Big Cities InsightsIssue 3 · Nov. 9, 2026
Budgets land, and new councils get to work
Every week, we explain what’s happening at 15 of Canada’s big-city councils, in plain English. This week, Edmonton and Regina put out their budgets, Surrey’s new council meets with 15 promises to act on, and five Ontario councils take office Sunday.
The week in four numbers
01Edmonton
Edmonton’s four-year budget: 4.9 per cent first
ProposedTax-supported operating budget
Yearly increase, 2027 to 2030
$17.64 more a month in 2027 for the median home, assessed at $492,500
City of Edmonton, 2027-2030 Budget Facts · Nov. 2
What happened. On Monday, Nov. 2, city administration released its proposed budget for 2027 to 2030. City manager Eddie Robar said it “reflects City Council’s key priorities.” The tax-supported operating budget would rise $125.8 million in 2027, then $129.6 million, $132.3 million and $122.0 million. The median household would pay about $335.39 a month in city property tax in 2027, the city estimates.
Where the money goes. The operating budget is $4.2 billion in 2027, rising to $4.7 billion in 2030. It includes $410 million over four years to run new buildings, such as recreation centres and fire stations, and $249.5 million in service improvements: $96.4 million for snow removal, mowing, graffiti and litter, and $70.4 million for business growth in Downtown, Chinatown and industrial areas.
Building and fixing. The capital budget is $6.3 billion. The largest items are the Capital Line South LRT extension ($617.2 million), neighbourhood renewal ($421.0 million), the Southeast Transit Garage ($366.8 million) and bridge renewal ($285.9 million). The plan adds $200 million in new tax-supported debt. The city says it can fund about half of the $5.0 billion it should spend on renewal.
What’s next. Council hears the budget on Nov. 23, the same day as a public hearing, and finalizes it between Nov. 24 and Dec. 18. The utility budgets come out Nov. 12.
02Budgets
Regina, Calgary and Montreal are next
Budget seasonCity by city
When the budgets land
- EdmontonProposed 2027-2030 budget released Nov. 2
- ReginaProposed 2027 budget released Nov. 5
- CalgaryProposed 2027-2030 budget released Nov. 10
- Quebec CityWindow opens to adopt the 2027 budget Nov. 15
- EdmontonCouncil presentation and public hearing Nov. 23
- CalgaryPublic submissions and deliberations Nov. 23
- Montreal2027 budget tabled Nov. 24
- ReginaCouncil deliberations Dec. 7 and 11
- EdmontonDeliberations end Dec. 18
- Quebec CityLegal deadline to adopt Dec. 31
City budget calendars · CBC News · Churchill’s big-cities tracker · Nov. 5
Regina. On Thursday, Nov. 5, the city released a proposed 2027 budget with a 5.81 per cent property tax increase, about $22 million in new revenue. For a home assessed at $324,000, that’s $163 more a year, CBC News reports. Acting city manager Jim Nicol said, “Difficult choices lie ahead, not just in 2027.” Council deliberates on Dec. 7 and 11.
Calgary. The proposed 2027-2030 budget comes Tuesday, Nov. 10. Meanwhile, Stage 4 outdoor water restrictions began Nov. 4 for about four weeks while the new Bearspaw South Feeder Main is connected. No outdoor watering is allowed, and the city is limiting supply to 500 million litres a day. On Alberta’s proposed provincial map, Mayor Jeromy Farkas said it would “severely shortchange Calgarians”: Calgary would get 28 ridings, up from 26, but each would average 56,726 people, 5.6 per cent above the provincial average, LiveWire Calgary reports.
Montreal. Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada tables the 2027 budget on Tuesday, Nov. 24. She said it will include “difficult choices.”
03Surrey
Surrey’s new council starts with 15 motions
On the agendaNov. 9, 7 p.m.
Six of the 15 commitments
- 1Freeze property taxes for four years
- 2More officers on the street
- 3Surrey Police Service helicopter and drone fleet within 90 days
- 4Independent forensic audit of land dealings at City Hall
- 5Withdraw from the Metro Vancouver Regional Board, maintaining core services only
- 660-day residential building permit guarantee
City of Surrey news release, wording as published · Nov. 3
What happened. Mayor Doug McCallum and eight councillors were sworn in on Monday, Nov. 2, in a 40-minute ceremony with no votes, the Surrey Now-Leader reports. The city says council will pass a motion on every one of its 15 election commitments at its first regular meeting, Monday, Nov. 9. McCallum said, “The people of Surrey did not elect this Council to study things.”
