Regional Roundup
July 22, 2026

Economic development

• Gregg Distributors, an industrial supply company founded in Edmonton in 1968, has sold to the private-equity arm of Brookfield Asset Management for $1.6 billion. The company, whose 20,000 customers include energy companies, municipalities, and construction firms, is likely to benefit from most of the major projects underway across Western Canada. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year. The Gregg family is exiting but most of the company's 1,000 employees are expected to stay.
• Coun. Reed Clarke is working on a proposal for a business expansion credit to encourage companies to grow within Edmonton's borders rather than relocating to surrounding counties with substantially lower industrial tax rates. Real estate experts were divided on whether the incentive would meaningfully address the city's tax disadvantage. Bronwyn Scrivens of JLL called the idea "a Band-Aid, not a long-term solution," blaming high taxes on overspending. Both Clarke and Coun. Aaron Paquette spoke about the consequences of Edmonton's diminished industrial tax base on recent episodes of Speaking Municipally.
• BILD Edmonton Metro toured Beaumont and highlighted how the city's residential growth — a 27.9% increase over five years, reaching 26,305 residents in 2025 — is drawing commercial investment. Commercial vacancies dropped from 21.3% to about 4% over two years, and the province committed $39 million in the 2026 budget to service Beaumont's planned Innovation Park.
• Janice Baskin, manager of the Edmonton Regional Innovation Network, shared her insights with Cesar Rojas. She discussed how ERIN supports early-stage entrepreneurs through free membership, grant funding via the Community Initiatives Fund, and programming that helps founders who have been building alone find their way into the community.
• The provincial regulator approved construction of the $2.9-billion Yellowhead Pipeline, proposed by Canadian Utilities Ltd., an ATCO subsidiary. The 235-kilometre natural gas pipeline will run from the Peers area in west-central Alberta to the Fort Saskatchewan region and is expected to create about 2,000 direct construction jobs.
• Alberta, Ottawa, and five oilsands companies have agreed to advance the Pathways Project, a multibillion-dollar carbon capture and storage network tied to a proposed West Coast oilsands pipeline. The federal government will extend investment tax credits for carbon capture equipment to 2035, and both governments will pursue policies to spur bitumen production, ensuring the pipeline to southern British Columbia can be filled. The project, estimated to cost between $20 billion and $30 billion, is targeted for first-phase operations by 2032.
• U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra told the Pacific Northwest Economic Region Summit that Alberta and Saskatchewan make the "most compelling" case for meeting the oil needs of the United States. The U.S. must find three to four million more barrels per day over the next decade, Hoekstra said. He expects a Canada-U.S. trade deal to eventually be reached and suggested the two countries could partner on critical minerals.

Municipalities

• Spruce Grove Mayor Jeff Acker announced the city will transition its ambulance services to provincial delivery on Oct. 1, after Alberta's Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services confirmed the province would not change its funding model in a way that would have allowed for the continued integration of fire and EMS services. Acker acknowledged that some residents would have been willing to pay higher municipal taxes to preserve the integrated model, but council "ultimately concluded residents should not be asked to permanently subsidize a provincial health care service when the Province has committed to directly delivering ambulance services in Spruce Grove."
• Representatives from Meta fielded questions from Sturgeon County council about the company's proposed $13-billion data centre. Meta's head of public policy, Rachel Curran, said the company will provide yearly updates on how much water and energy it uses, asserting that everyone's internet use is creating demand. Curran also defended Meta's decision to ban Canadian news on its platforms instead of paying news publishers after the federal government passed the Online News Act. "We have a responsibility not to do things that are going to unnecessarily exert downward pressure on our stock price," she said. Mayor Alanna Hnatiw questioned that, saying "there's not really much of a comparison between the Canadian news outlets and the bottom line of Meta." Meanwhile, Amnesty International has expressed its opposition to the project.
• Stony Plain released its 2025 Annual Report, reporting a construction value of about $68.5 million, 125 new housing starts, a record 1,130 active business licences, and a 56% waste diversion rate.
• Strathcona County council approved its 2027-2030 strategic plan, maintaining four core goals — economic prosperity, a healthy and safe community, responsible development, and municipal excellence — while repositioning municipal excellence as the foundation for the others. Mayor Rod Frank said the plan emphasizes flexibility to handle rising construction costs and population growth.
• Construction is set to begin on Belleview Centre at 9 Coloniale Way in Beaumont, turning a long-vacant commercial lot into two two-storey buildings that may include retail, a daycare, and a restaurant.
• St. Albert Coun. Sandy Clark submitted a notice of motion asking the mayor to write a letter of endorsement for the Rotary Club of St. Albert's bid to designate St. Albert as a City of Peace under the International Cities of Peace initiative.
• Stony Plain is accepting applications for Inspired to Lead, a free three-month community leadership program for volunteers that runs weekly virtual sessions and monthly in-person gatherings starting in October. Applications close Sept. 15.
• Gibbons has reached substantial completion for the Memorial Park Improvement project, done in partnership with the Alberta government and the Sturgeon River Agricultural Society.

