Contact us at: rfrank@rfrank.ca
Hello
Welcome to our site - Rod Frank, Mayor Strathcona County
Rod is Mayor of Strathcona County - Sherwood Park in Alberta, Canada.
Learn about governance in Strathcona County at this site. Views are my own.
Questions? Kindly contact us at rfrank@rfrank.ca
Trusted Leadership
Challenging times have called for a steady hand, and disciplined, common sense leadership
In my first and second terms as Mayor from 2017 to 2025, all of us together faced unprecedented challenges with a gripping recession, collapsing oil markets, a major crisis incident in our County Hall, a once-in-a-century global pandemic, and inflation. Your county governance met these challenges head-on through disciplined, calm leadership. Today, we all enjoy best-in-class municipal services, inclusive social progress, and the province’s strongest fiscal position.
Thank you for the re-election and mandate in October, 2025 to keep the momentum going together! I am more passionate and committed than ever to be your Mayor. I am using the lessons learned and invaluable experience gained in my first and second terms to further solidify our community as one of the best places to live, work, play, and stay in the province.
Rod Frank ... trusted leadership: Vision and Results
Vision 2025-29
Leading in 2025-29 with:
- Trusted leadership, to seize opportunities in municipal excellence - in residential and commercial, in agriculture and industry, and in rural and urban.
- Disciplined, common sense, and evidence-based decisions
- Low taxes, financial responsibility and sustainability. Under my watch the cumulative tax rate has been less than inflation, meaning taxes have been cut - something few governments can claim. Debt service ratio under 10 per cent, meaning over 90% of taxes are going to municipal services for citizens, not to banks to pay debt.
- Providing affordability for the citizen, and leadership on economic matters such as tariffs, and politics at the national and international level.
- Highest quality municipal services - Fire, Police, Ambulance, Roads, Water, Transit, Family Support, Recreation, Parks, and Culture - over 90% citizen satisfaction rates.
- Our serious crime index is half that of the provincial average, and 88% or our residents feel safe
- Increased services such as a dedicated fraud unit with the hiring of two additional RCMP officers, the building of a new fire hall, and the hiring of four new peace officers; and we will continue to invest in a seniors centre, a fieldhouse, and an agricultural centre.
- An inclusive community.
- Jobs, prosperity and economic diversity to improve your quality of life. Promoting Hydrogen Hub, petchem and attracting new investment.
- We have one of the most robust local economies in the country, and we support the province and the nation. Investment is over $65 billion, creating 30,000 direct and indirect jobs in our two industrial zones – including a $720 million biofuel facility on the horizon.
- Canada’s most livable community – in work, education, and recreation
Our County has gone through unprecedented challenges since 2017 of a recession, collapse in energy markets, explosions, a global public health event, inflation, rising interest rates, and supply chain delays.
Disciplined, stable leadership has seen us emerge ahead of the crowd with excellence in municipal services, inclusive social progress, and the strongest fiscal position in the province.
My job is to continue to use all my education, experience and abilities in the current term to ensure our community leads the pack through the 2020’s and beyond.
Getting Results
Second Term 2021-25:
- Stable, common sense, and disciplined leadership through a global public health event, inflation, interest rate hikes, recessionary pressures, and supply chain issues.
- 90 per cent and higher approval ratings; Best-in-Class municipal services. Over 90 per cent of residents rated Strathcona County as a good or very good place to live. Citizens rate Strathcona County very positively as a safe, welcoming community to raise children, and retire. Leading in Muni services: Fire, Police, Ambulance, Roads, Water, Transit, Social Services, Recreation, Parks, and Culture.
- Fiscal responsibility – Taxes lower than inflation. During my tenure, the cumulative tax rate has been less than inflation, meaning taxes have been cut – something few governments can claim. Debt service ratio under 10 per cent, meaning over 90 per cent of taxes are going to municipal services for citizens, not to banks to pay debt.
- Rated by Forbes as the top municipality in Western Canada, and by our hard working and talented staff
- Crime down: 88% or our residents feel safe, and our serious crime index is half that of the provincial average .
- Rural – Agricultural opportunities. Administration was directed to build a business case to attract agricultural investment in our sub region. This invites value-add agricultural investment through focused, mission driven tactics and the hiring of economic development officers dedicated to agriculture. A new agriculture facility has opened: and we have supported the development of an agricultural think-tank (Agricultural Institute).
