Yes. There are several important information gaps that make it harder to clearly understand Gibbons’ future viability and to present a complete picture to residents.

Some of these gaps are a result of the expedited nature of this viability review, while others stem from challenges in accessing sufficient, reliable, and accurate information from key partners. There is incomplete information coming from the Town about its current service levels and the changes it is proposing as part of its ongoing budgeting process. The County has requested clarification directly from Town Council on these matters and has followed up, but has not received any response to date.

In addition, the Town has not yet completed its audited financial statements for 2025, which creates risk when finalizing a current-year budget. Forecasted budget numbers can still change once audit adjustments are made, which may affect the Town’s actual financial position.

There has also been no infrastructure audit as part of this review due to the compressed timelines (however, the province has indicated it is willing to consider undertaking one in the future). This is a significant gap because there is no clear information about the condition of the Town’s infrastructure, whether there are impending failures, or what major replacements may be required in the near term.

This lack of infrastructure information is concerning for both the County and the Town. For the County, it creates uncertainty about potential future costs that may need to be addressed. For the Town, it is especially worrying because there appear to be limited, or in some areas no, reserves set aside to manage possible infrastructure failures or replacements.

The Town advised Sturgeon County that it no longer wishes to continue work that could lead to the integration of our collective fire services as a mechanism to reduce the Town’s costs. The Town halted this process before the integration study results were completed and before any cost-sharing negotiations could begin for reasons unclear to the County.

Read Gibbons’ letter here referencing this decision.

Sturgeon County currently provides fire services to the Towns of Redwater, Legal, and Bon Accord as part of our regionalized model.

Sturgeon County offered to fund a legal review that could have helped the Town determine whether a significant cost might be recovered to support its budget. The Town has since declined this offer, despite having previously confirmed it would like to proceed. It is the County’s understanding that the Town now intends to cover any legal costs itself. As a result, the County is no longer involved in this matter.

Read Gibbons’ letter here referencing this decision.

Sturgeon County has indicated it is prepared to explore potential service efficiencies with the Town once the other work underway during the Viability Review is complete. One of the areas identified for future discussion was Family and Community Support Services. The Town has since advised that it is no longer interested in reducing their costs by pursuing these types of collaborations with the County.

Read Gibbons’ letter here referencing this decision.

Sturgeon County is aware of the Town’s public statements suggesting there are poor relations between our municipalities, and we are unsure why the Town has taken this position. We first became aware of these concerns through the Town’s public communications, not through direct discussion between our councils.

Sturgeon County Council has requested Council‑to‑Council meetings with the Town, but we have not received responses to those invitations. We are proud of our intermunicipal relationships within the subregion and the broader region, which is why this characterization is both surprising and disappointing.

It is important to note that having a difference of opinion is not the same as being in conflict. Differing opinions can reflect diversity in thinking or approach, while conflict implies a strained relationship and a breakdown in dialogue. That is the opposite of what Sturgeon County is trying to do. We continue to invite Gibbons to meet with us, maintain open lines of communication, and work together toward common ground and the best solutions possible for residents of both municipalities.

Sturgeon County has been consistent and clear in its position that, while the County is open to discussing data‑driven cost‑sharing agreements, it does not support unchecked transfer payments.

As an example, Sturgeon County currently pays the Town of Gibbons $2.1 million dollars over five years to cost share recreation funding in the Town. This represents annual payments of $415,000.

Transfer payments with no accountability or oversight is not supported by County tax payers or County Council. This is not a common practice across the province and is not supported or encouraged by Alberta’s municipal legislation.

Furthermore, Sturgeon County has invested many millions of dollars and decades of time into building key infrastructure, incentive programs, and services to attract industry and businesses to our community in a way that enables a competitive environment. The County does not have the ability to provide pay outs to any parties who did not contribute to the costs it took to get industry and business to establish themselves here.

According to the province, viability reviews typically take from one year to 18-months to complete; however, the Minister of Municipal Affairs has directed that this Town of Gibbons Viability Review be undertaken in an expedited timeline.

The Gibbons Viability Review formally started in February 2026 and will conclude with the public vote by Gibbons' residents on June 24 and 25, 2026.

