Municipal reform in Rural Alberta: The case of coal transitions

Since the 1980's, municipalities are experiencing increasing pressures due to reforms and downloading of responsibilities from senior governments. This has impacted daily operations as local governments struggle with outdated financial and jurisdictional structures. Pressures from these reforms have been exacerbated in Alberta by provincial and federal coal phase-out policies, as the coal industry has historically been their primary source of revenue. To overcome these pressures, local governments have had to engage in 'entrepreneurial' and innovative approaches in order to generate revenue and maintain resiliency. Key informant interview in the coal communities of Parkland County and Forestburg help explore how bottom-up initiatives from coal communities address top-down policy change. Results indicate that senior government supports were inadequate in the delivery of effective transition supports, which created significant challenges for local government resiliency. Instead, local governments have developed innovative and entrepreneurial solutions in order to surmount senior government policy.