- Seniors' Services. Seniors recreation, community grants, community hall space, Elder Abuse Line, Age in place, Heartland Housing Foundation; and additional budget monies for seniors in the community.
- Jobs and Investment. Inter Pipeline’s $4 billion Heartland Petrochemical Complex launched 2023 - 2,600 construction jobs and 300 operational jobs. Imperial Oil’s $720 million renewable diesel facility, 600 construction jobs.
- Environmental Responsibility. Carbon capture technology and geology, hydrogen hub, co-generation, longest carbon capture pipeline in world, emission targets, and biofuels. Resolution to Alberta Municipalities (2022) passed at 98.4 per cent to increase commitment to support and resource projects to become leaders in the developing hydrogen economy.
- Ambulance and Emergency Services improvements. Community Response Unit implemented in Strathcona County. Ambulance service provided by Strathcona County has achieved a score of over 99 per cent under an independent third-party national accreditation assessment (2023).
- Transit Innovation. On-Demand Transit launched – 3C’s: more coverage, more convenience, less cost. Projected savings to be $450,000 annually. Bus Rapid Transit advanced to achieve more affordable and efficient service. Arc card for fares. In 2023, the county’s hydrogen fuel cell electric trial hit the road.
- McPherson Park Spray Deck open; River Valley Alliance Bridge action-ed. Using tax dollars for quality recreation.
- Social service non-profits empowered with annually in funding.
- Affordable Housing -Heartland Housing Foundation programs, including former Clover Bar site on Fir Street, supported for affordable housing.
- Record-breaking census: Hitting the 100,000-plus population mark as part of the 2022 Municipal Census!
First Term 2017-21:
· Stable, common sense and disciplined leadership through major crises: the 2018 County Hall explosions, challenging energy markets, provincial austerity, recession, and the public health challenges.
· Highest quality municipal services with citizen satisfaction over 87%; New Chief Commissioner hire for more positive change
· Taxes cut by 1.35 percent
· Crime down 11 percent
· Rural: Roads – additional $3 million in funding; Recreation – spray park, skate park; Water fill; Multimillion dollar Broadband initiative
· Social service non-profits empowered with an additional $1 million annually in funding
· Jobs and economy: over $4 billion in new investment
· Agricultural Master Plan implementation
Leading with great governance & trusted leadership
We are all proud of Strathcona County’s achievements
Rod feels honoured and privileged in his work to make the County’s vision of Canada’s most livable community a reality.
Rod’s governance interests include:
· Leading with best-in-class municipal services,
· Supporting responsible commercial and industrial development to improve our citizens’ quality of life,
· Enabling the non profit sector for social advancement,
· Championing fiscal responsibility, and
· Following evidenced based decision making.
Rod is passionate in leading Strathcona County to a future of continued prosperity.
Strathcona County
Strathcona County is an industrial and agricultural juggernaut. It is comprised of both rural and urban areas, including Sherwood Park, and has a population of over 100,000 citizens. Its best in class municipal services lead in policing, firefighting, transit, recreation, parks, culture, water and roads .
The County is home to over 40 world class companies in the energy, petrochemical and hydrogen sectors, with total investments of of over $40 billion.
The County's Beaver Hills Biosphere is an environmental oasis in the region.
The capital region that Strathcona County is a part of has a population of over 1.3 million people, produces 30 per cent of Alberta's GDP, and supports over 700,000 jobs.
Rod's Background
Rod was elected Mayor of Strathcona County on October 16, 2017. He was re-elected for a second term on October 18, 2021, and for a third term on October 20, 2025.
Mayor Frank was raised in the County, after moving here with his family in 1963. Rod and his wife brought up their own family here also.
He earned business and law degrees from the University of Alberta. Before becoming mayor, Rod had over 40 years of experience in the business and legal worlds. As a corporate lawyer, Rod had a telecom, and competition and antitrust law practice .
Leadership credentials in the business world include co-leader of Legal Services at TELUS, and practice lead to the wholesale, business, and wireless divisions; as well as lead competition law advisor. Rod was lead counsel closing a $1.2 billion-dollar deal, one of the single largest telecom services transactions in Canadian history.
In the legal field he headed the Canadian Bar Association’s National Competition Law Section, comprised of over 1,000 expert antitrust lawyers. Rod is also a former member of the American Bar Association’s Compliance & Ethics Advisory Board.
In the non-profit sector, Rod was one of the original incorporators of the Elk Island Education Foundation (REAL Foundation), and a former President and General Manager of the Edmonton Wildcat Junior Football Club.
