On April 15, 2008, the Government of Alberta created the Capital Region Board (CRB) to prepare a growth plan for the area.
Established under the Capital Region Board Regulation 38/2012 under the Municipal Government Act, the CRB is a non-profit corporation consisting of an elected official (Mayors and Council members) from each of the region’s 24 member municipalities.

The CRB was mandated to guide the municipalities of the region in developing a long term, integrated management plan to support global competitiveness and sustained economic growth with particular attention to the economic, social and environmental impacts on all region residents.
The initial growth plan, entitled ‘Growing Forward’, was approved by the Province on March 11, 2010. Growing Forward outlined how member municipalities can establish regional partnerships in priority areas for growth, recognizing the positive benefits of shared development, infrastructure and policy frameworks. Four priority areas were initially identified:
- Land use
- Intermunicipal transit
- Housing
- Geographic information services (GIS)