What’s next for Edmonton infill housing after province orders rule reversal?

Tensions ramped up between the City of Edmonton and the Alberta government after the province ordered the municipality to roll back zoning rules aimed at encouraging higher-density housing in established neighbourhoods.

Asked Friday whether he was surprised by the province’s decision, Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack said he was.

“Yes, because I think governance should actually mean something,” Knack said when speaking on Global News Morning Edmonton.

“This is going have a direct impact on people’s ability to make housing choices for themselves. This will have an impact and create chaos in investment attraction and retention.”

6:33 Edmonton mayor says provincial infill intrusion will ‘create chaos’

Knack added the premier’s decision on Thursday has ramifications across the entire province.

Calgary’s mayor also weighed in, saying the move threatens local democracy and sets a dangerous precedent for the province working to influence city councillors in the future.

“Just because the premier agrees with how I voted yesterday, does not mean that she gets to decide how I vote tomorrow,” Jeromy Farkas told reporters outside of Calgary city council chambers on Friday.

Farkas says city council has an obligation to listen to citizens on important issues in public hearings as evidence for their decisions, but being forced to follow directions from a higher government undermines that process.

“You can’t order me to vote a certain way at city council, and if I don’t adhere to your order — are you actually going to fire me as the mayor of the City of Calgary?” Farkas questioned.

1:58 Calgary mayor fires back at province over new homebuilding rules

On Thursday, Premier Danielle Smith announced the province would require Edmonton to reverse key aspects of its zoning bylaw, which has largely been in place since 2024 and was designed to allow more infill housing development across the city.

The province has directed Edmonton to return to earlier rules governing housing types, density and building heights, while also restoring minimum on-site parking requirements that existed before 2020.

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City council has three months to comply.

2:17 Alberta orders reversal of Edmonton’s infill housing rules amid complaints from homeowners

The mayor argues restricting infill development will make housing less affordable and push growth to the city’s outskirts, where adding new infrastructure and services increases long-term costs.

Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams described the decision announced on Thursday as an extraordinary circumstance and said he hopes to have constructive discussions with Edmonton.

“This is really giving Edmonton a lot of options, in terms of what they can do moving forward,” Williams said.

“I think Edmontonians and Albertans generally want to see a constructive relationship. This is not a dictate or an ultimatum, this is a conversation.”

Knack criticized the province’s approach, saying Edmonton was not consulted before the announcement.

“At the end of the day I would have preferred to work with the provincial government, but they didn’t give us the courtesy of even a five-minute phone call before deciding to make changes,” he said.

When asked whether the city would consider challenging the directive, Knack said council will “have to examine all the legal options.”

A statement from Edmonton’s urban planning team said the city is still reviewing and assessing the province’s announcement.

A special city council meeting is scheduled for Oct. 16 to discuss the province’s directive and possible next steps.

2:01 Municipalities accuse province of overreach with Edmonton infill directive: ‘They’re taking over’

Ward tastawiyiniwak Councillor Karen Principe said some of the reaction at city hall has framed the dispute as a battle between Edmonton and the province.

“They see it as war,” Principe said, referring to some of her council colleagues.

“When you go in with a frame of mind of ‘it’s us against them,’ I don’t think anyone wins. We have a job to do. We need to work with other levels of government and it’s just the reality.

“We need to pull up our socks and get to work and figure this out.”

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Jan Hardstaff of the Residential Infill Working Group said she hopes the province’s intervention will reset relations between the two governments.

“I think we need to start having a conversation instead of a confrontation with the city,” Hardstaff said.

“I think city council needs to stop looking at this as a kind of doom-and-gloom scenario. Instead, I think we need to see this as an opportunity to reset.”

The province said the changes will remain in place while Edmonton undertakes a broader review of its land-use rules, including public consultation and discussions with industry. The city will have 18 months to complete that review.

With files from Dayne Patterson, The Canadian Press