With two sons who grew up in the Park, Rod has also volunteered for more than 15 years in local schools, and “every sport out there – football, hockey, soccer, baseball, lacrosse”. Rod previously wrote a legal column for the Sherwood Park - Strathcona County News, "The Lawyer in Your Corner. "
Rod is committed to serving the citizens throughout term; working for the citizen in politics and current events. The core of his plan is to realize Strathcona County's vision, to provide first-in-class municipal services, to provide financial certainty for individuals and industry, and to foster a citizen-centered culture.
Rod was a recipient of a Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2022.
“I respect the trust citizens have placed in me. I dedicate my service to advancing the best interests of Strathcona County, and to this community being a leading light in Alberta.”
Rod is:
- Chief Elected Official, Strathcona County
- Member and Previous Chair, Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Association
- Representative, Edmonton Regional Airports Authority
- Previous Board Member, Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board
- Previous Vice Chair & Representative, Edmonton Metro Region Economic Development (Edmonton Global)
Photo Gallery
Writing
Rod previously wrote a legal column for the Sherwood Park - Strathcona County News, "The Lawyer in Your Corner. "
Rod previously wrote a national blog on competition/antitrust law issues for the Canadian Bar Association's "National Magazine."
Rod frank: leadership in turbulent Times
Hope, and Results: As we face . . .
. . . an increasingly complex and uncertain world—marked by national and international political tensions, instability in economic markets, and the ever-rising cost of living—our community needs a leader who understands these challenges and acts decisively for the people. Rod Frank has proven, time and again, that he is that leader for Strathcona County - Sherwood Park.
Since 2017, Rod has led with integrity, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to ensuring that Strathcona County - Sherwood Park remains a place of opportunity, safety, and prosperity for all residents. His vision is rooted in hope—a belief that together, we can overcome obstacles and build a brighter future for every person in our community.
A Record of Stability and Growth
Rod’s leadership has been a beacon of stability during turbulent times. Whether it was guiding Strathcona County - Sherwood Park through the uncertainties of a global pandemic, navigating fiscal pressures, or adapting to shifting economic conditions, Rod’s focus has always been on delivering results for the people who live here.
- Resilient Leadership During Crisis: While global markets fluctuated, Rod worked tirelessly to keep Strathcona County - Sherwood Park’s finances strong, ensuring tax rates stayed below inflation and municipal services remained uninterrupted. Today, Strathcona County - Sherwood Park continues to be one of the most fiscally sound municipalities in the province.
- Affordability in Uncertain Times: Rod has made affordability a top priority. With the rising cost of living affecting families across the region, Rod has championed policies that keep taxes low, protect public services, and ensure that essential services remain accessible to every resident.
Hope in Action: A Vision for Our Future
As we look ahead, Rod's vision for Strathcona County - Sherwood Park is one of hope, innovation, and unity. In a world that often feels divided and uncertain, Rod is committed to working for every citizen in Strathcona County - Sherwood Park to strengthen our community for the future.
- Job Creation and Economic Resilience: Strathcona County - Sherwood Park’s economic future is bright. We have attracted over $65 billion in investment and created 30,000 new jobs in our two industrial zones. As we face global economic pressures, Rod will continue to position Strathcona County - Sherwood Park as a hub for high-quality, sustainable jobs that lift all residents.
- Sustainability and Innovation: Rod has been a champion for environmental initiatives that not only address climate change but also generate long-term economic benefits. Investments in hydrogen fuel, carbon capture, and renewable energy are preparing Strathcona County - Sherwood Park for the future — an inclusive, sustainable future where our children can thrive.
A Mayor Who Serves the People
Rod’s leadership is defined by service to others. He listens. He acts. And most importantly, he delivers.
Rod is not just a leader who makes decisions from a distance. He’s a mayor who is on the ground, engaging with residents, understanding their needs, and ensuring that every decision reflects the values and priorities of Strathcona County - Sherwood Park. His door is always open, and he remains steadfast in his commitment to serving the community—especially in times when people need it most.
A Future Built on Hope
Despite the challenges we face today—from global uncertainties to rising costs—Rod Frank’s leadership offers hope. Hope that we can remain strong in the face of adversity. Hope that Strathcona County - Sherwood Park will continue to grow and prosper. Hope that we can all look forward to a future where families thrive, businesses flourish, and our environment is protected for generations to come.
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