the short version

Taxes have gone down over my time on Council! Checkout how rates have changed:

But while that sounds like great news, it’s only half the story. The RATE is heavily influenced by rising home values, not just City spending.

Rates have gone down partly due to hard work by Council and City staff to become more efficient and reduce low priority programs. But they have also gone down in part because house prices have gone up.

And because property values are climbing, we could freeze the RATE and still see a massive 10% tax hike—something the City doesn’t need and residents can’t afford.

This is why I don't focus on tax RATES. They are a poor measure of performance and tell you very little about the actual bill residents pay.

I don’t see the value in comparing our high RATE to other cities without acknowledging that our lower property values are the primary driver of that difference. A house being more affordable here doesn’t mean a firetruck or a road crew costs any less.

The number we should be focused on is the tax AMOUNT. This represents both how much residents and businesses actually pay. It also represents how much money the City actually generates to deliver municipal services.

To highlight the differences between RATES and AMOUNTS, it is worth comparing us to Canmore. The town of Canmore has the lowest property tax RATE in the province: its rate is less than half of Grande Prairie’s. However, this has nothing to do with municipal budgeting. Canmore is only able to charge a low RATE because its houses are worth a lot of money. But the AMOUNT it charges is very comparable to Grande Prairie (and actually a little bit higher):

So, if we are going to look at AMOUNTS rather than RATES, how has that changed over time?

Nobody likes seeing their taxes go up. But it's important to understand the context. Like every family and organization, the City is seeing its costs rise dramatically. It has also face provincial funding cuts, RCMP raises leading to much more expensive policing, and paying for new services residents have asked for (like the outdoor pool and driveway windrow removal). Given these pressures, I am proud that Council has kept tax increases to less than a third rate of inflation.

To see how our tax increases compare to the budget pressures we have faced, it is worth looking at how other cities have responded to the same changes. Here is what tax increases elsewhere in Alberta have looked like over the past decade:

As you can see, Grande Prairie's increases have been significantly lower than our municipal peers.

Of course, this is just a quick look at how taxes have changed. For a deeper dive into why tax rates are a poor financial metric compared to tax amounts, please read the long version of my thoughts below. If you keep on scrolling down, you can also take a look at hour our spending, tax amounts, and other revenue sources compare to other municipalities.

As you read, I’m always open to feedback or questions. Especially if you are up to meet for a real conversation!

the long version

Great news: since I have been on Council, tax rates have gone down!

Don’t believe me? You can access the Property Tax Bylaws here. If you graph out the Low Density Residential rates, this is what you will find:

This decrease is even more remarkable when you think about Alberta’s high inflation. Here is what the tax rate would’ve looked like if it had matched inflation vs how it actually changed.

I’m also very confident that Council can hold the line or decrease that rate in 2026.

So, we have a great news story: Council has lowered taxes. Why aren't we proclaiming this from the rooftops?

The answer is that the tax rate, on its own, tells you very little about a Council's financial performance. To understand why, you have to look at how the rate itself is calculated.

At its simplest, the formula is:

The tax RATE is a product of two factors: the tax AMOUNT the city needs to collect and the total value of all property. This means that if property values across the city rise, a lower RATE is required to collect the same AMOUNT of taxes.

This is what makes the tax RATE a poor measurement of a Council's performance. Council has almost no control over the housing market, and your property's value has no bearing on the cost of delivering city services. What truly matters is the amount of money coming out of your pocket, and for that, the tax RATE is only half the story. We simply can't discuss the RATE without also discussing property values.

So, just because the RATE has gone down does not mean the tax AMOUNT has followed suit. In fact, the opposite is true. While an average tax bill increased by less than a third the rate of inflation, it has still gone up (more on that below).

Let’s rearrange the equation to see it from a homeowner's perspective:

So how can tax AMOUNTS go up while RATES go down? The primary reason is that property values have also gone up. The tax RATE has decreased partly due to Council’s work to control costs, but it has also fallen because climbing house prices allow the City to collect the revenue it needs with a lower rate.

As I've shown, I could use the falling tax RATE to pat myself on the back and claim that Council has done a great job. But I won't do that, because it's only half the story. A falling RATE, on its own, tells us nothing about City spending or the actual tax bill hitting residents' mailboxes.

If I tried to claim I've been part of a Council that reduced taxes, most residents would rightly not accept that.

the problem with rate comparisons

Since I would never tell the half-story of a falling tax RATE to brag, I get frustrated when that same half-story is used to suggest Grande Prairie's finances are way out of line with other cities.

