EDMONTON, AB, September 28, 2026 — The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce today launched Back on Track, a set of practical recommendations designed to inform the City’s upcoming budget deliberations, protect core services and ensure every public dollar delivers real value for Edmontonians. 

Back on Track asks Council and Administration to apply three questions to every City program, service and investment: 

1. Should the City do it? Is this the highest priority with a clearly demonstrated need? 

1. Is the City the right organization to do it? Does the City have the best available expertise to deliver on the program or is there another organization that does? 

1. Is the result worth the cost? Will this be the most appropriate outcome that is worth taxpayer investments? 

“Edmonton needs a budget and taxes people can actually afford,” said Doug Griffiths, President and CEO of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce. “That means making choices, protecting the core services people rely on and ensuring every dollar the City spends delivers real value for Edmontonians.” 

The recommendations were developed through a Chamber-led task force of business and community leaders. They draw on a Chamber member survey, roundtables with business owners and City Councillors, and the City's own public engagement. 

Back on Track is not a call for indiscriminate cuts or a less ambitious Edmonton. It calls for clearer priorities, consistent measurement and regular review. Sometimes the answer will be yes. Sometimes a service should be delivered differently. Sometimes the responsible answer will be "not right now." And none of the asks are good for business alone; a street that gets repaired, a road that reopens on time and a downtown that is clean makes life better for all Edmontonians.  

Neighbourhood renewal and construction disruption are among the clearest examples of why that discipline is needed. 

The City’s approved 2023–2026 capital budget includes $545.7 million for neighbourhood renewal. Residents enter the process expecting necessary repairs to roads, sidewalks and aging infrastructure, but can be presented with broader redesign options without a clear choice to proceed with essential repairs alone. The result can be a larger and more expensive project than residents expected. 

“Residents should be able to ask for roads and sidewalks to be repaired without being walked through a catalogue of unnecessary neighbourhood redesigns,” said Bob Walker, a Wîhkwêntôwin resident, former senior executive of Ledcor Construction and advocate for the historic Victoria Promenade.

The option to only refurbish the Victoria Promenade, one of Edmonton’s jewels, in its present form, was never made available to its residents in the City surveys. 

“Across City capital projects, we need to challenge policies and design decisions that are either not appropriate, not functional or not cost sensitive. Council and Administration needs to start saying no when any of these important considerations are not met.”

Businesses face different consequences. Construction that restricts access, reduces foot traffic and continues longer than expected can put otherwise viable businesses at risk. In 2026, roughly 20 downtown businesses closed, representing an estimated $17 million in lost annual revenue. 

"We can prepare for necessary construction," said Josh Wilhelm, owner of Birch & Bear. "What we cannot plan for is years of uncertainty, with no reliable timeline for when customers will be able to reach us again."

“Construction is not the problem. A growing city has to build and maintain infrastructure,” said Heather Thomson, Vice President, Economy and Engagement at the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce. “The problem is allowing projects to grow beyond what is necessary, closing streets longer than anticipated and leaving residents and businesses to absorb the cost.”

The Back on Track Budget calls on the City to pause the growth of the Neighbourhood Renewal program while it reviews its scope, standards and costs; give residents a clear choice between essential repairs and broader redesign; and build business access, coordination and accountability into every major construction project. 

The plan also identifies opportunities to reduce duplication, review the additional cost created by City policies, improve major-project delivery, accelerate industrial development and strengthen accountability for downtown investment. 

“Edmonton businesses have had to make difficult choices, set priorities and change course when the numbers no longer worked,” said Griffiths. “We bring that experience to this conversation, along with practical recommendations and a genuine willingness to help.”

“Edmonton can be affordable, ambitious and well run, but getting there requires focus, leadership and the courage to make hard choices.”

The complete Back on Track plan and supporting backgrounder are available at https://www.edmontonchamber.com/advocacy/back-on-track-budget/

-30-