City council's community and public services committee will meet on Tuesday, with a continuation scheduled for Friday. Executive committee will meet on Wednesday.
Key agenda items include:
- On Demand Transit, which was originally introduced to 37 neighbourhoods in Spring 2021, has expanded to 14 additional neighbourhoods using existing funding, administration says in a new report. Ridership grew from 21,000 trips in September 2021 to 32,000 in May 2022, with current estimates forecasting 40,000 trips per month by the end of the year. The service is currently delivered by a third party and administration said bringing it in-house wouldn't be possible until 2027 at the earliest. An unfunded service package to continue providing On Demand Transit will be brought forward during the 2023-2026 budget process.
- Administration recommends two adjustments to Edmonton's municipal ward boundaries as well as updates to the Ward Boundary Design Policy. If approved, the Calgary Trail South neighbourhood would move from Ward papastew to Ward Karhiio and the Yellowhead Corridor West neighbourhood would move from Ward O-day'min to Ward Anirniq to align with school division boundaries.
- The 2014 business case for Blatchford projected the construction of 250 residential units per year by 2015 and 500 per year by 2018, but administration now says those timelines were "aggressive" and "could not be met for a number of reasons." By May 2022, just 32 units had been built. Negotiations are underway for a significant number of potentially large-scale land sales, and administration says a 20-25 year development timeline is "still a reasonable target."
Here are some of the other new agenda items:
- A full report on engagement with people living in encampments is expected to be available in November, but initial learnings will be considered by council this week. "Many participants shared feelings of helplessness, disappointment, and frustration," the report says, but they also shared ideas for how the encampment response process could be improved. Administration plans to select and develop a prototype to improve people's experiences from November 2022 to March 2023.
- While the downtown area currently has 46 parks and open spaces, administration says "there remains potential for the creation of spaces for wellness for Edmontonians downtown." A pilot project in 2023 to create additional downtown amenity spaces — including at minimum coloured asphalt, one basketball hoop, painted lines, benches, planters, and a drinking fountain — would cost $400,000.
- The Edmonton Police Service awarded nearly $500,000 to Central Lake Armor Express Inc. for body armour in a "short-term continuation of the existing 10-year contract" which expired in January 2021. The service said it intends to advance "a rigorous competitive process" for a long-term contract by the end of 2022.
- Administration recommends a $25 million sole source agreement with Canada Post for outgoing mail services for up to 10 years, ending May 1, 2032. Last year, the city (including the Edmonton Police Service and Edmonton Public Library) spent $2.5 million on Canada Post services.
- The Muslim Association of Canada has been selected as the preferred applicant to purchase the Evansdale surplus school site, at market value of $2.85 million. The organization plans to develop a private school and community centre.
- Though the Cubic fare vending machines installed at LRT stations are scheduled to be replaced the Arc smart fare system next year, Administration recommends approval of a US$218,661 agreement with Cubic Transportation Systems Inc. to provide maintenance and support through to December 2023.
- The City of Edmonton is "meeting or exceeding" the 13 factors of the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace, administration says. Support for psychological health and safety in the workplace has been expanded over the last year with the creation of six new peer support teams and the training of 1,197 employees in the city's mental health program.
Committee will also consider the following postponed items:
- Despite building more affordable housing units in the past four years than in the previous decade, one in seven households in Edmonton is still in "core housing need," which includes those spending more than 30% of their pre-tax income on housing. The final draft of the city's updated Affordable Housing Strategy, which will include an implementation plan and a measurement framework to guide affordable housing investments through 2026, will be presented to council for approval next year. In a progress update, administration says "a significant shortage of housing is anticipated by 2026" — with nearly 60,000 households in core housing need — unless action is taken to address the widening gap between supply and demand.
- In response to a request from the city and in exchange for a new long-term lease, the Old Strathcona Farmers' Market has developed a plan to open two days a week supplemented by a "general store" in the southeast corner of the building that would be open daily.
Meetings are streamed live on YouTube on the Chamber channel and River Valley Room channel.