MGA Change Management Resources
With the support of Municipal Affairs, Alberta Municipalities and the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) collaborate to provide change management resources to support municipalities in implementing new requirements under the Municipal Government Act (MGA).
Councillor Code of Conduct
Bill 28: Municipal Affairs & Housing Statute Amendment Act introduced the ability for the Minister of Municipal Affairs to create a Councillor Accountability Framework, by regulation, to govern the behaviour of Councillors.
As of October 2026, a Framework has not been approved by the Minister.
Intermunicipal Collaboration Frameworks
In May 2025, the rules for ICFs were changed through Bill 50, the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, 2025. As a result, ABmunis in partnership with Alberta Municipal Affairs and the Rural Municipalities of Alberta updated the ICF Workbook to align with the new MGA.
The Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework Workbook was developed to help municipalities negotiate ICFs with their neighbouring municipalities. This updated Workbook provides tools and information-based resources to inform municipal processes, decision-making, and implementation related to ICFs.
The workbook also includes a number of tools that are available to download to support each stage of the ICF process:
- TOOL A – Individual Municipal Preparation
- TOOL B – Services Inventory Development
- TOOL C – Intermunicipal Preparation
- TOOL D – Sample ICF Terms of Reference
- TOOL E – ICF Services Summary (Bilateral or Multilateral ICF)
- TOOL F – Dispute Resolution Process Suggestions
- TOOL G – ICF Completion Dispute Resolution Options
- TOOL H – IDP Requirements Checklist
Other ICF Resources
- ICF Do’s and Don’ts
- Municipal Affairs’ fact sheet on general changes to ICFs – May 2025
- Municipal Affairs’ fact sheet on changes to arbitration of ICFs – May 2025
- Municipal Affairs’ fact sheet on changes to Ministerial Authority on ICFs – May 2025
Off-Site Levies Manual
In 2019, Alberta Municipalities and RMA engaged Brownlee LLP to develop Off-Site Levies: A Municipality’s Manual for Capital Cost Recovery Due to New Development. This manual provides municipalities with an overview of off-site levies, including changes made to the scope and reporting on off-site levies through amendments to the MGA and the Off-Site Levies Regulation. The manual also provides a step-by-step approach to implementing an off-site levy regime, including financial and reporting requirements.
Public Participation Policies and Public Notification: A Guide for Municipalities
The MGA (2017) also required municipalities to establish a public participation policy by July 23, 2018, which sets out how a municipality will engage with the public. In addition, municipalities are now able to amend their processes for advertising statutory notices by bylaw to suit their communities’ needs, whereas requirements for public notification were previously set out in the MGA.
The Public Participation Policies and Public Notification: A Guide for Municipalities includes a Public Participation Policy Template and a Public Notification Bylaw Template, which you can adapt for your municipality.
Alberta Ombudsman and Municipalities
As of April 1, 2018, the Alberta Ombudsman’s jurisdiction expanded to include municipalities. The office may now act on complaints about municipalities and, if warranted, initiate investigations into municipal decisions and decision-making processes.
Alberta Municipalities and the Office of the Ombudsman developed articles to provide municipalities information on how the Ombudsman’s new role affects you and how your municipality can enhance decision-making processes to better respond to and avoid future complaints.
- What do municipalities need to know about the Alberta Ombudsman?
- What if the Ombudsman calls?
- Ombudsman Investigations
- The Benefits of an Impartial Third Party for all municipalities involved.
