Strathcona County, Fort Saskatchewan mayors respond to province’s approval of uncontested annexation

We are pleased to share the Government of Alberta has approved the negotiated annexation agreed to by Strathcona County and City of Fort Saskatchewan councils just over one year ago. This is good news for both our communities.

By choosing to collaborate, we have addressed regional growth pressures, while saving both our communities time and money. We have put our collective energies toward lessening the impact on residents in the annexation area, on exploring opportunities to integrate services, and on preserving our industrial tax bases and keeping taxes low for our residents, businesses and industries.

“Strathcona County and Fort Saskatchewan have demonstrated tremendous leadership and vision in reaching this outcome. We realize we have much more in common than any differences that may set us apart. This long-term alliance will preserve and grow sub-regional interests of our two municipalities, is the first of its kind in Alberta of this size and offers potential benefits to residents of both municipalities in the future,” says Rod Frank, Mayor of Strathcona County.

“Municipalities need to come up with solutions that protect their interests, save costs, and set standards for service delivery. The Alliance Exploration Agreement (and uncontested annexation) save money and land for Strathcona County. That and the fact 97 per cent of annexation applications in recent history have been granted, made us highly supportive of this approach.”

“I feel inspired as we lead the province in exploring new forms of municipal governance, in the search for better options for our citizens, and we are committed to working alongside the City of Fort Saskatchewan and finding solutions that benefit each other and our entire region.”

“In June of 2018 we reached an agreement for an uncontested annexation of 952 hectares of land from Strathcona County. With the approval of the province, we now have enough commercial and residential land to accommodate the continued strong growth of Fort Saskatchewan for 30 plus years. In addition to the annexation application, we also signed an Alliance Agreement with Strathcona County,” says City of Fort Saskatchewan Mayor, Gale Katchur.

“Our goal is to explore all avenues to find partnerships that benefit both municipalities while increasing our efficiency and effectiveness. This work continues and we thank Strathcona County for their spirit of cooperation through this process. We look forward to continuing to work together to build not just vibrant communities, but a strong sub-region,” Katchur said.

-30-

Mayor Rod Frank, Mayor, Strathcona County – 780-464-8001
Mayor Gale Katchur, Mayor, City of Fort Saskatchewan - 780-992-6232