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Draft:Alberta Municipalities

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Alberta Municipalities
AbbreviationABmunis
Formation1905 (1905)
TypeLocal government organization
Legal statusNon-profit organization
HeadquartersEdmonton, Alberta
Region served
Alberta, Canada
Members275
Official language
English
Current Board President
Dylan Bressey
Current CEO
Dana Mackie[1]
Websitewww.abmunis.ca
Formerly called
Union of Alberta Municipalities (UAM), Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA)

Alberta Municipalities (ABmunis) is a member-led non-profit organisation[2] representing municipalities in Alberta, Canada. Known at its founding in 1905 as the Union of Alberta Municipalities (UAM), it was renamed to the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA)[3] in 1966. The non-partisan[4] association represents cities, towns, villages, summer villages, and specialised municipalities across Alberta, which account for a majority of the province's population.[5]

Headquartered in Edmonton, ABmunis advocates for its member municipalities in interactions with the Government of Alberta[6][7] and the Government of Canada.[8][9] The organisation engages in activities related to legislation, public policy, and funding decisions affecting local governments.

In addition to advocacy, ABmunis provides services including insurance programs, employee benefit plans, and energy procurement programs to its member municipalities and not-for profit organisations.[10][11]

History

Formation and early development (1905–1939)

Alberta Municipalities was established in 1905, coinciding with Alberta's entry into the Canadian Confederation, to facilitate coordination among municipalities operating within the new provincial framework. Originally known as the Union of Alberta Municipalities, it was created by municipal leaders to provide a forum for discussion, cooperation, and shared administrative development.[12]

In 1906, the association held its first provincewide convention, establishing leadership and priorities such as uniform assessment laws, consistent legislation, and municipal authority.

During the First World War, interwar period, and the Great Depression, it addressed municipal finance, and infrastructure and unemployment relief.[12]

Post‑war expansion and institutional development (1940–1999)

From the Second World War through the post-war period in the late 20th century, the association addressed housing shortages, infrastructure demands, and rising education and social service costs. It contributed to policy discussions through advisory boards, taxation studies, and municipal finance initiatives.[13]

From the 1960s onward, the association expanded its mandate to include both advocacy and service support for municipalities. It adopted the name Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) in 1966 and strengthened its institutional capacity through expanded member services and a permanent organisational structure.

Between 1976 and 1999, it placed increasing emphasis on fiscal sustainability, infrastructure renewal, and municipal autonomy. It expanded insurance services, developed policy papers on revenue sharing, waste management, housing, policing, and sustainability, and consistently advocated for infrastructure funding, property taxation improvements, and limits on the transfer of provincial responsibilities to municipalities.[13]

Expansion to services and climate focus (2000–2020)

In 2000, the Alberta Municipal Service Corporation (AMSC) was established to support service delivery through shared programs such as insurance, benefits, and energy procurement.[14]

During this period, the association also increased its focus on climate, energy, and infrastructure issues. It played a role in advancing the Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP)[15] and supported other municipal climate initiatives. Through its partnership in the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre (MCCAC),[16] for example, it assisted in providing municipalities with access to tools and information for climate planning and adaptation.

Municipal finance and governance development (2021-present)

In 2021, the association was renamed to Alberta Municipalities.[17] From 2021 to 2025, Alberta Municipalities led advocacy and capacity-building efforts related to Intermunicipal Collaboration Frameworks (ICFs),[18] supporting municipalities in adapting to legislative changes and supporting intermunicipal cooperation.

In 2025, the association's advocacy contributed to the resumption of government-backed low-interest municipal lending tools and continued to address issues such as Grants in Place of Taxes (GIPOT)[19] and education property taxation.[20][21] It also supported leadership development through the Elected Officials Education Program (EOEP), a jointly delivered program with Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) for municipal elected officials.[22]

Notable members

There have been some notable past presidents of the organisation.[23]

References

  1. "Dana Mackie, MBA '18".
  2. "Power BI Report".
  3. "Verifying your browser".
  4. "ABmunis resists premier's push for municipal party politics › Westwind Weekly".
  5. "About us | Alberta Municipalities".
  6. "ABmunis Flags Governance and Cost Concerns Under Alberta Police Funding Model - Blue Line". 2 January 2026.
  7. ""More Cooperation is Required": ABmunis to Provincial Government". 22 June 2023.
  8. "ABmunis Responds to GoC Budget 2025 | Alberta Municipalities". 5 November 2025.
  9. "ABmunis 'deeply concerned' about caveats to federal government's BCSF". 9 January 2026.
  10. "Products & Services | Alberta Municipalities".
  11. ""What Does Alberta Municipalities Mean?"". YouTube. 4 October 2024.
  12. AUMA's first century: 100 years that shaped Alberta. Alberta Urban Municipalities Association. 2005. OCLC 464182945.
  13. AUMA's first century: 100 years that shaped Alberta. Alberta Urban Municipalities Association. 2005. OCLC 464182945.
  14. AUMA's first century: 100 years that shaped Alberta. Alberta Urban Municipalities Association. 2005. OCLC 464182945.
  15. "From Retrofit to Payoff: Alberta's CEIP Transforms Homes and Communities | Green Municipal Fund".
  16. "About the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre | Municipal Climate Change Action Centre".
  17. "AUMA 'refreshes' brand and changes name to Alberta Municipalities on first day of convention". edmontonjournal.
  18. "Intermunicipal Collaboration Frameworks | Alberta.ca".
  19. . https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/return-of-property-tax-grants-a-win-for-municipalities-abmunis/
  20. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-municipalities-education-property-tax-9.6977147
  21. Gallant, Colin. "Alberta Municipalities wants province to rethink property tax". Taproot Edmonton.
  22. "Training for municipal officials | Alberta.ca".
  23. AUMA's first century: 100 years that shaped Alberta. Alberta Urban Municipalities Association. 2005. OCLC 464182945.
  24. "Edmonton councillor elected AUMA president | Globalnews.ca".