An Edmonton councillor questions if the province favors Calgary in snow clearing funding
He’s pointing out what he sees as a funding gap. Whitemud Drive and Yellowhead Trail are technically under Edmonton’s control, even though they connect to Alberta highways. Meanwhile, Deerfoot Trail in Calgary is treated differently, getting a hefty $120 million from the province for maintenance and snow removal over the last seven years.
Janz isn’t mad at Calgary for getting the cash; he just wants Edmonton to get a fair shake too. He believes all municipalities in Alberta deserve better support from the government.
The province says Deerfoot Trail costs about $12 million a year to maintain, with $3.25 million of that going to winter snow clearing. Edmonton’s Mayor Amarjeet Sohi has also chimed in, saying the province used to handle parts of Whitemud and Yellowhead but passed those costs to the city.
Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen confirmed that Deerfoot’s maintenance is managed by provincial contractors, while the city is responsible for Whitemud and Yellowhead. Janz finds this unfair since both are numbered provincial highways.
He feels there’s been a long-standing disparity, possibly due to Calgary’s size or political reasons. The Alberta government didn’t directly answer why Calgary’s Deerfoot has provincial status while Edmonton’s highways don’t. Instead, they listed some funding sent to Edmonton for major road projects, but Janz remains frustrated, believing that better funding could lower property taxes by one percent.
