The Town of Okotoks is reaffirming its strong support for public education in Alberta, while raising concerns about the fairness, equity and affordability of the current education property tax requisition system, which has resulted in disproportionate and rapidly escalating impacts on local property taxpayers. Property taxes, while an important funding tool, are not income based and do not adjust to a household’s ability to pay.
“Education is vital, and we fully support sustained investment in Alberta’s education system,” said Mayor Tanya Thorn. “However, the way education is funded through property taxes is increasingly inequitable, unpredictable, and disconnected from local decision-making.”
Under Alberta’s current framework, municipalities are required to collect education property taxes on behalf of the Province. While the rate is set provincially, the tax is collected by your local municipality based on property assessments, which vary significantly across the province and can look different depending on where you live.
As a result, communities with strong assessment growth, such as the Town of Okotoks, are contributing a growing share of provincial education funding, regardless of whether local education infrastructure or services are expanding at the same pace.
While the provincial average is set to increase by 16% in 2026, Okotoks is estimated to see about a 19% increase because our assessment base grew more than the provincial average. For an average single-family home ($730,000 assessed), the 2026 education tax is estimated at $1,878. That equals about a $287 increase for Okotoks homeowners.
“This creates uneven impacts across Alberta,” said CAO Elaine Vincent. “Two families with similar incomes, living in different communities, can pay very different amounts toward education, not because of different services received, but because of where they live.”
For many years, education requisition increases in Okotoks were modest and stable, but beginning in 2024 they rose sharply, increasing by more than $9 million in just three years, year—nearly a 60% cumulative increase:
- 2023: $15.1 million
- 2024: $16.7 million (+11%)
- 2025: $20.6 million (+23%)
- 2026: $24.4 million (+19%)
“These increases are not the result of Town budget decisions,” said Mayor Thorn. “While municipal tax increases have remained in the four to five percent range, provincial education tax increases have reached double-digit levels, becoming a major driver of property tax bill increases.”
Between 2025 and 2027, the Government of Alberta plans to increase provincial property taxes by almost $1 billion, bringing the total provincial tax on property owners to $3.6 billion. These increases are part of the Alberta government’s new plan for provincial property taxes to cover one-third of the cost to run Alberta’s K-12 schools. Learn more about the Provincial Budget.
For more information on the impacts of the provincial education tax increase, please visit Shape Our Town. To learn more on how property taxes are calculated, please visit Okotoks.ca.
