Municipal Affairs

Mid Size Town Mayors' Caucus On Budget 2026


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It’s been a week since the Alberta government tabled Budget 2026, and across the province, mayors and municipal leaders have been digging into the details. For local governments, the provincial budget isn’t just a headline number — it shapes the financial reality communities will be working with for the year ahead.


This year, Alberta is projecting $74.6 billion in revenue, alongside a forecast deficit of $9.4 billion. At the same time, the province has laid out a $28.3 billion capital plan over the next three years, with major investments planned for schools, hospitals, and other large-scale infrastructure.


But beyond the big provincial numbers, municipalities are asking a more practical question: what does this mean for their communities, their budgets, and ultimately, their taxpayers?


Today on the show, we’re joined by the Chair of the Mid-Sized Towns Mayors’ Caucus and Mayor of the Town of Sundre, Richard Warnock. Mid-sized towns — defined as municipalities with populations between 1,000 and 14,999 residents — play a critical role across Alberta. They often serve as regional hubs for surrounding rural areas, but they also face unique challenges when it comes to funding, staffing, and maintaining the infrastructure their communities rely on.


We’ll talk about how Alberta’s 2026 budget is landing in those communities, what mayors are seeing as they work through the numbers, and what it could mean for mid-sized towns across the province in the months ahead.
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