Ottawa gives Red Deer nearly $9 million for smart meter upgrade
The federal funding will help replace decades-old electrical metering infrastructure with more than 45,000 automated smart meters across Red Deer.
Why it matters
The upgrade could mean faster power outage response and more accurate billing for Red Deer households and businesses.
Red Deer is receiving nearly $9 million from the federal government through Natural Resources Canada's Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program to modernize its electricity meter network. Federal Treasury Board President Shafqat Ali announced the funding in Red Deer on Monday on behalf of Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson.
The money will help the city replace aging, hard-to-repair equipment with over 45,000 automated smart meters and supporting communications infrastructure, known as Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI) 2.0. The upgrade is expected to speed up outage detection, improve billing accuracy and enhance grid reliability. The city's current system has been in place for about four decades; Calgary switched to AMI 2.0 nearly a decade ago, while Edmonton still uses older AMI 1.0 technology.
The City of Red Deer is matching the federal contribution with roughly $8.35 million of its own, covering the other half of the project's total cost. About half of all meters have already been replaced, with the full project expected to be completed by early 2027.
Mayor Cindy Jefferies thanked the federal government for the partnership, saying the technology will support faster outage response and a more resilient utility system. When asked whether the funding was tied to efforts to strengthen federal-Alberta relations ahead of a fall referendum, Ali said the announcement reflected ongoing federal commitments rather than any connection to that vote.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.