Engagement and Surveys

Project Overview

The Town of Olds is working with ISL Engineering and Land Services Ltd. (ISL) to review and update the Town’s Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and Land Use Bylaw (LUB). These are two important documents that shape how our community grows and develops.

Project Timeline

The project began in October 2024 and is expected to be completed by September 2025.

The Survey!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to review the proposed changes for the MDP and LUB and provided your feedback! This will be used to inform the final changes to the MDP and LUB.

With your input, we're shaping the future of Olds, together.

This survey is now closed. Please stay tuned as we will post the results as soon as we have them.

The Town of Olds invited residents to provide feedback on the Housing Strategy during two drop-in engagement sessions on Monday, May 5, 2025.

At both sessions, Town staff were available to share information, answer questions, and hear your thoughts. The draft strategy was first presented to Council on April 14 and outlines a proposed path forward to meet the housing needs of our growing community.

More details can be viewed at www.olds.ca/housing

We encouraged all residents, developers, and community stakeholders to attend and share their perspectives.

View the Building a Stronger Olds:Housing Strategy Engagement Handout (PDF) 

Housing in Olds is becoming harder to find and afford. The Town of Olds wanted to hear from residents about their housing challenges and ideas for solutions. This survey was open form March 31 to April 21, 2025. Your feedback helps shape a housing needs report and guide housing development in Olds over the next 10 to 20 years. Read the April 2025 Newsletter (PDF) on this important topic.

View the Results of the 2025 Housing Needs Assessment (PDF)

FBM Planning Ltd. (“FBM”) was commissioned by the Town of Olds to conduct a commercial gap analysis for the Town. In addition to the core analysis, an online Community Survey was also conducted by FBM.

The study was carried out over the period of May to November 2024. On-the-ground fieldwork in the study community was carried out in June 2024.

The objective of this study is to thoroughly document the current retail inventory and define the realistic Trade Area for which they serve. The purpose of this research was to identify the existing gaps and opportunities for retail, which would also help the Town to identify investment and business attraction opportunities in support of local economic development and Municipal plans.

View the full Commercial Gap Analysis Results (PDF)

View the News Release: Town of Olds’ Commercial Gap Analysis Confirms Strong Business Potential in Olds

Each year as part of the budget process Council reviews all of the programs and services the Town provides. Provincial legislation requires municipalities to have a balanced budget.

View the Annual Budget Survey Results.

The Town of Olds has reached a deal with Telus Communications to buy O-NET (known officially as Olds Fibre LTD.), a municipally controlled corporation.

As per the requirements of the Municipal Government Act, the Town of Olds provided an opportunity for the public to provide feedback on this decision. A public forum and information session was held Tuesday, November 5 at 3:00 PM in the Town of Olds Council Chambers.

View the Live Stream Recording of the Meeting from November 5 (YouTube)
Read the Meeting Agenda Package (November 5) (PDF)

Members from the Town, O-NET, and Telus were on hand to provide further information and answer questions.

Registration was required to speak at the meeting, to submit statements, or ask questions before the meeting. The deadline to register to speak was Friday, November 1 at 3:00 PM.

Those who registered were allotted 3-5 minutes to make a statement. It was not a Q&A. Meaning, there was not a response immediately given to speakers. But there was an attempt to answer all comments/questions in opening and closing remarks by the Town and/or Telus.

Read the Public Notice regarding this Public Forum from October 1, 2024 (PDF)

Read the News Release from May 2, 2025: "Town of Olds Release O-NET Financial Closure Report"

Read the O-NET Financial Closure Report (2025) (PDF)

To view these results, please visit the Sportsplex and Skating webpage.

Do you want to have a say in how the Town of Olds grows? The Town has started creating a new long-term plan for lands on the northeast part of the Town. This plan will support new industrial and commercial growth, and will:

• Set a long-term plan for growth in the area
• Support transportation, environment, and economic growth
• Lay out types and locations of potential development
• Respect neighbouring property owners

Results from this engagement will be posted on the website and shared on social media once complete. 

Learn more about the Town's Municipal Development Plan.

Read the original news release on the long-term development plans for this new development.

The Town partnered with Western Management Consultants (WMC), funded by a special grant, to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of our current and future policing needs. WMC collected data from different groups, businesses, and individuals to provide better insight into any issues and possible policing solutions. The aim was to gain a clear understanding of the policing services in the community, as well as assess the value of money invested in these services. The survey closed February 12, 2024.  Read the News Release here.

Findings:

In 2023, the Town of Olds commissioned a review of its policing services to assess their effectiveness, efficiency, and fit with the Town’s values and needs. Western Management Consultants, assisted by Applications  Management, was engaged to do this work.  The project looked at existing practices and evaluated them against similar municipalities and the future needs of the Town. The residents of Olds were important stakeholders in this work, and the views of citizens were gathered through both survey and consultation processes. The project's main outcome was to find out if the current policing model is the best fit or if the Town should consider other options.

Visit the links to see the Full Report (PDF) and the Executive Summary (PDF).

