Have your voice heard!
The Town of Olds seeks to engage citizens when planning the community's future.
Feedback gathered from the public helps council and administration make more informed decisions that are aligned with the community's values. Thank you for taking the time to share your opinions, they truly do make a difference!
If you notice something in your community or have a suggestion on how to improve services, please submit a Report-a-Problem form so we can take action.
Active Engagments:
Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and Land Use Bylaw (LUB) Update - Survey Coming June 2025
Results and Complete Engagements:
Building a Stronger Olds: Housing Strategy Engagement
Olds Housing Needs Assessment Resident Survey
Town of Olds’ Commercial Gap Analysis Results
ACTIVE AND CURRENT ENGAGEMENTS:
2026 Budget Survey: June 16 - July 17, 2025
Engaging residents in the budget process continues to be a priority for Council and Administration. This platform serves as a space for you to share your insights, ideas, and concerns regarding key service levels within the Town of Olds. Together, let's ensure that every dollar spent reflects the needs of our residents. Thank you for your participation in this crucial process!
View the News Release: Town of Olds Invites Public Feedback on 2026 Budget Priorities
Provincial Water Survey – Public Survey Open Until June 30, 2025
The Government of Alberta is reviewing the Water Act to help improve how water is managed across the province. With growing pressure on Alberta’s rivers and water licences, the province is seeking input from residents, municipalities, and other users.
This is the only water source for Olds and surrounding communities. Your feedback helps ensure local voices are considered in decisions about water use and availability.
Albertans are invited to read the proposed changes and complete the government’s survey. The survey follows the structure of the discussion paper and takes 45 to 90 minutes to complete.
- Learn more: alberta.ca/water-availability-engagement
- Take the survey: your.alberta.ca/water-availability/surveys/proposed-amendments-to-the-water-act
This is a Government of Alberta initiative. The Town of Olds is sharing this opportunity to keep residents informed and involved.
Take the survey
Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and Land Use Bylaw (LUB) Update - Survey Coming June 2025
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.
What is the purpose of a Municipal Development Plan and Land Use Bylaw?
The MDP:
- Guides how our community will grow in the future.
- Includes goals about how we move around the community, how land will be used in the future, and how we will protect the environment.
The LUB:
- Makes rules about how the land can be used that decide where things like homes, stores, and parks can go. These rules determine the size of properties, the size and height of buildings, and the distance that buildings need to be from roads or other buildings.
- Outlines the process for how the community makes decisions on proposed developments.
Why is the Town updating its MDP and LUB?
The current MDP was approved in 2020. Some updates are needed to make sure the MDP addresses community needs and considers current development trends.
The current LUB was originally adopted in 2001 but has had many small changes over the years. Now, the whole document is being updated to make the rules easier to understand and make sure they follow legislation set by the Province of Alberta.
You can learn about and review the current MDP and LUB here:
Updating Sections of the MDP and LUB
The Town and ISL will be completing the following steps to update the MDP and LUB:
- Reviewing the content and structure of the current MDP and LUB, focusing on sections that may be outdated based on current community needs, development trends, and recent changes to provincial laws and legislation.
- Preparing draft changes to the MDP and LUB.
- Presenting the proposed changes to the community to gather feedback for consideration when finalizing the changes.
- Preparing new drafts of the MDP and LUB.
- Presenting the draft MDP and LUB to Council for consideration and approval.
Project Timeline
The project began in October 2024 and is expected to be completed by September 2025.
Stay Informed!
In June 2025, the project team will share the proposed changes for the MDP and LUB and gather your feedback. Town residents, interest holders, administration, and Council will be invited to share feedback through a combination of in-person and online opportunities. Your feedback will be used to inform the final changes to the MDP and LUB.
More information about June engagement opportunities will be shared in the coming months.
Let’s shape the future of Olds together!
PUBLIC HEARINGS:
See the Notice of Public Hearings page for current information.
PREVIOUS ENGAGEMENTS:
Building a Stronger Olds: Housing Strategy Engagement
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
Olds Housing Needs Assessment Resident Survey
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. 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 on this important topic.
This survey was open from March 31 to April 21.
View the results of the 2025 Housing Needs Assessment.
Town of Olds’ Commercial Gap Analysis Results
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 throughly 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.