On the agenda: Métis agreement, police contracts, single-egress buildings

This week, city council committees will meet to renew an agreement with the Otipemisiwak Métis Government, review the Edmonton Police Service's non-competitive procurement agreements, and discuss guidelines for single-egress buildings.

There is a community and public services committee meeting scheduled for Oct. 28, an urban planning committee meeting scheduled for Oct. 29, and an executive committee meeting scheduled for Oct. 30. There is a code of conduct sub-committee meeting scheduled for Nov. 1.

Here are key items on this week's agenda:

• The Otipemisiwak Métis Government, formerly known as the Métis Nation of Alberta, will visit council chambers on Oct. 28 to update its memorandum of shared recognition and cooperation with the City of Edmonton. In February 2023, the Otipemisiwak Métis Government signed an agreement with the Government of Canada that recognizes it as an Indigenous government within Alberta, granting it law-making powers in areas such as citizenship, leadership, and government operations. Edmonton and the Otipemisiwak Métis Government have revised the memorandum to reflect the federal recognition, as well as to create an action plan to address priorities for both parties. The parties agree to advance housing opportunities for Otipemisiwak Métis Government members living in Edmonton and foster Métis economic development.
• Council's executive committee is scheduled to review the Edmonton Police Service's non-competitive procurement agreements that exceed $250,000 at a meeting on Oct. 30. The largest non-competitive agreement is a $16.2 million contract with Axon Public Safety for body-worn cameras. The United Conservative Party government announced in March 2023 that body-worn cameras would be mandatory for all police officers in Alberta. After EPS started working with Axon, the provincial government said it would complete a competitive procurement for all municipalities, so EPS entered into a contract with Axon until the provincial process is completed. The second-largest contract is for $4.2 million with the Villeneuve Aviation Centre, which provides aviation fuel to EPS.
• The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation will give the City of Edmonton, Dub Architects, and Toronto-based LGA Architects $200,000 to develop a guideline for developers who want to construct a building taller than two storeys with only one set of stairs. Such buildings, known as single-egress buildings or point access blocks, are prohibited in Edmonton and most of North America due to concerns about fires blocking escape routes, but advocates told Taproot the building form can provide greater flexibility and density and lead to more family-friendly units. Single-egress buildings are common in Europe and Asia, but are not allowed in Alberta unless a developer sends an alternative solution proposal to the city. In a report scheduled to be presented to council's urban planning committee on Oct. 29, administration said it rarely receives such proposals. City staff and the architecture firms will work to create a guideline to help developers submit alternative solution proposals for point-access blocks. The guideline is scheduled to be completed by the end of December, making Edmonton one of the first cities in Canada to develop municipality-led design guidelines for the building form.

Here are some other items on the agenda:

• Administration proposes closing vehicle access to several parking lots on Jasper Avenue between 114 Street NW and 124 Street NW to support the second phase of the Imagine Jasper Avenue project. The vehicle access from Jasper Avenue to parking lots connected to businesses including Japonais Bistro, Rexall Drugstore, Shoppers Drug Mart, the Esso gas station, and Revolution Cycle will be closed, pending council approval. All the parking lots that would be affected have alternative access through back alleys, a report detailing the proposed changes said. Each of the property owners has agreed with the closures, except for Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut. That property's parking lot has two access points, from Jasper Avenue and 124 Street. The city has proposed closing the latter, but the business owner said both access points are integral to the on-site function of the property. Council's executive committee is scheduled to review the closures, and if it approves them the bylaw will be sent to council for a vote. Administration plans to close vehicle access points and replace the existing sidewalks along Jasper Avenue with a boulevard walkway. The report said a boulevard will enhance pedestrian accessibility, place-making, and the urban tree canopy, improve safety, and reduce conflict with vehicle traffic along Jasper Avenue.
• Administration has proposed amending the zoning bylaw to require all new buildings to be constructed in ways that make them ready to add solar power and electric vehicle chargers, among several other changes. In October, after council finished its marathon public hearing on the new bylaw, it asked administration to prepare bylaw amendments based on resident feedback. One feedback theme was that the bylaw didn't do enough to address climate change. Administration has now proposed 15 action items that would further embed climate action into the bylaw and other city planning processes. The proposed changes are scheduled to be presented in a city report to council's urban planning committee on Oct. 29.
• Council's executive committee is scheduled to review an environmental impact assessment for the new Wellington Bridge, which spans the Ramsey Ravine via 102 Avenue NW between Wellington Crescent NW and Churchill Crescent NW. The bridge needs to be replaced to meet safety requirements and construction is scheduled to begin in 2025. The bridge will be slightly wider to accommodate a shared-use path on the north side. Construction is scheduled to start after the replacement of the Stony Plain Road Bridge, which is expected to reopen in fall 2024. The assessment, which is scheduled to be presented to executive committee on Oct. 30, said construction could potentially contaminate the nearby soil and groundwater and lead to vegetation and trees being removed. The report outlines how crews will mitigate these risks. The bridge contains a maternity roosting site for little brown bats, an endangered species, the report said. Administration said the provincial Fish and Wildlife Stewardship Branch approved a bat management plan for the project.
• Administration is seeking council approval to sell a parcel of land in the Quarters to e4c to build a development with transitional housing, shelter beds, an emergency accommodations centre for women, and office space. The parcel, located between 102A Avenue and 103 Avenue, east of Kinistinaw Park, has been for sale on the City of Edmonton website for about three years. The proposed development will have 19 transitional housing units, 50 shelter beds, and a "pre-employment" focused social enterprise, similar to The Hallway Café in City Hall. The parcel includes the Joseph Reed Residence, which is on the Inventory of Historic Resources but is not legally protected from demolition. Administration said it told e4c the building could be eligible for grant funding if it was designated a Municipal Historic Resource, but e4c said it would need to demolish the building to make the development financially feasible. The proposal is scheduled to be presented to council's executive committee on Oct. 30, and if approved, it will go to council for a vote.
• Council's code of conduct subcommittee will meet to discuss amendments that provide further clarity on the process for sanction hearings.

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