Edmonton Airport land annexation creates controversy

The Edmonton Airport Land annexation proposal is being met with resistance from local residents. With Edmonton bursting at the seams, the city is looking south to annex the land around and including the international airport. It filed application to annex 12,000 hectares to the west of Highway 2 south of Edmonton to the airport. It is also seeking about 3,900 hectares of land on the east side of Highway 2 between Beaumont and the city’s southern edge. However, the idea isn’t sitting well with some homeowners in the area.

According to Edmonton's municipal website, the city is projected to grow to 2.1 million people by 2064. Despite expansion to the north and southwest, the city claims it doesn’t have the space to handle that kind of growth. This is the basis of their case for additional residential and industrial development, which would both benefit from annexed land around the airport. The city’s plan calls for nearly a third of this land to be used for business and industrial purposes, which would create a larger tax base to draw from.

Concerned residents and business owners in the area have set up the Leduc County Coalition to fight the proposed changes. One of their biggest concerns is taxes. Currently Edmonton homeowners pay 69 per cent more than those in Leduc County, and Leduc County residents worry they will get hit harder when they fall under Edmonton’s umbrella. In an interview with local media, Edmonton mayor Don Iveson said any proposed tax hikes would be phased in. During the last major annexation by the city, taxes were grandfathered in over 30 years.

The Edmonton airport land annexation battle will likely be a long one, as the process typically takes between two to five years to complete, involving public engagement and a review by the Municipal Government Board, a provincial government body.

Photos by: City of Leduc, Save Leduc County Facebook