RMA’s “Closing the Gap” Campaign Seeks to Partner with Government to Support Rural Infrastructure

Nisku, AB, Jan. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) has launched Closing the Gap: The Rural Infrastructure Funding Deficit, a five‑week public awareness and advocacy campaign intended to highlight and propose solutions to Alberta’s growing rural infrastructure deficit. The campaign explains the scale of the challenge, proposes practical solutions, and calls for partnership and collaboration between the Government of Alberta and rural municipalities to support long‑term economic growth and community resilience through effective management of and investment in core rural infrastructure.

Rural municipalities own and operate the majority of Alberta’s road, bridge, and utility infrastructure. These assets support residents, communities, and the resource‑based and emerging industries that drive Alberta’s economy. However, chronic underfunding, escalating construction costs, and increasingly constrained municipal budgets have accelerated the deterioration of these essential systems, posing risks for rural communities and the industries that power Alberta’s economy.

The Closing the Gap campaign builds on RMA’s Rural Municipal Infrastructure Deficit Project (RMIDP), released in 2024. The RMIDP used an innovative methodology to assess the condition of rural infrastructure and quantify the funding shortfall facing municipalities. The results were stark: Alberta’s rural infrastructure deficit exceeded $17 billion in 2023 and was projected to surpass $25 billion by 2025 without provincial intervention.

“It may surprise many Albertans that rural municipalities manage a larger infrastructure portfolio than anyone else in the province, including the Government of Alberta. This infrastructure is vital to economic growth across the province, but rural municipalities are increasingly challenged to manage an aging network while also investing in upgrades and expansion to support new industrial opportunities,” explained RMA President Kara Westerlund. “RMA’s ‘Closing the Gap’ campaign has two purposes: to raise government and public awareness on the importance of rural infrastructure and the challenges rural municipalities face in managing it, and to drive a partnership between the Government of Alberta and rural municipalities to support this infrastructure in a way that reflects its critical importance to our province.”

Over the coming weeks, the Closing the Gap campaign will explore the economic impacts of deteriorating infrastructure, the burden facing taxpayers, and the need for predictable, equitable provincial funding. The campaign will also summarize RMA’s recommendations for Budget 2026, which include:

• Collaborative Development of Fair and Predictable Funding Approaches: Co‑develop funding principles, allocation approaches, and decision‑making frameworks that reflect rural cost drivers and support multi‑year planning.
• Short‑Term Stabilization Funding Through Increases to Existing Programs: Provide immediate, stopgap increases to LGFF and STIP to stabilize critical rural roads and bridges and prevent escalating costs from deferred maintenance.
• Long‑Term Funding Reform, Province‑Wide Condition Assessment Strategy, and Asset Management Support: Develop a province‑wide condition assessment framework, a risk‑based prioritization matrix, and innovation funding, while strengthening municipal asset management capacity.

About the Rural Municipalities of Alberta

The Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) is a trusted and independent association representing Alberta’s 69 counties and municipal districts. Since 1909, RMA remains committed to empowering rural municipalities with strong, effective local governance. Through dedicated advocacy and a suite of valued business services, including cooperative procurement and group benefits through the Canoe Procurement Group of Canada and comprehensive coverage through RMA Insurance, we strive to strengthen and support rural Alberta. Learn more at rmalberta.com.  

For media inquiries, please contact:

Shamelle Pless
General Manager, Marketing & Communications, RMA
780.886.2480
shamelle@RMAlberta.com

Shamelle Pless
Rural Municipalities of Alberta
7808862480
shamelle@rmalberta.com

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