Leduc eyes major border expansion to handle population boom
The city is seeking to annex rural land from Leduc County to accommodate growth that could reach 160,000 residents by the 2080s from today's 40,000.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
South of Edmonton, the City of Leduc is pursuing an ambitious boundary expansion to keep pace with explosive population growth.
Leduc is projecting growth of nearly four times its current population by the 2080s. Currently home to around 40,000 people, the city says its existing boundaries cannot accommodate that expansion without annexing rural land from Leduc County.
When a municipality seeks annexation, it must notify both the Land and Property Rights Tribunal and the municipality controlling the land. The two parties then negotiate before submitting a final application to the tribunal, which recommends approval to the provincial government for a final decision.
Joshua Culling, a manager with developer advocacy group BILD Edmonton Metro, says annexation is a solid option for municipalities facing rapid growth. "You're wanting to identify what time frame you have until you're out of land," he said. "And then from there you're identifying what is the best direction to go to expand the border."
Annexation is becoming popular among mid-sized Alberta municipalities during population booms and can help communities diversify revenue streams or prepare for large-scale developments. Sandeep Agrawal, a professor at the University of Alberta's School of Urban and Regional Planning, noted that annexation has generally been a net-positive benefit for mid-sized municipalities, though the outcomes differ for larger cities.
Edmonton annexed around 82 square kilometres from Leduc County in 2019 in anticipation of a population boom. Since then, residents in that annexed area have reported dealing with construction waste, garbage dumping, and deteriorating roads. The area has minimal infrastructure and few services, and is likely to remain that way for some time. Agrawal said larger municipalities like Edmonton face a trade-off: expand outward or expand upward by building denser. "What choice do they have? They're going through a tremendous amount of growth — population and economic growth," he said.
