Knack's faith in Edmonton Global remains, despite departures

Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack continues to believe in a regional approach to economic development, even though five municipalities have left Edmonton Global and three more are on their way.

"My view has always been we are stronger together … especially on the economic development side, and I think Edmonton Global is a great entity to deliver on that," Knack told Taproot. "But each municipality, they'll make their own choice on that."

Strathcona County, Fort Saskatchewan, Sturgeon County, Parkland County, and Devon all left in 2025. Leduc County voted to leave in December 2024; Gibbons did the same in November 2025, and Beaumont followed in December. A two-year notice period is required before they can formally exit. The other shareholders are Edmonton, the City of Leduc, Morinville, St. Albert, Spruce Grove, and Stony Plain.

The agency has now had Daryn Edgar at the helm as its second-ever CEO for close to a year, and it has unveiled new strategic and business plans that emphasize accountability and return on investment.

Shareholders in Edmonton Global pay fees based on their population and tax base. In 2024, the total amount was $5 million annually; Edgar told Taproot that each municipality's contributions have "stayed pretty steady" despite the departures, though adjustments may be coming.

Knack, who was appointed vice-chair of the shareholders group in May, said he understands that different municipalities have different priorities, and that may be a factor in decisions to exit, though Edmonton Global has worked to engage with them as individuals with specific assets. But you can't please everyone all the time.

"Unless you're going to put out almost unlimited money, you do have to prioritize," he said. "You do have to focus your resources on the areas that have the greatest opportunity for return on investment, and so I think that's the whole body of work that Edmonton Global is doing — recognizing that as much as it would be wonderful to try to be everywhere and do everything, that's not really practical."

Neither Beaumont nor Leduc County would comment on Edmonton Global's refresh, as Edgar has described it. As for Gibbons, Mayor Rick Henderson told Taproot his council has not been swayed. Edmonton Global's scope doesn't address the town's key hurdle for economic development: land suitable for major development. Annexation is what it would take to lure Gibbons back to Edmonton Global, Henderson said.

"For us to hit that global market and say, 'Hey, we have a perfect place, we're in close proximity to shipping, there's a great highway to get in and out of town, there's a great workforce around us,' and all that kind of stuff, definitely, we need some more land to attract that kind of industry."

The Gibbons town council that was elected in October 2025 faced a financial crisis so severe that the provincial government conducted a viability review, and a plebiscite was held to determine whether it should dissolve into Sturgeon County. Gibbons residents voted to remain a town, and the province accepted their will, but tensions arose between the town and the county during the process, with Gibbons wondering how it could get a share of revenue from Alberta's Industrial Heartland.

"The central question is simple: how can the region succeed together when the benefits of industrial assessment are concentrated in one municipality, while the impacts and service demands are shared across the region?" Henderson asked in a letter to Sturgeon County council in June.

Mayor Jeff Acker of Spruce Grove said the communities around Edmonton believe in regionalism, and he sees improved confidence in Edmonton Global.

"I think we're relieved," he said on Speaking Municipally. "We have identified some huge opportunities. We've streamlined the organization. We have way better accountability in reporting. I think, as a shareholder, we have good information now to share with our councils and our communities that we have a plan for the future."

Only Edmonton's departure would make it impossible for Edmonton Global to go on, Edgar suggested, adding that even municipalities who are no longer shareholders still benefit from the regional approach to attracting investment. Should Edmonton continue to shoulder that load?

"My answer would be yes," Knack said, noting that the decision is up to city council as a whole. "I'm seeing the impact they're having, and assuming they can continue to deliver on economic development opportunities for us, that's worth it. … We are investing in an agency that is meant to help deliver additional investment to Edmonton, and assuming that investment outpaces the amount you're putting in, that is a net gain to our city. That is a net gain to Edmontonians on the financial side; it's a net gain on the job side."

That said, he will continue to look at the agency's return on investment as it progresses — with optimism. "I have no reason to doubt that they would be able to continue to deliver on the added investment compared to the overall cost," he said.

Regional cooperation has been shifting, Knack acknowledged, partly due to the defunding of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board at the start of 2025. But he doesn't see the departure of some municipalities from Edmonton Global as "an abandonment of economic development in the region," he said.

"I look at this as more of, 'Let's figure out our new path forward, together, whatever that path looks like.'"

Members of Edmonton city council recently met with their counterparts in Stony Plain (which has not voted to leave Edmonton Global), and Knack said the spirit of collaboration was strong.

"In the regional meetings that we've organized, there is still a huge desire to work together," he said. "It's just potentially a different-looking way of having that."

Hear more about the state of Edmonton Global on the Aug. 28 episode of Speaking Municipally.