We've all heard the claim that "Grande Prairie has some of the highest property taxes in the province!" This often references this report by Zoocasa, which correctly lists our city as having one of the highest tax RATES in Alberta. When you look at that list, municipalities with the lowest RATES—like Canmore and Chestermere—are roughly 60% lower than ours.

But what drives this difference? Is it because Canmore and Chestermere spend 60% less than Grande Prairie? Absolutely not.

The primary driver isn't municipal spending; it's the vast difference in housing markets. A municipality with high property values can charge a very low RATE and still collect a large AMOUNT of taxes. Conversely, a municipality with lower property values must charge a higher RATE to collect an equivalent AMOUNT.

For example, checkout what a house in Grande Prairie vs a comparable house in Canmore pays in tax AMOUNTS, despite Canmore having a much lower RATE:

Canmore doesn't have the province's lowest tax RATE because its government is exceptionally frugal; it has the lowest RATE because it has some of the highest property values. By the same token, Grande Prairie doesn't have a high tax RATE because we spend more than other cities. We have a high tax RATE because our houses are more affordable.

This misunderstanding is especially troubling during an election. When candidates focus only on our high tax RATE, they often jump to the conclusion that there must be millions of dollars in the budget to cut without impacting services. By ignoring property values, this argument completely misses the reality of the tax AMOUNT the City actually collects to operate. If a candidate is promising to cut many millions out of the budget, then they are promising to have Grande Prairie deliver a much lower level of service than other cities. Something that I don’t think would be acceptable to most residents and businesses.

focus on rate or amount?

We all want to know that our money is being spent well, and one of the best ways to measure a city's financial performance is to benchmark it against other municipalities. The goal should always be to meet or exceed the benchmarks that matter most.

For many residents, the tax RATE is that key benchmark. The thinking is that Council should aim for a RATE that is near the average of other cities, and then simply plug that rate into the familiar equation:

In principle, I understand the desire to focus on the tax RATE. However, this approach has three major problems:

It ignores market changes. Our housing market is on an upswing; over the past year, average home values increased by over 10%. If Council simply freezes the tax RATE, the tax AMOUNT will jump the same 10%—an absurd increase that the City doesn't need and that families and businesses can't afford. Council's focus must be on the final tax bill, not just the rate.
It creates false comparisons. Property values don't change the cost of services. A a firetruck, lifeguard, or truck of asphalt don’t cost less in Grande Prairie than in Canmore just because our houses cost less. If we insist on matching the tax RATE of a city with a much higher assessment base, we must accept drastically fewer services. I don't believe that's a trade-off most residents are willing to make.
It creates volatility. Tying tax collection to a fixed RATE creates extreme instability. As the housing market fluctuates, residents' tax bills would swing dramatically year to year, making it impossible for families and businesses to budget. This would also destabilize the City’s own finances, making it incredibly difficult to provide consistent and efficient services.

For these reasons, my focus as a Councillor is not on the tax RATE. The RATE is simply the result of a calculation. The real benchmark of a Council’s performance is the tax AMOUNT—the actual dollar figure you pay—and the value you receive for it.

That is the number we must manage responsibly.

a better approach to taxes

Instead of focusing on the tax RATE, which is easily distorted by the housing market, we should be focusing on the following principles:

Benchmark the Tax AMOUNT. We should compare the actual tax AMOUNTS residents pay against other municipalities. The goal should be for Grande Prairie residents to pay a comparable amount for city services that are as good or better than those in other cities.
Control the Total Levy. We must control the total AMOUNT of money the City collects, maximizing the value of every dollar. We shouldn't collect more revenue simply because house prices go up; our budget should be driven by the community’s desired service levels and the actual costs of efficient services, not the whims of the real estate market.
Ensure Predictability. Finally, we must ensure tax bills are predictable. While inflation will cause costs to rise over time, these increases should be gradual and stable. Tax bills should not be subject to the wild swings of the property market, which will allow families and businesses to budget effectively.

This is why, when I evaluate the City's budget and our financial performance, my focus is on tax AMOUNTS, not tax RATES.

So, if the tax RATE is the wrong number to focus on, what has been happening with the tax AMOUNT? In the spirit of telling the whole story, let's look at that in a bit.

a word about affordability

The numbers I present below will show how our taxes have changed and how Grande Prairie’s finances compare to other cities. They demonstrate that Council and staff have been disciplined with public money. Through a focus on efficiency and by pulling back on low-priority programs, we have minimized the impact of budget pressures on taxpayers while keeping our spending in line with municipal averages.

I am proud of this work.

