On April 15, 2008, the Government of Alberta recognized what we now call the Edmonton Metropolitan Region when it created the Capital Region Board (CRB) to prepare a growth plan for the area.
Established under the Capital Region Board Regulation 38/2012 under the Municipal Government Act, the CRB was a non-profit corporation consisting of 24 elected officials (Mayors and Council members) from each of the region’s member municipalities.
On October 26, 2017 the Government of Alberta proclaimed a new Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board Regulation, reducing the size of the region, reducing EMRB membership to the same elected officials of the 13 municpalities within the new region (with populations of 5,000 or more). In the new regulation the Board's mandate was expanded to include the creation of a Metropolitan Servicing Plan.
The EMRB will continue to guide the municipalities of the region in the implementation of a long term, integrated growth management plan entitled
ReImagine. Plan. Build., which was completed and approved by the CRB as its capstone project in 2016
. This new, award winning, Growth Plan supports global competitiveness and sustained economic growth with particular attention to the economic, social and environmental impacts on all regional residents.
It outlines how the region will grow more responsibly over the next 30 years, when its population is expected to double to 2.2 million people with 725,000 jobs. This growth will be managed through the lens of six policy areas with uniques targets for each of three policy tiers - the Metro Core, the Metro Area, and the Rural Area.
The six policy areas are:
- Economic Competitiveness and Employment
- Natural Living Systems
- Communities and Housing
- Integration of Land Use and Infrastructure
- Transportation Systems
- Agriculture
