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By Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press

Municipal Affairs

Alberta reviewing new plan on forcing oil companies to pay municipal taxes; minister

Mar 16, 2026 | 3:55 PM

Alberta may soon require oil and gas companies to be on top of their municipal property taxes if they want to keep producing.

It’s one of more than a dozen proposals contained in a new report released by the province and by the Rural Municipalities of Alberta.

Unpaid municipal taxes by some in the energy industry is a long-standing issue, with Alberta’s rural communities owed more than $250 million as of last year.

Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams says that money will likely never be recovered.

Williams says municipalities can’t collect what’s owed to them from companies that no longer exist, but says he hopes the new report is a path forward.

Rural Municipalities president Kara Westerlund says she hopes at least some can be recovered and that the new policies put an end to the problem.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2026.