The County of St. Paul is throwing its support behind a growing Northern Alberta campaign to make it more affordable for people to live and work in rural northern communities.

During council discussion, members reviewed a regional advocacy request from Community Futures Lac La Biche calling for the creation of a Provincial Northern Alberta Living Allowance — a proposal supporters say could help tackle workforce shortages, affordability pressures and long-term population decline across the north.

The initiative is being championed by Community Futures Lac La Biche General Manager Peter Mahowich, who is asking municipalities, Indigenous organizations, chambers of commerce and economic development groups across Northern Alberta to unite behind the proposal.

The concept is modelled after the federal Northern Residents Deduction and would recognize the higher day-to-day costs associated with living in Northern Alberta, including food, fuel, transportation, utilities, housing, and construction.

Council members said the proposal hits on issues rural communities have been struggling with for years.

The advocacy materials presented to council argue that while Northern Alberta continues to drive a major portion of Alberta’s economy, many communities still face challenges in attracting workers and keeping young families in the region in the long term.

The proposal also points to increasing reliance on rotational and fly-in/fly-out workers, something supporters say weakens local economies because workers often spend their income outside the communities where they work.

Instead, advocates say a Northern Alberta Living Allowance could encourage more people to permanently settle in northern communities, helping stabilize schools, businesses, municipal tax bases and local services.

During discussion, council members acknowledged that attracting healthcare workers, tradespeople, teachers and young families remains a major challenge throughout rural Alberta.

The advocacy package argues that affordability has become one of the biggest barriers preventing long-term settlement in northern communities, despite strong employment opportunities in many sectors.

Supporters also believe the initiative could help strengthen smaller local businesses by increasing disposable income and keeping more spending in northern communities rather than in larger urban centres.

Council ultimately agreed to support the principles behind the regional advocacy effort.

The initiative is now being circulated across Northern Alberta as organizers work to build broader regional backing ahead of future provincial budget and policy discussions.

Advocates hope the proposal will eventually gain support from provincial ministers and the Northern Alberta Development Council as conversations continue around affordability, labour shortages and economic competitiveness in rural Alberta.