City council meets on April 4 with continuations on April 5 and 6. There is also a city council public hearing on April 5. Here are some of the key items on the agenda this week:
- Council is being asked to approve adjustments to the 2019-2022 capital budget, as well as funding commitments in the next capital budget that will support the delivery of the Edmonton-Strathcona County Footbridge, 124 Street renewal, and 50 Street CP rail grade separation. The total cost of these projects is $90.1 million, and the city will fund about half of that ($45.4 million) through the 2019-2022 budget. A further $13 million requires approval from the 2023-2026 budget, and $31.7 million will come from city partnerships. The 124 Street renewal project supports A Rebuildable City from the City Plan and would see full reconstruction between 111 Avenue and 118 Avenue; the 50 Street rail grade separation would "increase the capacity and reliability of the corridor to serve the increasing commuter and industrial traffic"; and the Edmonton-Strathcona County Footbridge aims to better connect the region as well as improve access to the river valley.
- City council will decide whether to approve $507,000 in ongoing funding for the aerial mosquito program to return it to 2020 levels. The annual aerial program funding was eliminated in 2020 as part of the Fall Supplementary Operating Budget Adjustment, so that council could provide a 0% tax increase for 2021 during the pandemic. It was reinstated in May 2021 on a one-time basis and now council will consider reinstating that funding on an ongoing basis. The program, which has existed since 1974, targets the pests to improve livability for Edmontonians and visitors during the warmer months. But not all Edmontonians are in favour of the use of pesticides to complete this work.
- Council will hear about the actions that the City of Edmonton can take, or already does, to support the calls for justice in the final report of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls National Inquiry. Three themes found that require action include: awareness building, addressing underlying causes, and Indigenous resurgence. Administration says it will continue collaborating with other orders of government, Indigenous governments, Edmonton police, grassroots organizations, and others to implement the actions required. There may be financial support needed from the city in the future to bolster these initiatives.
Here are some of the other notable agenda items:
- Executive committee is recommending that council approve a financial assistance policy to support businesses affected during major construction. The program is projected to cost $200,000 per year to operate and $15,000 per business experiencing an eligible loss.
- Utility committee is recommending that council approve a move to mandatory three-stream communal collection for waste after evaluating alternative business models. It is also asking council to approve the city's plan to reduce single-use items, which is a follow-up to the waste reduction roadmap approved last May.
- Council will receive information about alternative low-maintenance options and treatments for boulevards and turf. Five options that are on the table are naturalization (passive or planted), permaculture, parkland urban farming, low mowing grass alternatives (wildflowers or seed mixes), and artificial turf. Of those options, administration found that traditional turf grass and naturalization are the options with the lowest initial and ongoing costs, though the implementation of any new initiatives would require more detailed cost analysis, says the report.
- Executive committee has recommended to council that the environmental impact assessment and site location study for the Edmonton-Strathcona County Footbridge project be approved, as well as noting that the location for the bridge in the river valley as essential. It will connect 167 Avenue in northeast Edmonton and Township Road 540 in Strathcona County. A pre-construction public information session is expected to be held before construction begins in mid- to late 2022.
- Council will be asked to approve the William Hawrelak Park rehabilitation project as part of the river valley redevelopment plan. It has already passed through executive committee.
- Rezoning land in the Calgary Trail North neighbourhood, the Secord neighbourhood, and the Mistatim Industrial neighbourhood, among other bylaws are on the docket at this week's city council public hearing.
There are also several private committee meetings this week in which council members will shortlist applicants for the city's boards and committees.
Meetings are streamed live on city council's YouTube channel.
Photo: The Edmonton-Strathcona County Footbridge will connect 167 Avenue in northeast Edmonton and Township Road 540 in Strathcona County. (City of Edmonton)