2025 | 6:00 AM

The province is raising the school requisition portion of property tax bills.

There is a six per cent increase contained in the new provincial budget that was released on Thursday.

Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton says this is the first increase in several years.

“So, when you get your property tax bill, on top of the municipal portion, the portion that is for education will go up by six per cent.”

“That will make your overall tax bill bigger, but a reminder that (is) money the city collects for the province, so there will be an increase on that.”

Clayton says this money is used for operational expenses, not capital projects.

Clayton adds there are some things that are positive for Grande Prairie.

“We are very pleased to see money put towards the design of expansion at Northwestern Polytechnic in the trades expansion.”

“That signals that the province is supportive of this project overall and Northwestern Polytechnic can go ahead with (the) first phase of doing design work.”

Clayton says there is also an increase in tax in lieu; money from the province given to cover places like schools and churches that do not pay property taxes. That is at 50 per cent of the tax rate right now, worth about $250,000 for Grande Prairie. That will go up to 75 per cent this year and 100 per cent next year.

There is also $4 million for twinning Highway 40 south of Grande Prairie. Clayton says this is to complete the twinning project that has been underway for some time. There is another $26 million for grade widening Highway 40 between Grande Cache and Hinton.

The budget also includes $12 million to bring the Family Justice Strategy to Grande Prairie. The province’s website says this includes things like mediation and counselling to settle things before they go to court.

There is $8 million in the 2025-26 budget for the new health centre in Beaverlodge. There was $ 7 million in the current budget.

Clayton says there are no concerns from the city’s point of view of the $5.2 billion projected deficit in the new budget.

“Their goal is to be not as reliant on our natural resources and, with that, putting additional dollars into the Heritage Savings Trust Fund.”

“In time, they hope to be receiving significant contributions off that investment.”

Clayton says with this and the deficit, there “wasn’t a lot of room for municipalities.”

She adds she and council will continue to advocate with the province for this region’s priorities.

Clayton includes the NWP trades expansion, Highway 40 X that would connect Highways 40 and 43, and the Maskwa Medical Centre on that list.

– with files from Eli Ridder, CHAT News

by Curtis Galbraith