The City of Leduc is growing by leaps and bounds these days.
The latest census data from the Edmonton-area suburb show Leduc grew by 6.9 per cent from 2012 to 2013, hitting a population of 27,241.
The one-year 6.9 per cent growth rate exceeded the city's five-year annual rate of 5.8 per cent.
Leduc Mayor Greg Krischke said, "It would be a safe bet that Leduc will surpass 30,000 citizens in the next two years."
Of note, the city is looking less like a suburb. The latest data found that only 20 per cent of employed residents commute to Edmonton for work while 70 per cent work in the city itself and another 10 per cent work in the area outside Edmonton and Leduc.
Growth for Leduc will also be automatic come January 1, 2014. That's when the city will grow by another 1,329 acres, which it will annex from Leduc County.
While the county supported Leduc's annexation, it is resisting a much larger application by the City of Edmonton to take control of a large swath of land south of the Alberta capital.
Edmonton wants to annex about 38,000 acres of land - that's roughly five times the current size of Leduc and includes Edmonton International Airport.
The county strongly opposes the application and has been trying to rally opposition to such a large land grab.
According to county officials, Edmonton's proposal would siphon off 17 per cent of the county's tax base and lead to a 10 per cent property tax hike in the remainder of the county. It would also mean a potential 62 per cent tax hike for businesses and residents in the annexation area, county officials contend.
from Western Investor October 2013
