Residents of a town in central Alberta are casting their ballots in a plebiscite that will bring the community one step closer to answering a question it’s been wrestling with for months: should the municipality remain a town or dissolve and become a hamlet of Sturgeon County.

The town of Gibbons is located around 40 kilometres north of Edmonton and is home to around 3,200 residents. In a non-binding vote being held this week, those residents are having their say on the issue. Voting began on Wednesday and will wrap up on Thursday.

The plebiscite comes as the town grapples with significant financial debt, and is at risk of insolvency. Mayor Rick Henderson and the town’s new council inherited more than $12 million in debt when they were elected in the fall of 2025.