However, I also recognize that many families and businesses are struggling. Affordability is a major concern in our community, and I do not want to minimize the impact of a significant property tax bill. This is always top of mind for me during budget talks.

While I don’t support slashing programs—as service reductions often hurt the most vulnerable residents while providing them the least benefit from tax cuts—I am committed to spending as little as possible to deliver those essential services. Council must be focused on maximizing the value of every single dollar.

My official platform contains specific ideas on how we can achieve this, particularly under the planks of "Focus on the Boring Stuff" and "Affordability." I welcome your feedback on these proposals, which include:

Continuously improving operational efficiency and rolling back low-priority services.
Maintaining strong advocacy to address unfair electricity distribution costs.
Expanding non-tax revenue sources to reduce the burden on property taxpayers.
Using better benchmarks against other municipalities and the private sector to ensure our costs are reasonable.
Implementing "Benefit-Based Procurement" and other policy tweaks to maximize the local impact of City spending.

While the City manages its finances well, those resources ultimately belong to the residents. We must always work to stretch every dollar further.

tax amount changes over time

I could focus only on tax rates and claim that taxes have gone down during my time on Council. But as I've explained, that's only half the story. I won't make that claim, because the reality is that tax bills are slightly higher today than they were a few years ago. As the City's costs have increased, the total amount we collect in taxes has had to increase as well.

However, I am proud of the fact that these tax increases have been held well below the rate of inflation. While the cost of nearly everything else has risen sharply, Council has worked to keep tax increases modest and predictable.

Here is how the change to an average single family home’s taxes compares to inflation over the same period:

Of course, the average residential tax bill is just one glimpse into the City’s financial picture.

To manage that final bill, Council has not only controlled spending but has also attracted new, tax-paying development and slightly shifted the tax burden towards non-residential properties.

Therefore, to get the fullest picture of our fiscal management, it's worth looking at the total amount of tax dollars the City has collected over time:

To understand any tax increase, it's important to recognize the significant budget pressures the City has faced.

Like any organization, we're dealing with escalating costs—it costs more to buy a grader, hire road crews, or purchase electricity now than it did ten years ago. At the same time, we've expanded services based on resident requests, adding such services as the Hansen Lincoln Grandstands, the outdoor pool, the Mobile Outreach Program, free youth transit, driveway windrow removal, and Keyera Place in Smith. On top of this, RCMP members received a large (but well-deserved) salary increase, which substantially increased our policing costs.

Simultaneously, we've faced a revenue squeeze from the provincial government. The province has significantly reduced infrastructure funding, increased its share of revenue from fines, and for many years, cut its payments-in-lieu-of-taxes on provincial buildings by half. It's also worth noting the province is drastically increasing its own property tax levy, which, while not a direct hit to the City's budget, is collected by the City and felt by residents on their final tax bill.

None of these pressures are unique to Grande Prairie; all Alberta municipalities are grappling with inflation, service demands, and provincial downloading. In response, nearly every city has had to increase taxes. The key difference is by how much.

Grande Prairie's tax increases have been significantly lower than our peers. Here is how we stack up:

Spending and tax comparisons

Benchmarking our finances against other municipalities is one of the best ways to determine if our budgets are reasonable.

As we've discussed, cities across Alberta face similar pressures from rising costs, decreased provincial funding, and demand for new services. The fact that Grande Prairie's tax increases have been significantly lower than our peers is a key indicator of our performance. It demonstrates that Council has been a leader in adapting to these budget pressures while minimizing the impact on taxpayers. But that isn’t the whole story.

To me, another crucial benchmark is per capita spending—how much the City spends per resident. Here is how that looks:

Admittedly, our per capita spending ($2,647) is slightly higher than the municipal average ($2,524), and wanting to close that gap is justifiable.

However, this difference is largely explained by our northern operational costs and higher service levels—such as our recreation facilities, more frequent residential snow clearing, and the mobile outreach program. Reaching the "average" in per capita spending would therefore likely require a reduction in these services.

With that context on spending, let’s now look at how the tax bill for an average single-family home compares:

Again, Grande Prairie's average tax bill is slightly above the municipal average—by about $12.50 per month for a typical family.

The question is, how should we address this?

If we can reduce that amount by finding efficiencies or trimming low-priority programs, GREAT! But that's only part of the solution. We must also be proactive in exploring other revenue sources to ensure our city remains affordable for everyone.

