Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announces proposed changes to several pieces of democratic process legislation, in Edmonton on April 29, 2025. The Canadian Press/Jason Franson
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government reversed Edmonton’s zoning changes that were introduced in 2024 because the city had adopted them in exchange for federal housing funding.
“Do you know who undermined local democracy? The federal government. When they came in and they paraded money around in front of Calgary and Edmonton councils, and said we'll give you money on condition that you bring in blanket rezoning,” Smith said on the “Your Province. Your Premier” talk show on 880 CHED and 770 CHQR on Oct. 10.
Edmonton’s 2024 Zoning Bylaw Renewal, tied to federal funding from the Housing Accelerator Fund, eliminated exclusionary zoning to encourage development of infill and “missing middle” housing units.
Infill refers to building new housing on vacant lots or redeveloping existing residential properties in an established neighbourhood, in order to increase housing choices, rather than expanding into undeveloped land.
The 2024 zoning changes allowed townhouses, row houses, and apartments of up to three storeys high across the city; reduced residential zones from 16 to 6; and streamlined rules for four- to eight-storey buildings. They also introduced mixed-use zones and permitted supportive housing and lodging houses in residential areas without rezoning.
Smith argued that only 3 percent of Edmonton residents knew about the zoning changes before their effects became visible in neighbourhoods. She accused the federal government of effectively bribing Calgary and Edmonton city councils with housing funding tied to zoning changes.
“That’s when we passed the Provincial Priorities Act, and we said that any entity that receives money from us [the Alberta government], the federal government cannot do a workaround on us. They have to come through us in order to administer funds,” she said.
Smith said Alberta intervened on Calgary’s behalf after the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation threatened to withhold $62 million over the city’s intention to end blanket rezoning. Red Deer was denied $12 million despite Alberta’s advocacy, she said.
The premier said she had also received complaints about larger developments replacing detached homes on established streets.
“Just this last week alone, I received 2,653 letters from people asking me to do something about this infill issue,” she said.
Smith then fielded a phone call from a listener who said Edmonton residents had little meaningful influence over the city’s zoning changes because its public engagement policy gives residents the least influence during the final “revise” and “advise” phases.
Both Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack and Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas have spoken critically of Smith’s order to reverse the zoning changes.
Knack called the decision uninformed and urged Smith to pause the directive, which gave Edmonton three months from Oct. 8 to amend its bylaw. The mayor said the province’s intervention threatens Edmonton’s ability to make local planning decisions and will make the city less affordable.
Farkas said Smith’s order sets a dangerous precedent for local democracy, arguing that elected councillors must be free to hear residents and make their own decisions. He warned that the provincial government could use its authority to pressure municipal officials on future votes even if they disagree.
“Should Danielle Smith be able to order your local council to vote to approve rezoning for a massive AI data centre? And threaten to fire your democratically elected mayor if they vote against it? This latest provincial overreach isn’t about density. It’s about your legal right to a fair hearing,” Farkas said on social media.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
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