Why Edmonton Needs This Now
Right now, Edmonton is paying for things it doesn't have the money to pay for, and borrowing the difference. Governments have to do that on occasion, but it can't be the norm. As it stands, future taxes won't build anything in the future, because they're too busy paying for the past.
Our ask is that Council spend public money the same way Edmontonians spend their own. You do not build an addition to the house when your roof is leaking and you're late on mortgage payments. You fix the roof, catch up on your payments, and then you build.
That's why the Edmonton Chamber built the Back on Track Budget: our commitment to working with the City on fiscal responsibility, grounded in a full review of the City's own finances, direct input from Council, and a plan for what Edmonton needs to fix before it builds anything new.
50,000
new Edmonton residents last year
90%
of Edmonton Chamber members are dissatisfied with the services their taxes pay for
80%
of Edmontonians want spending focused on repairing what the City already owns before building new
#1
of Edmontonians want spending focused on repairing what the City already owns before building new
How We Built the Business Budget
We started by asking what the City is actually responsible for, then built a case from there — combining a legislative review, a Fiscal Task Force of Edmonton business leaders, a full reconciliation of the City's existing budget, direct roundtables with Councillors, member survey data, and a close read of the City's own public consultation. Six inputs, one standard applied consistently across all of them.
The 3 Questions We Asked of Every Dollar
- Should the city do it? Is it the City's responsibility, or does it belong to another order of government?
- Is the City the right one to do it? If the private sector or a non-profit could deliver it better, why duplicate their work?
- Is the result worth the cost? Can the City show what its investment achieved?
Edmonton Chamber Fiscal Task Force Members
