Edmonton city council is looking to take pressure off the little guys, among other branding and commercial growth priorities, in the next five-year economic strategy. The ‘Edmonton advantage’ 2026-2030 plan, announced at city hall on Wednesday, outlines three areas of focus: Cutting down on hurdles for businesses, marketing the city’s brand and driving industrial and commercial investment for much-needed tax revenue. Mayor Andrew Knack says the plan’s focus is different from the last economic action strategy, circa 2021, in that this cycle “has a clear list of what we need to be doing in terms of growing our industrial tax base.” It’s an oversimplification, he says, but he’s got his eye on making Edmonton a friendlier place for its establishments. He also wants to attract commercial and industrial giants that would alleviate the tax burden on homeowners and smaller businesses. Retails, businesses, offices, warehouses and other non-residential properties contribute about half of the tax revenue the city collects to pay for the budget. Fewer of those properties means a greater stress on smaller establishments and homeowners. Homeowners already saw an increase to their share in 2026, with a property tax levy increase of 6.9 per cent and an additional provincial education tax hike tacked alongside it. The non-residential tax base, as well as industrial development in general, has been a sore spot for the city for about two decades. In 2024, the city vowed to work on attracting more buyers to shovel-ready spaces to encourage growth, which had dropped considerably from years prior. “We had a much higher non-residential tax base compared to residential tax base 20 years ago, and then over the last 20 years they’ve flipped, and that puts a lot of burden on residential taxpayers,” Knack said. “We are not as economically competitive as we need to be in the entire region.” Small businesses – making up for around 97-per-cent of establishments in the city and 61-per-cent of the employment, according to a 2025 city census – are also a focus, he said. “I think we’ve heard from our speakers (Wednesday), there is still some work to be done, particularly for our smallest businesses and our business improvement areas,” he said. Todd Janes, executive director of Stony Plain Road Business Association, says the overall report feels “rushed” given how many projects the city is juggling. The report outlines activators – like cleanliness or infrastructure that draws people in the city – that Janes thinks should be “sharp and quick” ways to improve the tax base. “If you’re looking for funds, it’s really important to hone in on what that is, articulate where that investment is going to go and what are the results around, and this report is lacking in all of that,” he said after council’s public hearing session Wednesday. The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce also says it would like to see beauty and cleanliness outlined clearly in the report and not lumped in with economic development. Brand and identity The strategy report says a clear and compelling statement and identity would help attract commercial and industrial players to the city. Since Edmonton’s last economic plan, the population has surged by 18 per cent. The report prioritizes expanding commercial business contributions to the tax base by bringing people into a city that has “defined who ‘we’ are.” Edmonton currently has 6,990 hectares of industrial land, about a quarter of which is zoned for varying levels of readiness. Expanding arts, culture, creative and sports sectors, investing in small-and-medium-sized businesses and bringing people back to the downtown core are all on the list of ways to reinforce Edmonton’s identity and boost commercial and industrial interest. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Connor Hogg
