The Pulse: Jan. 29, 2021

The Edmonton Metropolitan Transit Services Commission was officially approved by the provincial government on Jan. 28, clearing the way for Edmonton-area municipalities to form a joint transit system.

"Today is a good day in the journey to establish a commission," said Wes Brodhead, St. Albert councillor and chair of the commission's interim board. "(It) is the end of the beginning of the process."

The commission can now begin designing and implementing a single transit system that integrates the networks of the eight member municipalities. The goal is to improve services for riders by making it easier to move in between the municipalities, and by simplifying the system through a single set of fares, passes, and rules.

Brodhead also said the regional network would save members $2.2 million annually by eliminating the need for the current networks to run overlapping routes inside Edmonton.

"This commission will bring immediate cost savings, eliminate duplication of services, and most importantly, improve transit and travel options for the people of the capital region," said Ric McIver, Alberta’s transportation minister.

• The province will receive 63,000 fewer COVID-19 vaccine doses than promised by the end of March. "This is a grim situation that seems to be getting worse every week," Health Minister Tyler Shandro said at a news conference on Jan. 28.
• A framework to help Albertans understand when measures may be loosened will be released soon, Dr. Deena Hinshaw said on Jan. 27. In the meantime, current measures will be in place "a little while longer."
• Several restaurants across the province opened for business this week, despite provincial health orders. "I gotta do what I gotta do for my family, my livelihood,” Carlos Siguenza, owner of The Noble Fox in Bashaw, Alta., said.
• Coun. Aaron Paquette joined Mark Anielski on his latest podcast to discuss the economics of well-being and Paquette's "vision for a brighter Edmonton."
• Ashley Salvador announced she is running for city council in Ward Métis. "I am an entrepreneur, vocal community advocate, urban planner & award-winning scholar who loves our city," Salvador said on her new website.

The Edmonton area’s benchmark apartment vacancy rate climbed last year to 7.2% from 4.9% in 2018, hitting the highest level since economic crashes in the mid-1990s and early 1980s.

The number of purpose-built rental units rose 2,223 in 2019 as developers brought twice as many suites onto the market as the year before, Canada’s national housing agency reported Jan. 28.

The only major market in Canada with a higher rate is Regina at 7.5%. Calgary stands at 6.6% while the national rate is 3.2%.

“Slower rental demand due to weaker economic conditions and lower migration combined with higher rental supply resulted in an increase in the vacancy rate in the Edmonton CMA,” CMHC’s Edmonton senior analyst Christian Arkilley said.

Despite the spike in vacancies, rent costs remained unchanged at $1,153 a month. But the average rent for suites that went on the market in the last two years was $1,513, resulting in a 12% vacancy rate.

Transit users will have to pay more for passes and tickets beginning Feb. 1.

The price of a pack of 10 tickets will increase by 75 cents for all age groups, while monthly passes will go up by $1 to $35 for seniors, and by $3 to $100 for adults. Annual passes for seniors will also increase by $11 to $385.

City council approved the changes in 2019.

"These adjustments help (Edmonton Transit System) provide safe and reliable transit service and maintain the vehicle fleet,” said a press release from the city on Jan. 19.

Sen. Paula Simons has released the second season of Alberta Unbound, her podcast interrogating what it means to be an Albertan.

Season 1 featured excerpts from a wide-ranging panel discussion that she moderated in Edmonton last year in reaction to the Buffalo Declaration and other expressions of Alberta's identity that didn't reflect her own experience.

No such events have been possible during the pandemic, so Simons pivoted to a series of one-on-one conversations exploring identity and challenging stereotypes.

The guests are from all over the province, but many are from Edmonton, as is the senator herself. These include Edmonton city councillor Aaron Paquette, lawyer Avnish Nanda, commentator Natalie Pon, and political science professors Yasmeen Abu-Laban and Chaldeans Mensah.

For more on the genesis of the podcast and what it is like to be an independent senator from Alberta at this fraught time, listen to her interview on Episode 67 of The Daveberta Podcast.