City Levy
6.90%
Your Total Bill Change
+$367/yr
City +$246 · Province +$121
Score
42
Mixed
You: +$367/yr
Budget / Levy
$0M
0.00%
Turn your phone sideways for the charts.
Part 1 of 4

Edmonton 2026 Budget Simulator

Calculate the combined tax impact of operating budgets and capital debt.

The services we deliver
$
$0 Max: ~$337M
The things we build

Borrowing $100 million adds about $8 million to the annual operating budget.

$
$0 Max: $1 Billion
= $0 Annual Cost
$

City Typical: $492,500

$

Enter your business property value

2026 Tax Bill Breakdown

TOTAL $5,104
City of Edmonton
$3,813
Province of Alberta (schools)
$1,291
Final Provincial Education Rate
Homes 0.0026218
Business 0.0040447
2026 change Homes +10.3% / Business +2.6%

The Province sets this rate. The City collects the money and sends it to the Province. City Council cannot change it. This is the final rate for 2026, so it is not an estimate.

City Of Edmonton Levy Increase
6.9%
Approved rate for 2026
This slider changes the City portion only. The provincial education portion is set by the Province and does not move.
Reset to Baseline (6.9%)
Your Home Residential
1. City Of Edmonton +6.90%
Increase per year$246.05
Increase per month$20.50
City part of your bill$3,813
2. Province Of Alberta +10.30%
Increase per year$120.61
Increase per month$10.05
Provincial part of your bill$1,291
Total 2026 Bill $5,104
Both increases together
+$366.66 per year (+7.74%)
Your Business Non-Residential
1. City Of Edmonton +6.90%
Increase per year$1,627.99
Increase per month$135.67
City part of your bill$25,222
2. Province Of Alberta +2.60%
Increase per year$102.50
Increase per month$8.54
Provincial part of your bill$4,045
Total 2026 Bill $29,266
Both increases together
+$1,730.49 per year (+6.29%)
Who gets the money. The City keeps part 1 and uses it to pay for city services. The City collects part 2 and sends all of it to the Government of Alberta for schools. City Council does not set the provincial rate and cannot spend that money.
Part 2 of 4

The Inflation Reality Check

Simulator: Shift the Spending Basket

Municipal costs rise faster than household costs. A tax increase matching standard inflation results in a service cut.

[ CONSUMER ]
Inflation Rate
2.1%
Household Goods
[ MUNICIPAL ]
Household (CPI) City Operations (MPI)
Your dollar buys milk and clothes. Costs are relatively stable.

The Current Reality: 4 Key Pressures

1. Savings Drained
Financial Stabilization Reserve

The city used reserve funds to subsidize taxes. The reserve is now below the minimum threshold.

2. Structural Deficit
Costs Exceed Revenue

Base costs rose faster than tax revenue. Operating costs exceed current funding levels.

3. The Growth Trap
New Neighbourhoods

New low-density neighborhoods cost more to service than they generate in taxes.

4. Provincial Cuts
Offloading Costs

The province reduced infrastructure grants. Costs shifted directly to the municipality.

Part 3 of 4

Rewriting History: The Fiscal Gap

Drag the slider to see how past tax decisions created the current deficit.

Left: Actual History (Taxes kept artificially low).
Right: Fully Funded (Taxes match population growth and inflation).

Historical Tax Rates: Actual History
Actuals (Gap Widens) Fully Funded (No Gap)
Cumulative Structural Deficit
$0M
Service Status
Critical Strain

Simulate: The One-Time Fix

2026 vs. Future
2026 Tax Increase: 6.9%
0% 15% (Correction)
6.9% 2026
? 2027
? 2028
? 2029
? 2030

Infrastructure: The Cost of Waiting

$1M Today
Fix Now
$1M
Fix in 0 Years
Today Future

The Affordability Paradox

Counter-Intuitive Truth: Delaying maintenance to save $50 today forces a $500 emergency repair tomorrow. Predictable investment prevents costly emergencies.

[ AUSTERITY ]
Low Taxes Today
↓
Delayed Repairs
↓
Expensive Emergency Rebuilds
[ INVESTMENT ]
Stable Funding
↓
Regular Maintenance
↓
Lower Long-Term Cost
Part 4 of 4

You Be The Councillor

Set the service levels. Decide how to pay. Watch what happens.

Step 1  ·  Set the service levels
Community Safety Today's Level $0M
← Cut$50 of your $318/moGrow →
Snow and Ice Today's Level $0M
← CutBase $67M in 2026Grow →
Public Transit Today's Level $0M
← Cut$36 of your $318/moGrow →
Parks and Open Space Today's Level $0M
← Cut4,069 ha of turfGrow →
Step 2  ·  Decide how to pay for it

Step 3  ·  The result
Overall Score
42/100
Mixed
All six measures below, combined and weighted
Budget
$0M
Tax Levy
0.00%
Your Bill
+$367/yr
Savings
$61.6M
Public TrustNeutral

Does The City Still WorkNeutral

AffordabilityNeutral

Change to your municipal tax bill$0/yr
Private cost you pay instead$0/yr
TOTAL CHANGE$0/yr

Who Carries The CostNeutral

Budget And ReservesNeutral

Year 1 Levy
0.00%
This decision
Delayed Cost
$0M
Built up by year 5
Year 5 Catch Up
0.00%
Levy needed to clear it
Rebuild Time
None
To get service back

Effects that stack up (0)
Keep Going

This tool shows you the trade-offs. These two pages show you why they exist.

You have just seen that cutting a service often costs your household more than it saves, and that a low tax increase today usually means a bigger one later. The obvious next question is how Edmonton ended up here. That answer is worth about ten minutes of your time.

If any part of this tool surprised you, that is worth passing on. Budget decisions get made whether or not people are watching.

About these numbers: Tax rates come from City of Edmonton Bylaw 21442, approved by Council on April 17, 2026. The municipal increase for 2026 is 6.9%. The provincial education rate is set by the Government of Alberta and is final for 2026. Residential education taxes rose 10.3% and non-residential education taxes rose 2.6%. Your own bill will differ if your assessment changed by more or less than the city average. In Part 4, the service costs, private cost estimates and five year projections are models built on real service budgets. They show direction and scale rather than exact predictions. This tool is for learning and planning.