Rural Municipalities of Alberta

What is rural, really? This question is not necessarily simple to answer but it is a vitally important one.

While wide open spaces and low population density are indeed characteristics of many rural areas, we lose so much context and understanding when those alone anchor our definition.

In conjunction with our spring convention, RMA launched our new “Rural Is…” campaign that seeks to broaden the scope of the definition of what it means to be “rural.”

We’ve focused our lens on seven key characteristics that we believe help define rural, including: local solutions, planning, perseverance, grit, foundation, connection, and resourcefulness.

To learn more, visit our new campaign website: vist.ly/4vhx7

What does “rural” mean to you? Comment below or use the hashtag #RuralIs when posting your own content.

View the campaign video on YouTube: vist.ly/4vhx5

The 2026 RMA/Canoe Charity Golf Tournament was a success.

Thank you to our members, sponsors, and golfers for your participation and support. Together, we raised $55,000 for the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation. We also qualified for a matching grant of up to $50,000 from the 2026 CPKC Women's Open, bringing this year's total contribution to $105,000.

The funds make a real difference in the lives of children and families across Alberta who receive critical care at the Stollery Children's Hospital.

For more than 15 years, this annual tournament has supported children's charities across Alberta, reflecting our ongoing commitment to the communities we serve.

We look forward to seeing you at next year's tournament.

This Rural Health Week, our Rural Municipalities of Alberta Board of Directors join so many others across this province in recognizing and celebrating the dedicated, hard-working rural healthcare professionals and volunteers who help keep our communities strong, every day. To you, we are thankful.

@AlbertaRhPAP #ABRuralHealthcareMatters

"What is rural, really?" That's the question we started asking earlier this year.

Grit is undoubtedly one clear part of the answer.

Across rural Alberta, the work that powers key industries doesn’t stop. It happens early, late, and often under pressure — shaped by long distances, weather, and the realities of people working hard in dispersed regions.

But that effort doesn’t stand alone. It depends on rural infrastructure that can carry the load. Roads that move heavy equipment and product. Utilities that keep operations running. Systems that are asked to do more, across more ground, with fewer people.

In fact, 41% of Alberta's public and private investment occurs in rural Alberta, and 28% of Alberta's GDP comes from activity within RMA member municipalities.

When that balance holds, production stays steady and Alberta’s economy benefits. When it doesn’t, the impacts move quickly beyond rural communities.

Rural grit is not an empty slogan. It is the effort that keeps things moving.

Learn more about Grit in Action and the full #RuralIs campaign:
presentations.rmalberta.com/rural-is/

Alberta’s bridges and culverts are the quiet workhorses of our economy — and they’re wearing out faster than municipalities can afford to replace them.

These structures aren’t optional. They’re essential for schools, emergency response, and daily travel. They are also the backbone of industries like agriculture, forestry, and energy that rely on safe, reliable transportation networks to keep goods moving across the province.

Across rural Alberta, these assets are aging, deteriorating, and becoming increasingly expensive to maintain. Municipalities are doing everything they can to stretch limited dollars, yet the current system can prevent them from accessing the funding tools needed to keep this critical infrastructure functioning.

Through Resolution 2-26S, RMA members are calling on the Government of Alberta to investigate bridge replacement and maintenance options to improve the current system.

A modernized approach can unlock cost effective replacement options, reduce red tape, and help ensure municipalities are not left carrying the full cost of infrastructure that supports the broader provincial economy.

Rural Alberta keeps this province moving. Ensuring its bridges and culverts remain safe, functional, and properly funded is not only a municipal responsibility, but a shared provincial priority.

Learn more about Resolution 2-26S:
vist.ly/54w24