After Years of Record Tax Hikes Under Knack, Walters Offers a Better Way Forward for Edmonton Families

News Release

After Years of Record Tax Hikes Under Knack, Walters Offers a Better Way Forward for Edmonton Families

Years of escalating taxes have left Edmonton households at a breaking point. Property taxes have jumped 28% in the last four years, utilities and user fees have surged, and the businesses that once provided good jobs in Edmonton are moving to surrounding communities. When those jobs leave, families are left with longer commutes, higher costs, and fewer opportunities close to home.

New data show just how uncompetitive Edmonton has become. In 2025, a business with a $10-million industrial property will pay $282,724 in municipal taxes in Edmonton — more than double Leduc County and roughly 40% higher than Parkland County or Fort Saskatchewan. Even St. Albert, long considered a high-cost market, comes in far lower.

“We’ve become the most expensive place in Alberta to do business, and Council keeps raising the rent,” said Michael Walters. “When employers leave, it’s Edmonton families who pay the price.”

The Cost of Knack’s Excessive Taxes

Andrew Knack has pledged to hold firm on the current tax trajectory. That approach doesn’t just raise commercial rents and logistics costs — it reduces investment in our city and shrinks the tax base. When the tax base shrinks, the bill gets passed to homeowners and renters, year after year.

“Knack’s plan keeps squeezing instead of competing,” Walters said. “It punishes job creators, and it punishes families by leaving them with the tab.”

What It Means for Edmontonians

Every time a business leaves, Edmonton loses tax revenue that helps pay for recreation centres, snow clearing, parks, and police. To make up the difference, Council shifts more of the cost onto households already stretched thin. Families end up paying higher residential property taxes while getting fewer services in return.

Without change, that cycle continues — and it’s Edmontonians who are left carrying the burden.

Walters’ Plan for a Competitive, Affordable Edmonton

In addition to his comprehensive plans for economic development and for affordability, Michael Walters will protect families, restore competitiveness, and bring jobs and investment back home by:

Capping annual tax growth at inflation (~3%) to provide predictability for both households and businesses.
Redeveloping vacant industrial land into modern hubs that create good-paying jobs close to where Edmontonians live.
Cutting permit delays within 180 days, shifting to having the fastest industrial and commercial permit approvals in the region — by removing redundant layers and aligning departments to deliver real-time results; and
Partnering regionally so Edmonton competes fairly instead of being undercut by neighbours.
“We can’t tax our way to prosperity,” Walters said. “We need to compete for it — so that families can afford to live here, and young people see their future in Edmonton.”

A Clear Choice for Edmonton Voters

This election is about the future of our city. Edmontonians can choose more of the same higher costs and shrinking opportunity under Andrew Knack, or a plan that restores competitiveness, affordability, and confidence under Michael Walters.