The province is writing the Viability Report based on the inputs submitted by the Town of Gibbons and Sturgeon County. Currently, Municipal Affairs has indicated they expect the Viability Report to be finalized in “late May,” 2026.

Once the Viability Report is ready, it will be available online on the Municipal Affairs website here: Viability reviews for municipalities | Alberta.ca

Sturgeon County will also be sharing the link to the Viability Report once it is ready on all its platforms and channels.

Town of Gibbons residents will receive a printed copy of the report in the mail, sent by the Province through Canada Post.

Vote of the Electors

The vote of the electors on the question of dissolution has been set by Ministerial Order No. MSD: 025/26, signed by Minister Williams on April 20, 2026. This vote will be conducted as per the requirements of the Local Authorities Election Act.

The vote will take place:

Date: June 24, 2026
Time: 4 pm to 8 pm
Location: Gibbons Community Cultural Centre, 5115 51 Street, Gibbons, Alberta T0A 1N0

Date: June 25, 2026
Time: 10 am to 4 pm
Location: Gibbons Community Cultural Centre, 5115 51 Street, Gibbons, Alberta T0A 1N0

Electors will be asked the following question on the ballot:

Based on the findings of the Town of Gibbons viability review, which one of the two options below do you support for the future of Gibbons? (Select one only)

Option 1. The Town of Gibbons remains a town.
Option 2. The Town of Gibbons dissolves and Gibbons becomes a hamlet in Sturgeon County.

Further information on the vote, including voter eligibility and identification requirements, and provision of special ballots, will be included with the viability review report when mailed to residents and property owners, by the province in late May.

Viability reviews are led by the Province and look at several aspects of a community, including what actions may be needed to return it to a stable financial position. They also examine what the future could look like if the community remains an independent municipality, and what it could look like if dissolution were to occur.

At the end of a viability review, a ‘Viability Report’ is drafted outlining the two options. With the assistance of the report, residents of that community are then asked to vote on whether they wish to remain independent, or dissolve and become a hamlet within the surrounding county.

According to the Province of Alberta, there is no absolute definition or formula for what makes a municipality viable (either in Alberta or in most other jurisdictions). However, in general, municipal viability concerns come down to efficiency of resources and the effectiveness of local services and infrastructure.

The Province received a request directly from Town of Gibbons Council to conduct an expedited viability review in light of its ongoing financial challenges. The Town of Gibbons requested this on January 11, 2026 (read more here).

The Government of Alberta (GoA) is responsible for leading the viability review process, in alignment with the Municipal Government Act. Both Sturgeon County and the Town of Gibbons are supporting this process by providing the province with key local information and data.

The Town and County have each submitted the information requested by the Government of Alberta through a series of workbook questions. The province is now preparing a Viability Report to summarize its analysis and key findings.

By direction of the province, the workbook responses are confidential and cannot be shared publicly. Municipal Affairs has chosen this approach so that people can rely on the Viability Report itself, rather than comparing it to preliminary workbook responses that could be incomplete or misunderstood. As a neutral party, the province is reviewing the information provided by both the Town and the County and presenting its own independent analysis and findings in the Viability Report, while the workbook responses simply reflect each community’s perspectives.

There are two possible outcomes of a viability review—the Town of Gibbons will either remain as an independent municipality, or it will dissolve into a Sturgeon County hamlet.

Gibbons’ residents will vote on this matter on June 24 and 25, 2026. Sturgeon County residents do not get a vote.

Alberta Municipal Affairs can answer questions related to the Viability Review process.

• Phone: 780-427-2225 or toll-free dial 310-0000 first
• Email: viabilityreview@gov.ab.ca

OR

Kevin Miller Manager, Municipal Viability, Ministry of Municipal Affairs

Kevin.miller@gov.ab.ca
780-266-8509

Yes. If Bill 28 passes, it would change one important part of the viability review process. Right now, the local vote on whether a municipality should dissolve is a binding decision. Under Bill 28, that vote would instead become advisory, which means it would show the community’s preference, but the final decision about dissolution would rest with the province which may consider other things like technical findings from the viability review and long-term financial plans. Progress of Bill 28 can be found online here: Assembly Dashboard