Headlines: Oct. 17, 2022

Oct. 17, 2022 · The Pulse
By Karen Unland

The dispatch and GPS system for peace officers has not been working properly since 2020, says a report from the city auditor. It needs a $2 million upgrade, administration says in response, noting that there is an opportunity to better coordinate the activities of peace officers with those of police officers with improvements to the dispatch system. The report is to go before the audit committee on Oct. 21.
City council will be considering whether to fund another municipal census after discontinuing the fact-finding mission in 2019 to save about $4.7 million. A report scheduled to go to executive committee on Oct. 26 says the policy governing the census has to be repealed, paused, or updated. Coun. Andrew Knack told CBC he supports doing a census every few years to ensure the city is getting all the grant money it is entitled to, but Coun. Sarah Hamilton said the timing may not be right given a tight budget heading into this fall's budget deliberations.
Affordable housing should be seen as core infrastructure, not an add-on, Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said after last week's update on the city's affordable housing strategy. "We never stop building roads, we never stop building the LRT, we never stop building fire halls and recreation centres, but we tend to stop building affordable housing — not just us, but every order of government," he said. Coun. Michael Janz suggested regulatory changes such as inclusionary zoning to require a contribution to affordable housing as a condition of development approval.
Though Edmonton's solar rebate program was maxed out by Sept. 2, there's hope that the program will be renewed in the upcoming budget deliberations, Coun. Tim Cartmell told Global News. "Be a little patient," he said. Meanwhile, the Home Energy Retrofit Accelerator still has some money in its budget to rebate certain energy-saving home improvements.
Edmonton's Corporate Climate Leaders Program recognized three businesses for their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Chandos Construction was named Corporate Climate Leader of the Year for committing to net-zero emissions by 2040; Boardwalk R.E.I.T. received the Community Leader Award for developing natural and drought-resistant green spaces; and Lafarge Canada won the Employee Engagement Award for actions to increase sustainability awareness.
The Ice District Plaza, billed as "the social hub at the heart of Canada's largest mixed-use sports and entertainment district," officially opened on Oct. 15. The space outside of Rogers Place had already hosted public gatherings during the Oilers' playoff runs, but it is meant to be a year-round facility. "This was basically a dump," Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said of the parking-lot-turned-plaza in an interview with Global News. "It's been transformed completely."
MacEwan University is creating a new artist-in-residence program in honour of Gene Zwozdesky, who served as an MLA from 1993 to 2015, holding several cabinet positions and finishing his career as Speaker of the legislature. Zwozdesky, who died in 2019, was instrumental in the creation of MacEwan's Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre.