Presented at Canadian Rural Revitalization Conference (CRRF) May 25 - May 27, 2022
Abstract: In 2019 the province returned to its conservative roots with an overwhelming vote for the United Conservative Party (UCP) led by Premier Jason Kenney. They formed the Government of Alberta on April 30, 2019 with 62 of 87 seats, winning over 70% of the vote in a number of ridings. Electoral support for the NDP was largely limited to urban centers. Voter turnout in the 2019 election was the highest recorded since 1982 at 64%.
At the local level, many of the challenges faced by rural municipalities are long-standing, but increasingly compounded by economic decline, provincial fiscal policy, deteriorating infrastructure, increasing urbanization, aging populations, and diminishing services. The province is home to 356 municipal units, of which 260 are recognized as urban municipalities, meaning they are defined as a city, town, village, or summer village under the Municipal Government Act.
