Sylvan Lake (Image Credit: Town of Sylvan Lake)

By Ian Gustafson

Pros and cons

Sylvan Lake to prepare exploratory report on becoming a city

Jan 14, 2026 | 12:54 PM

Sylvan Lake town council has put the process in motion to explore becoming a city.

At Tuesday’s regular meeting, council unanimously approved a notice of motion brought forward by Councillor Tim Mearns for council to direct administration to prepare a report outlining the process, requirements, and financial implications for the Town of Sylvan Lake to pursue city status. The notice of motion also asks administration to provide recommendations for next steps.

Councillor Mearns explained he brought this forward for a few reasons, including a conversation he had with a longtime resident who talked about how far Sylvan Lake has advanced over the past 40 years.

“I like the sound of the Town of Sylvan Lake better, but when someone asks me where I live, I don’t say the town of Sylvan Lake, I say Sylvan Lake,” Mearns said.

“We’re not that small town anymore. We still have that small town feeling, but there are some opportunities.”

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Sylvan Lake’s population has risen from 16,200 in 2020 to nearly 17,500 in 2024, according to provincial data. According to the Municipal Government Act, a municipality must have at least 10,000 people to become a city.

For example, he explained that Beaumont became a city in 2019 and saw a substantial increase in commercial development.

“If that’s one of the things that comes back through administration and can offset some of our residential tax rate, then that’s something worth exploring,” he added.

Councillor Ian Oostindie supported the motion and said it’s important to keep an open mind.

“If someone hands me $10 million with the word city attached, I’m going to be greatly influenced,” Oostindie said.

Councillor Teej Johannesson said it’s an avenue that should be explored before shutting the door on it completely.

“All we’re doing is exploring the pros and cons. To be honest, I don’t know enough about it, and I would like to learn more,” Johannesson said.

“If we actually have a detailed report by the intelligent people who make this report, then we can go back to the citizens with those reasons why we’re making the change or not making the change. I think shutting anything down before that would be a disservice.”

Mayor Megan Hanson suggested that with the current rate of community growth, it would be beneficial for the report to be ongoing.

She said it would help answer the question on either side of why Sylvan Lake hasn’t become a city or why it should.

In addition, she explained she’s typically very selective with notices of motion because they tend to tie up staff for long periods of time.

“But this is a big conversation that we just need to know the information on. Whether now’s the time or not, that’s the discussion we’ll look forward to having,” she said. “If it’s not the time, we probably should still just have this come back in a couple of years because the information will change.”

Administration explained that no decision can be made without public engagement.

The report to be brought to council will include as much information as possible on how becoming a city would change tourism, commercial, and grants, and if there’s an impact on how the provincial government views the community.

“A big one is Highway 20. I think that’s a game changer right there because if you become a city, often that becomes your responsibility,” town administration said. “I have a team of about four of us that are planning to work on this to make sure it’s as robust and non-biased as possible.”