Dear Mayors, Councillors, and CAOs,

Earlier this month, approximately 1.6 million Albertans in and around Calgary were affected by a significant water-main break that required urgent repairs and drew national media attention. Calgary’s municipal staff and elected officials acted quickly to communicate with residents and manage the situation.

While Calgary’s experience made headlines, it is not unique. Communities across Alberta—including smaller municipalities and summer villages—face similar infrastructure challenges every year. Alberta’s municipal leaders continue to demonstrate professionalism and dedication in responding to emergencies and supporting residents during critical moments.

Why This Matters

Water and wastewater systems are essential to community health, safety, and economic stability. As infrastructure ages, the risk of service disruptions increases.

Municipal leaders understand that similar emergencies can occur at any time, depending on the condition and age of local systems. In recent years, many Alberta communities have experienced water-main breaks or boil water advisories—often without widespread media coverage.

Bringing Attention to the Issue

To highlight the growing challenges facing municipalities, Alberta Municipalities published an opinion piece on January 23 in The Calgary Herald, with additional coverage across several Postmedia newspapers. The goal is to increase awareness of the urgent need for sustainable investment in water and wastewater infrastructure.

Key Messages for Community Conversations

Municipal leaders engaging with residents or local media may wish to emphasize the following points:

• Safe and reliable water systems are critical to residents and local businesses
• Underground infrastructure is difficult to inspect and costly to repair or replace
• Provincial and federal governments must reassess funding levels for water and wastewater systems
• Recent federal budget decisions limiting development charges create additional challenges for Alberta municipalities
• Municipal governments face growing pressure to keep property taxes low while infrastructure costs continue to rise
• Local examples of major infrastructure projects—completed or upcoming—help illustrate these challenges

Staying Informed and Involved

Municipalities are encouraged to share Property Taxes Reimagined information through their websites and social media channels to help residents better understand infrastructure funding pressures. Sample messaging and background materials were previously shared with CAOs in November 2025.

Leaders interested in further discussions on water infrastructure and other municipal priorities are invited to participate in the Spring 2026 Municipal Leaders Caucus, taking place in Edmonton on March 26–27, 2026.