Headlines

• St. Albert removed its flood mitigation measures along the Sturgeon River as water levels receded following heavy rains in late June. Crews are now assessing damage, with final costs expected to be tallied by the end of August. The city may apply for provincial reimbursement under the Hazard Assistance and Resilience Program and is asking residents to document flood-related expenses.
• Stony Plain has opened nominations for its Awards of Excellence, with categories recognizing local businesses and creative individuals. Nominations close Aug. 20, and recipients will be announced at the Greater Parkland Regional Chamber of Commerce Awards of Business Distinction Gala this fall.
• Leduc resident Catrina Dumont published a memoir about a romance fraud she experienced, called Dialysis of the Soul: A Love Story, A Psychopath, and a Woman's Truth. The book recounts how a man she nearly donated a kidney to was later revealed to have a pattern of predatory relationships with women.
• Artist Coda Girvan shared images of a new mural inside Millennium Place in Sherwood Park, created as part of the mural jam at the 2026 Alberta Summer Games and now open to the public on the second floor of the soccer arena.
• The City of Spruce Grove selected Tyler Toews to create a mural at Heavy Metal Place to mark the city's 40th anniversary of incorporation. Toews, known for large-scale anamorphic murals, is painting inside the Decker Properties Atrium, with an unveiling expected in late July.
• Stony Plain is hosting its 20th annual Outdoor Movie on Aug. 13 at Heritage Park, screening the 2025 film Smurfs.
• Parkland County is hosting its fifth annual Outdoor Movie Night on Sept. 18 at Coal Diamond Sports Park in Wabamun, screening Hoppers.
• Anohka Distillery master distiller Gurpreet Ranu is among Alberta producers featured in a story about how distillers remain frustrated by liquor restrictions despite Prime Minister Mark Carney's pledge to open interprovincial trade, leading some producers to look to international markets instead.
• Monica Chavez brings her family's baking legacy to the St. Albert Farmers' Market through The Little Miss Mocha, a dessert business rooted in the Filipino cake-baking tradition her mother Julieta built over 35 years.

Happenings

Here are some events coming up soon:

• July 23: Open Data Areas Alberta Stakeholder Session - Industry and Tech Innovators starting at 2pm online
• July 24-26: Fête au Village in the Town of Legal
• July 25: Rooted & Rising - Youth Leadership Summit starting at 10am at NAIT Productivity and Innovation Centre
• July 25: Summer in the City starting at 10am in the City of Leduc
• July 25: The Breakdown AB Live starting at 7pm at The Orange Hub
• July 25-26: Sherwood Park Highland Gathering at Broadmoor Lake Park
• Until July 26: KDays at Edmonton EXPO Centre
• July 28: Lunch N' Learn: Building the road to a solid financial future starting at 11am at St. Albert Chamber of Commerce
• July 30: Walk-n-Talk starting at 11:30am at Lacombe Lake Park
• July 30: 30th Anniversary Barbeque starting at 3pm at Beaumont Chamber of Commerce
• Aug. 3-8: Rock'n August in St. Albert
• Aug. 8: Communications Coffee Chat starting at 10am at Gathr Cafe

And here are more to keep in mind:

• Aug. 15-16: Open Farm Days
• Aug. 17: ERIN Member Monday online
• Aug. 19: Tri-Municipal Region Information Night at TransAlta Tri Leisure Centre

Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.

Taproot is taking a summer break! The Regional Roundup will return on Aug. 12.

Correction: This file has been updated to correct artist Coda Girvan's name.