By james art 
St. Albert city councilors are expected to decide whether to become the latest member municipality to leave regional marketing group Edmonton Global at their next meeting, Nov. 5.
Count. Natalie Jolly read in a notice of motion to that effect at the Oct. 1 regular council meeting.
The city will have to give EG two years’ notice and pay its annual dues of about $245,000 in the meantime.
The proposal also forces city administrators to submit the decision for reconsideration in the first or second quarter of 2026.
“I want to give the 2025-2029 Council a chance to decide if our involvement continues to best serve our needs,” Jolley wrote in an email. “I am concerned about the expected increased costs due to councils opting out and passing this proposal now will allow the next council to be more nimble in their decision to stay or leave.”
Edmonton Global is a foreign direct investment (FDI) and international business development agency, a not-for-profit company funded by its 14 member municipalities that exists to “radically transform” and grow the region’s economy. It was created by what is known as the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board and was established in 2017 with 15 members.
As the sixth largest city in the province, St. Albert is certainly the most populous EG member outside of Edmonton. The council last considered leaving in 2021, a proposal that was defeated 5-2.
In late 2023, Strathcona County, Sturgeon County, Fort Saskatchewan, Devon and Parkland County councils voted unanimously to begin their own withdrawal processes.