Edmonton city council has finalized its portion of this year’s property tax increase, maintaining the previously decided 6.9-per-cent bump. The provincial education tax, however, puts Edmontonian property owners’ tax increase at closer to 7.7 per cent. The dollar amount paid will depend on the worth of a property. The average homeowner with a 2026 assessment of around $492,500 will pay around $300 more this year. Mayor Andrew Knack said city council has been privy to some “very challenging trade-off conversations” throughout the year with unveiling of Alberta’s heavily deficited budget and general inflationary pressures. “The issue continues to come back to, why is the municipality collecting taxes on behalf of the province for provincial services?” he said Friday. “Because most people, when they read their tax bill, do not realize that a little over 25 per cent of that entire tax bill does not go to the municipality to provide municipal services.” Knack had previously joined other municipalities in calling for the province to use its own methods of taxation to collect much-needed education funding. He also promised 2026 was the last year council would pass an increase this high, saying they were focused on a new four-year budget that prioritizes economic development, growth management, quality services and safety. Public engagement on the 2027-2030 budget is now underway. Edmontonians are asked to tell city council what services matter to them ahead of the next budget. Property tax bylaws for 2026 will be presented to city council on April 28. Tax notices will be sent to all property owners on May 25 and are due June 30. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson
