Snow-clearing of provincial highways: is Alberta favouring Calgary over Edmonton?

Is there a difference in how the provincial government treats Edmonton and Calgary?

That’s what one Edmonton city councillor is asking in relation to who clears snow on provincial roads running through the cities.

Coun. Michael Janz is calling it a clear provincial funding gap.

Whitemud Drive and Yellowhead Trail are under City of Edmonton jurisdiction despite connecting to Alberta highways.

Janz is comparing that with Deerfoot Trail in Calgary, which does have designation as a provincial road. He says $120 million has been spent by the province – over seven years – for things like maintenance and snowplowing.

“I’m not begrudging Calgary for getting the deal,” said Janz, the councillor for Ward papastew. “I’m asking for the same fair deal for Edmonton. All municipalities in Alberta need more support from the government.”

The Government of Alberta tells CityNews the cost for maintenance of Deerfoot Trail – a provincially owned and operated highway – is about $12 million per year, of which $3.25 million is related to winter snow clearing and ice control.

In a public letter, Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi claims the province used to maintain parts of Whitemud and Yellowhead, but those costs were handed off to the city.

Alberta Minister of Transportation Devin Dreeshen confirmed to CityNews in a statement that Deerfoot Trail’s snow plowing and maintenance is managed by provincial contractors.

“In contrast, Yellowhead Trail and Whitemud Drive are municipal roads within the City of Edmonton’s jurisdiction, and their maintenance, including snow plowing, is the responsibility of the city,” Dreeshen said.

Coun. Janz says he takes exception to that, as both Whitemud and Yellowhead are numbered provincial highways.

“I think for a number of years, there’s been a disparity, whether Calgary was larger, or consecutive Conservative governments were trying to win seats in Calgary, whether this is a legacy of the Olympics, but the result is, it is 2025, this is not fair,” Janz said.

Follow-up questions from CityNews to the Ministry of Transportation about why Calgary’s Deerfoot has provincial designation while Edmonton’s highways do not were not answered directly.

Instead, the Alberta government listed funding sent from the province to the City of Edmonton for major road projects. Those include:

• $42.3 million for widening Terwillegar Drive, which includes a section of Whitemud, and widening the Rainbow Valley Bridge
• $144.6 million to upgrade Yellowhead Trail to ease congestion
• $8.2 million for building an overpass at the 50 Street rail crossing (north of the Sherwood Park Freeway)

Janz says he remains “frustrated by the inequity” between Calgary and Edmonton, claiming provincial funding could bring property taxes down by one per cent.