Edmonton Chamber urges council to focus 2025 budget on core services, but spend more Downtown
“Businesses are already grappling with inflation. Adding heavier taxes makes it even harder for them to thrive.”
The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce is calling on the city council to focus on "core" municipal services in its budget to limit property tax increases next year while also allocating additional funds to revitalize Downtown.
Chamber CEO Doug Griffiths expressed concern over Edmonton's rising property taxes, describing them as an "unsustainable" burden on families, citizens, and businesses. Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday alongside representatives from developer and real estate groups, Griffiths emphasized the need to work collaboratively with the city council to determine which services are essential and require immediate investment, which can be deferred, and which should be funded by other levels of government. Revitalizing Downtown, he noted, should remain a key priority.
Edmonton's proposed 2025 budget includes an 8.1 percent property tax increase, marking a 24 percent rise over four years if left unchanged. Griffiths warned that these escalating taxes threaten the city’s economic competitiveness and strain its residents.
“These increases represent lost opportunities, lost competitiveness as businesses look to other regions — even within this region — to grow, lost talent as families leave for more affordable options, and lost potential for Edmonton to be the leading city that it needs to be,” Griffiths stated.
He added that businesses are already struggling with inflation, and higher taxes exacerbate their challenges. "Adding heavier taxes makes it even harder for them to thrive," he said.
Griffiths clarified that the chamber's intent is not to criticize the city council but to collaborate on shaping Edmonton's future. Along with organizations like BILD Edmonton Metro, BOMA, and NAIOP, the chamber is advocating for a forward-looking approach. "This is not about pointing fingers at past decisions. It’s about shaping the future we want for Edmonton," Griffiths said.
He stressed the importance of clearly defining core municipal services, as failing to do so can result in everything being perceived as "critical."
