On the agenda: Night mayor, lights for bikes, cleaning the core

This week, councillors are set to discuss a nighttime economy strategy, upgrades for lights on active transportation routes, and enhanced cleaning services in the core.

There is a community and public services committee meeting scheduled for April 8, an urban planning committee meeting scheduled for April 9, an executive committee meeting scheduled for April 10, and a special city council meeting scheduled for April 12.

Here are key items on the agenda:

• A report created by Explore Edmonton and Night Time Economy Solutions recommends Edmonton should appoint a night mayor and a nighttime economy alliance as part of its night economy strategy. The recommendations are in a report scheduled to be presented at council's executive committee meeting on April 10. The strategy recommends the alliance collects data on bars, clubs, and businesses, counts the footfall traffic at these businesses, and identifies locations where street art could improve vibrancy, among other actions. The strategy also recommends the Edmonton Police Service consider stationing police in areas of dense nightlife activity and reported crime. Puneeta McBryan, executive director of the Edmonton Downtown Business Association, told CBC she believes the number of officers out at night has changed in recent years. "Our downtown beat officers are there during the day, but what that presence looks like at night has really changed since COVID," McBryan said. "I'd be really curious to find out, even compared to 2018, how many officers we have out on a typical Friday or Saturday night." Administration said council could start a night mayor and nighttime economy alliance with a one-time cost of $50,000, and an ongoing cost of $200,000 annually for the night mayor's salary and benefits.
• Administration estimates it would need between $20 million and $65 million to upgrade the lighting on 86 kilometres of its active transportation routes to meet current requirements. The lower end of the range would see lighting improved on district connector routes, while the higher end of the range would include neighbourhood routes. Administration said council could fund the lighting upgrades through the $100 million active transportation fund that was approved in the 2023-2026 budget, but that could mean up to 60 kilometres of new active transportation infrastructure would be cancelled. A report detailing the lighting enhancement options is scheduled to be presented at the urban planning committee meeting on April 9.
• Administration said it applied for roughly $13 million in provincial grants to continue its enhanced cleaning services in the core, but the applications were unsuccessful. The money would have enhanced the Centre City team's budget, which cleans and maintains the public realm in downtown and adjacent neighbourhoods. In a report scheduled to be presented at council's community and public services committee meeting on April 8, administration said the team responded to more than 10,000 issues between June 2023 and January 2024. Public engagement surveys, however, suggest people may not have noticed a difference. Administration conducted surveys in March 2023, before the enhanced service started, and in September 2023, about three months in. Results? The public perception of cleanliness was about the same and the perception of safety was worse in September. Administration said it plans to stretch the program funding to the end of October instead of July, as originally budgeted.

Here are some other items on the agenda:

• The City of Edmonton is preparing for the possibility of wildfire evacuees needing to come to Edmonton during the 2024 wildfire season. Administration is requesting approval from the executive committee to engage the Canadian Red Cross in a non-competitive contract of up to $9 million. Administration said the contract would allow Edmonton to put key components of its reception centre in place in advance of any demand. The Canadian Red Cross has previously assisted Edmonton's response to wildfires and other emergencies. Administration said if the province requests that Edmonton takes in evacuees, the province would reimburse costs. The contract is set to be discussed at the executive committee meeting on April 10.
• The body tasked with attracting large sporting events to Edmonton wants changes, starting with its name. The Edmonton Sport Council will now be known as Sport Edmonton. Further, the organization said Edmonton's investments to attract events are stable but insufficient, according to a report scheduled to be presented to council's executive committee meeting on April 10. The Sport and Cultural Attraction Plan — now renamed the Major Sport Events Strategic Framework — will be updated to include actions to attract events over the next three years and to clarify the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders. An unfunded service package will be brought to the 2024 spring supplementary operating budget adjustment. It would add $2 million to the overall funds used to attract sporting and cultural events to Edmonton.
• Administration recommends against creating a snow-clearing program for seniors and people with limited mobility. In a report to be shared at the community and public services committee meeting on April 8, administration said other levels of government already provide such services. The report suggests low-income seniors can access the province's Special Needs Assistance for Seniors program. The report said a snow removal program would cost between $857,000 to $1.2 million a year. Administration would arrange for contractors to clear snow from households requiring assistance and recoup some costs through the aforementioned provincial program, but administration recommends against this. In February, Taproot spoke to advocates who suggest administration should more actively work to assist low-income seniors with costs such as snow clearing.
• Administration is proposing an omnibus amendment to the business licence bylaw to change wording related to adult service industries. The proposal includes replacing the word "exotic" in three adult industry categories with "erotic." The change is in response to concerns from workers that the term "exotic" has racist undertones and doesn't reflect the language used in the industry. The omnibus amendment also proposes changes to allow administration to collect member information from massage therapy associations and remove municipal restrictions on the operating hours of cannabis retailers. The changes are scheduled to be presented at an urban planning committee meeting on April 9, during which the committee may recommend the bylaw goes to council for a vote.
• Administration said Edmonton Transit Service will add a new bus route, boost bus service in newer neighbourhoods, and improve routes for young people in 2024. The bus network service plan update, scheduled to be presented at council's urban planning committee meeting on April 9, details specific routes targeted for investment. Administration has also identified six routes that may see service reduction due to low ridership, pending further analysis. This report was rescheduled from a previous meeting.
• Administration laid out how staff will address amendments to the revised zoning bylaw over the next two years. Council requested several changes to the bylaw when it approved it in the fall, like requiring more trees in some zones and reducing the maximum floor area for commercial establishments in the small scale residential zone. Administration said it will perform a one-year review and propose amendments based on feedback from applicants and residents. The work plan is scheduled to be presented to the urban planning committee on April 9.
• Council is scheduled to get a private update on the recruitment of a city auditor at a special city council meeting on April 12.

Meetings stream live on YouTube on the Chamber channel and River Valley Room channel.