By Curtis Galbraith

Alberta

Province says replacement for MSI funding for municipalities will start in 2024

Dec 15, 2023 | 3:54 PM

The provincial government says its Local Government Fiscal Framework (LGFF) will launch in the new year.

The province says this will provide Alberta Municipalities with “stable, predictable and sustainable funding” and that municipalities and Metis Settlements will share $722 million in funding in the 2024-25 fiscal year.

There is what the government calls “top-up funding” included in the 2023 budget. No dollar amount was provided.

It will replace the Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI). The money is intended for capital projects like roads, water, transit and recreation projects.

“Communities across Alberta have long asked for funding that is predictable and tied to provincial revenue changes. We have listened and we are delivering. The LGFF will provide infrastructure funding where it’s needed most and allow flexibility for communities to focus their funding on local priorities,” says Minister of Municipal Affairs Ric McIver in a release from the province.

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The province also says it includes a revenue index that ties changes in funding to provincial revenues. The government adds this means total funding will go up to $820 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year.

The province adds that in the 17 years it has been in place, MSI provided $15.2 billion in funding to municipalities.