Key Findings:

Residents of Olds believe they live in a safe community. Yet, many are not fully aware of how the police services  are managed, and there’s little desire to switch from using the RCMP to having a local town police force. Crime levels in Olds are as low or lower than in similar towns, with crime rates trending down. There is more non-violent crime in the Town, but fewer violent incidents in comparison to similar towns. The Town of Olds spends  less money on protective services than other similar towns.  There are general concerns reported among people in Olds about police visibility and consistency in traffic enforcement.

Recommendations:

Maintain its current contractual arrangement with the RCMP for the provision of policing services. Improve communications about safety initiatives, policing activities, and related information. This could be accomplished by using social media programs, regular citizen surveys, and public consultations. Be more proactive in involving its citizens in the development and policing and safety policies. Improve police capacity to address concerns about visibility and response to minor incidents by increasing the number of peace officers and assisting the RCMP to fill its full staffing complement.

The Town of Olds is looking to improve the experience of walking, biking and rolling for residents and seasonal students in the Town to strengthen connections with communities within the Town and the region.
To extend the reach of the ideas and provide further opportunities for engagement, the Town has conducted an online public survey to better understand the barriers facing residents who use the active transportation network. 

This engagement is now complete. The Town of Olds will publish the results of this study once they become available. 

The purpose of the Housing Needs Assessment was to help the Town understand the local housing situation and provide objective data and analysis to prospective housing developers. This report, the 2023 Housing Needs Assessment Report, was presented to Council at its meeting on October 10, 2023.

The report confirms many issues that were suspected, including:

• There is a housing shortage across virtually all sectors, including rental units, seniors, students, and starter homes. 
• Housing inventory is highly concentrated in the single detached realm and new builds are predominantly 'higher end' homes. 
• There are a significant number of older homes, which could mean a reduction on housing stock as these are demolished or abandoned. 
• Community engagement was undertaken, and there was an overwhelming consensus that housing affordability and shortages are primary issues.

This report has been shared with key stakeholders locally and in the development community.

View this report and more by visiting Housing Assessment Results.

Olds Municipal Enforcement conducted public engagement regarding traffic speed in the Town of Olds. The survey showed considerable support for the conversion of school zones to playground zones.

Read the Survey Results / Presentation to Council (Nov, 2022) (PDF)

The purpose of this project is to develop a regional parks, recreation, and culture master plan for the Towns of Olds, Didsbury, Carstairs and Sundre, Village of Cremona, and Mountain View County (known as the Municipal Partners). This plan will provide guidance to the Municipal Partners in making decisions that best meet the needs of their residents. Facilities and programming related to parks, recreation and culture will be the main focus of the plan.

Results of the surveys and public engagement sessions were presented to regional councils in November, 2021. The presentation to Olds Town Council was Nov. 22. In addition to the final version of the regional master plane, council was also presented with a Case for Tourisms and Strategic Recommendations. Both documents are available below.

Final Mountain View Master Plan (PDF)

Mountain View Region Case for Tourism and Strategic Recommendations (PDF)

Presentation to Council (PDF)

Town maintains a three-week cycle for Garbage, Recycling and Compost - Week 1 Black Bin (Trash), Week 2 Blue Bin (Recycle) and Week 3 Green Bin (Compost). Then the cycle repeats. 

Consideration is being given to changing the three-week cycle to a two-week cycle which would resemble the following scenario:

Week 1: Black Bin (Garbage) pickup. Week 2: Combined Blue Bin/Green Bin pickup.

This cycle would repeat every two weeks. The proposed two-week cycle would cost households an additional $8.60 per month. 

Results

Participation in this survey was high with 1468 responses. 65% of respondents wanted to keep the current schedule the same, with a three-week rotation. Not wanting additional costs, the desire to keep garbage out of the landfill and the current system meeting their needs were the top reasons noted.

Read the Survey Results Report (PDF)

A top priority during the Covid-19 crisis is to reduce the negative impact it has on your business. Your input is incredibly valuable and will provide information on how the Town could further support local businesses. 

This survey closed on April 28, 2021, results were shared in the May 10, 2020 Council meeting.

Read the Survey Results (PDF)

Every year the Olds Detachment reaches out to residents and businesses to help determine policing priorities for our Community. Policing priorities ensure that in addition to responding to calls for service, members focus on the policing issues most important to the public.

Read the Survey Results (PDF)

A petition is a written request signed by electors (residents of Olds), which is then presented to Town Council. This is a process outlined by the Alberta Municipal Government Act. For petitions to be considered, they must meet certain requirements:

• Must be signed by 10% of eligible electors.  An elector:
  • is at least 18 years old,
  • is a Canadian citizen, and
  • resides in Olds when they signed the petition.
• Must meet the form set out in Section 219 – 226, 232 and 234 of the Municipal Government Act.

Prior to collecting signatures for a petition, it is strongly recommended to review the legislation or contact legal counsel to ensure the petition meets all legislative requirements.

A petition must come from the community to ensure it reflects the genuine concerns and interests of residents, not the influence of the municipality.

According to Alberta's Municipal Government Act, municipalities must remain impartial in such processes and cannot initiate or lead petitions to maintain fairness and accountability in governance. This ensures that democratic principles are upheld, and decisions are driven by public interest.

• Contact the Mayor or a Councillor
• Email the Town at admin@olds.ca
• Attend a Council Meeting