REVENUE COMPARISONS

While the average property tax bill in Grande Prairie is slightly above average, this is balanced by the fact that other municipal fees are often lower here than in other cities. Two examples that could be made to bring our average municipal taxes below the average of other cities:

The Stormwater Fee Difference

As was explored at length this term, Grande Prairie does not charge a dedicated stormwater fee. In many other cities, stormwater costs appear on a separate utility bill. Here, those operational costs—accounting for about 5% of your property tax bill—are covered by property taxes.

If we had a separate stormwater utility like most other cities, our property taxes would be below the municipal average.

Utility Franchise Fees

Utility franchise fees are another frequent source of resident frustration. These are fees the City charges ATCO for the exclusive right to use municipal land for their infrastructure. They are passed directly onto customers.

I understand the desire to see these fees cut, but it's important to know two things:

They generate approximately $15 million in annual revenue. Eliminating them would force a choice between a significant tax increase or drastic service cuts.
They are paid by properties that do not pay property taxes, such as the hospital, Northwestern Polytechnic, and the courthouse. This ensures these major institutions contribute to the cost of the municipal services they use. As is, we don’t fully recover the costs of providing municipal services like roads, fire, and police to these buildings. If we eliminated franchise fees, City taxpayers would be providing an even larger subsidy to the regional residents that access these institutions.

While these fees can be frustrating, Grande Prairie's franchise fees are actually lower than in most other Alberta municipalities. If they were brought in line with the averages of other cities, they would generate ~$7.5 million of revenue that could be removed from tax bills. Here is how we compare to other communities:

If the goal is to bring our residential taxes in line with the municipal average, we can't just talk about cutting expenses. A realistic path forward must include growing non-tax revenue sources. This means looking at raising fees that are lower here than elsewhere, such as those explored above.

But we should first prioritize revenue streams that don't add to the local cost of living. Here are some ideas:

Grow Aquatera's Regional Services. Aquatera provides water and wastewater services to other regions. It does this at a profit, which is returned to the City of Grande Prairie as an annual dividend. By encouraging this side of the business to grow, Aquatera can generate more revenue from outside our city, directly lowering the tax burden for our residents without increasing local rates.
Contract Specialized Police Services. The Grande Prairie Police Service will have specialized units, like tactical and forensic teams, that currently travel to our region from Edmonton. We should explore contracting these services to the province to serve Northwestern Alberta. It is far more efficient to deploy a team from Grande Prairie to a nearby community than from Edmonton. This could create a significant revenue stream to help offset local policing costs.
Attract New Commercial and Industrial Development. We must continue to aggressively attract new development, especially near the airport. Every new commercial or industrial property that pays taxes expands our assessment base and reduces the share that existing taxpayers must carry.

conclusion

So, that's my pitch for why tax rates are a poor indicator of municipal performance, and a look at some of the numbers I believe we should be focusing on instead.

I believe the data shows that Grande Prairie has done a remarkable job of absorbing significant budget pressures, from inflation and provincial cuts to the cost of new services. The fact that tax increases have remained modest is a testament to the hard work of Council and Administration to improve efficiency and prioritize spending.

When we compare ourselves to other cities, the data shows we are a slight outlier, but not by much. Our finances are reasonable, especially when you factor in our northern geography and high levels of service. Nonetheless, financial discipline must be a continued focus. This means we shouldn't be slashing important services, but we also can't just be looking at costs—we must continue to expand other revenue sources.

Those are my thoughts. If you got this far, I’m sure you have many of your own. I’d love to hear them! Please email me at dylan@bressey.ca or call or text 780-402-4166. I love to chat online or over the phone. But even more than that: I would love to meet for coffee sometime.

Thank you for being interested!

-Dylan

Bonus: About property values

Throughout this post, I've discussed the relationship between tax levies, tax rates, and property values. For simplicity, I've treated "property value" as a number that is outside Council’s control. Which might be confusing to some since it is set by the City.

It's important to clarify how this process works:

Council has no control or input into your property assessment. The process is carried out by the City's assessment department according to strict provincial legislation and is audited by the province to ensure accuracy. Assessors have provincial regulations and professional standards which keep their assessment methodologies arms length from both Council and senior City Administration.
Council's budget process focuses on the total tax levy. We decide on the total amount of revenue needed in November, months before annual assessments even start. The tax rate is then set simply to collect that predetermined amount. This means that whether assessments go up or down overall, the City collects the same total amount of money. Assessments don't change the size of the pie; they just determine the size of each person's slice.

If you want to know more, I've created three short videos that explain the assessment and budget process in greater detail. They are below.

How the City’s Budget and Total Tax Levy is Set:

How Assessments and Tax Rates are Created:

How Assessment Changes Impact Tax Amounts

Let's Talk Tax Rates