St. Albert Annexation

The City has prepared an Annexation Handbook to assist new residents from Sturgeon County who live in the annexation area and will be joining the City.

Annexation is the process in which there is a change in municipal jurisdiction, transferring land from one municipality to another. In this annexation process, it is about land currently governed by Sturgeon County being transferred to the jurisdiction of the City of St. Albert. This process will not change the ownership of the land.

Annexation is a provincially regulated process, with the Municipal Government Board (MGB) recommending the final decision to the Government of Alberta. Sturgeon County and St. Albert are working together to ensure the annexation addresses the concerns of each municipality and their residents. This collaborative process is being used to help ensure a positive outcome for all who are impacted.

The Municipal Government Board is an impartial and independent board established by provincial legislation to make decisions about matters such as annexation. They prepare a report and a recommendation is forwarded to the minister of Municipal Affairs, and then to the lieutenant-governor, who will make the final decision.

Both the City of St. Albert and Sturgeon County are facing growth pressures. Within the last couple of years, Councils agreed that the City is in a better situation to address future urban style development (higher density), and the County rural style development (lower density), within the sub-region.

Embarking on an annexation process now enables sustainable long-term community planning as well as planning certainty for residents, municipalities, developers and landowners in a manner consistent with the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Growth Plan. The annexation provides enough land for the City’s long-term residential and commercial growth aspirations.

The City of St. Albert and Sturgeon County jointly determined a potential maximum area of 2,180 ha (5,387 ac) in size that the City could consider proposing an annexation for. This area will be studied and reviewed further as part of the annexation process, prior to making a final submission to the MGB.