Why it matters. The list includes a four-year property tax freeze, a police helicopter and drone fleet within 90 days, a forensic audit of land deals and leaving the Metro Vancouver Regional Board while keeping core services.
Next door. In Vancouver, Mayor Pete Fry and council were sworn in Nov. 2. Fry named seven members, including himself, to Vancouver’s Metro Vancouver board seats. The regional board’s first regular meeting with the new mayors is Nov. 27.
04New councils
Winnipeg is sworn in, and Ontario is next
Winnipeg. Council was sworn in on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The next day, Mayor Scott Gillingham named his executive policy committee: Jeff Browaty is deputy mayor and chairs finance and economic development; Vivian Santos is acting deputy mayor and chairs property and development; Evan Duncan chairs public works; Sara MacArthur chairs water, waste and environment; and Lora Meseman chairs community services. MacArthur and Meseman are new to the committee. Other appointments come at council’s organizational meeting on Nov. 10.
Ontario. The councils in Toronto, Ottawa, Mississauga, Brampton and Hamilton take office Sunday, Nov. 15. Mississauga’s inaugural meeting is Nov. 16, and Toronto council first meets Nov. 18 and 19.
Peel Region. The new regional council, which covers Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon, first meets Nov. 19. Under Ontario’s Better Regional Governance Act, 2026, the province’s housing minister will appoint the regional chair, Peel Region says.
05Ottawa
What the federal budget means for cities
Budget 2026Measures that reach city halls
What Ottawa’s budget sends cities
Budget 2026, chapters 3 and 4, and Key Measures · BNN Bloomberg · Nov. 5
What happened. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne tabled Budget 2026 on Thursday, Nov. 5. Several measures reach city halls, according to the budget:
- $44.7 billion over 11 years for housing, with a goal of ending chronic homelessness within 10 years.
- $11.2 billion over four years, starting in 2027-28, to end homelessness.
- $1.5 billion over nine years from the Build Communities Strong Fund to build and fix recreation centres and ice rinks, half of it for rinks.
- $2 billion over two years, starting in 2027-28, for community mental health and addictions facilities.
- $100 million over three years, starting in 2027-28 and delivered with FCM, to help cities move permits online.
- $634 million for electric vehicle chargers.
- $1.5 billion for the George Massey Tunnel replacement in Metro Vancouver, BNN Bloomberg reports.
Reaction. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities welcomed the budget’s $11.2 billion over four years to end homelessness and a new $100 million over three years, delivered with FCM, to help cities speed up permits. FCM president Tim Tierney said it “enables the kind of decisive action on homelessness that municipalities have long called for.” He added that “the test now will be turning that commitment into safe homes,” and FCM says some infrastructure money is not reaching communities fast enough.
In Edmonton. The budget names four Edmonton items: 350 homes at the Village at Griesbach, the city’s automated permit reviews (which it says cut approval times from two weeks to one day), and Build Communities Strong Fund money for ArtsCommon 118 and the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues. Mayor Andrew Knack said, “Overall there’s some good things in it,” and that it “will depend on the implementation.” He had hoped for dedicated money for the High Level and Low Level bridge repairs, which the budget does not include, and he said Alberta’s Provincial Priorities Act, which gives the provincial cabinet final say on which federal grants cities can take, “adds a lot of red tape,” the Edmonton Journal reports. The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce welcomed the budget and plans to push for the Highway 28 corridor to Cold Lake, which it does not mention.
What’s next. MPs debate the budget for four days before a confidence vote. The House returns Nov. 16.
06City by city
Where all 15 city halls stand
Churchill’s big-cities tracker, from each city’s official records · Nov. 5
Toronto: The new term starts Nov. 15, and council’s first meetings are Nov. 18 and 19. The mayor must table the 2027 budget by Feb. 1.
Montreal: Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada tables the 2027 budget on Nov. 24. She says it will include “difficult choices.” Her first budget, in January, was $7.7 billion.
Calgary: Stage 4 outdoor water limits began Nov. 4; the four-year budget comes Nov. 10 (story 2).
Ottawa: Mark Sutcliffe starts his second term Nov. 15.
Edmonton: The proposed four-year budget is out; council hears it Nov. 23 (story 1).
Winnipeg: Council was sworn in Nov. 3, and the mayor named his executive policy committee (story 4).
Mississauga: Mayor-elect Alvin Tedjo’s council holds its inaugural meeting Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Living Arts Centre.
Vancouver: Mayor Pete Fry’s council was sworn in Nov. 2. Coun. Sean Orr is deputy mayor through January 2027.
Brampton: Patrick Brown starts a third term Nov. 15. Peel Region’s new council meets Nov. 19 (story 4).
Hamilton: Keanin Loomis takes office Nov. 15. The outgoing police board named Deputy Chief Ryan Diodati the next chief, effective May 7, 2027, without an open hiring process, The Public Record reports.
Surrey: Council was sworn in Nov. 2 and holds its first regular meeting Nov. 9 (story 3).
Quebec City: Council must adopt the 2027 budget between Nov. 15 and Dec. 31.
Halifax: The 2027-28 budget process is expected to open in mid-November.
Saskatoon: Council approved a 5.8 per cent tax increase for 2027 as part of its two-year budget.
Regina: The proposed 2027 budget raises property tax 5.81 per cent (story 2).
Word of the week
Capital budget
The money a city plans to spend building and fixing things that last for years, like roads, bridges, transit and recreation centres. It’s separate from the operating budget, which pays for day-to-day services such as snow removal and staff.
Edmonton, 2027-2030Edmonton’s proposed four-year capital budget.
City of Edmonton, 2027-2030 Budget Facts
Dates to watch
What’s coming up
- Surrey’s first council meetingMotions on all 15 election commitments, 7 p.m.
- Calgary’s four-year budgetProposed 2027-2030 budget; Winnipeg’s organizational meeting
- Edmonton’s utility budgetsWaste, Blatchford and Downtown District Energy
- Five Ontario councils take officeToronto, Ottawa, Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton
- Toronto council’s first meetingContinues Nov. 19
- Peel Region council’s first meeting9:30 a.m.
- Budget hearings openEdmonton public hearing; Calgary submissions
- Montreal’s 2027 budgetTabled at city hall
- Metro Vancouver board meetsFirst regular meeting with the new mayors
Further out
- Toronto’s budget deadlineThe mayor must table the 2027 budget
City calendars · Churchill’s big-cities tracker
Public sources only. No predictions.
Every candidate and council is reported the same way. Claims are attributed to the people who make them.
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Get the free countdownSources. Edmonton: City of Edmonton news release and 2027-2030 Budget Facts (Nov. 2). Calgary and the provincial map: LiveWire Calgary (Nov. 4). Edmonton and the federal budget: Budget 2026, chapters 3 and 4; Edmonton Journal (Eric Bowling, Nov. 6). Budgets: CBC News (Regina, Nov. 5; Montreal, Nov. 4); City of Calgary newsroom (water restrictions, Nov. 4); city budget calendars. Surrey: City of Surrey news release (Nov. 3); Surrey Now-Leader (Nov. 3). Vancouver: Daily Hive (Oct. 30, Nov. 2). Winnipeg: Global News (Nov. 3); City of Winnipeg news release (Nov. 4). Ontario: City of Toronto (Oct. 29); City of Mississauga (Oct. 29); Peel Region (Oct. 27); The Public Record (Hamilton, Nov. 2). Federal budget: Government of Canada, Budget 2026, chapters 3 and 4, and Key Measures (Nov. 5); BNN Bloomberg (Nov. 5); Federation of Canadian Municipalities news release (Nov. 5). Saskatoon: Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, 2026-2027 budget wrap-up. City by city: Churchill’s big-cities tracker, from each city’s official records, checked Nov. 5, 2026.
Churchill Strategy has worked on municipal campaigns in Edmonton, and with conservative parties in Alberta, Saskatchewan and federally. Big Cities Insights reports results; it does not take sides.
