The Pulse: Nov. 15, 2021

Sarah Hamilton and Michael Janz might not seem to have a lot in common. Hamilton represents the largely suburban west-end ward of sipiwiyiniwak, while Janz was elected in the south-central ward of papastew. They disagreed on 20 of the 30 questions put to candidates in the Taproot Survey. She's one of the few incumbents returning to council; he's among the large class of rookies.

But they have common ground, too. Both have new babies at home, born during the election campaign. And they both told Episode 155 of Speaking Municipally that they see their role on council as helping other councillors succeed, while still pursuing their own agendas.

"I had a very ambitious, multi-faceted platform, but it's useless if you cannot find champions to work with you," Janz said in his meet-the-councillor interview on Taproot's civic affairs podcast. "So I see my job as not necessarily scoring goals, but to help get assists by helping others get goals."

Hamilton said she too sees a responsibility to help others be good stewards of the city, especially with eight newcomers among the 12 councillors. She cited, for example, the need to back up Anne Stevenson, the new councillor for O-day-min, in efforts to revitalize downtown, which is key to the whole city's prosperity.

"We lost a lot of institutional knowledge on city council," Hamilton said. "I looked around after the election and thought, 'Oh wow, there's going to be a lot of things that folks won't have backgrounds on.'"

Hamilton also spoke to the podcast about an issue she was involved in throughout her first term in council — Wolf Willow residents' concerns about traffic and parking issues near a trailhead into the river valley that leads to the Fort Edmonton footbridge.

• Mayor Amarjeet Sohi has asked Premier Jason Kenney to fund a 24-7 shelter at Commonwealth Stadium for the winter to address an anticipated 350-bed gap in overnight shelter capacity, Postmedia reports. "As it stands, I am concerned that we won't have enough shelter space to provide a warm space for people during the cold winter months," Sohi said. "My first meeting with the premier was very productive and I brought this issue up with him." There is no timeline for a response from the province.
• Colleen Cassady St. Clair, a biological sciences professor at the University of Alberta who runs the Edmonton Urban Coyote Project, told Global News that coyotes are becoming more common in the city and are getting bolder. "Coyotes are adapting to living with us. They're really smart animals and they are able to figure out most of the time we're pretty harmless," she said. St. Clair thinks the increase mostly has to do with food conditioning.
• More than 48,000 tickets have been sold for the Canada and Mexico FIFA World Cup qualifying match at Commonwealth Stadium on Nov. 16, according to Canada Soccer. Canada defeated Costa Rica 1-0 with 48,806 fans in the stands on Nov. 12.
• Edmonton will host the 2022 World Dodgeball Championships at the Saville Community Sports Centre from Aug. 28 to Sept. 4, 2022. More than 30 countries are expected to attend, including the defending men's and women's champions from the United States.
• Starting Monday, Nov. 15, Albertans will need to provide the QR code (alongside valid ID) to prove their COVID-19 vaccination status when entering businesses that have implemented the restrictions exemption program.
• Details of a child-care agreement between the federal and provincial governments will be announced at a news conference at 10:30am this morning. Both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney are expected to speak.

Here are some of the items that will be considered this week:

• Council's urban planning committee will receive an update about opportunities for the city to participate in a new federal program that was established to create a network of national urban parks. According to the report, benefits could include access to federal funding, advancing Indigenous reconciliation, and increased access to nature, while drawbacks could include regulatory requirements and the loss of municipal autonomy in decision-making. Administration intends to proceed to the exploratory stage with Parks Canada and enter into a non-binding agreement to collaborate.
• The community and public services committee will review a report that would see the 2021 social development operating expenditure budget get a one-time increase of $1.4 million, to be disbursed to community safety and well-being initiatives. According to the request, which will need to be approved by council, this supports the Community Safety and Well-Being Task Force's 14th recommendation, by taking additional funding that would have gone to the Edmonton Police Service and using it to "refund the community."
• Administration is proposing that $14.9 million received by the city through the Rapid Housing Initiatives' Cities Stream be directed towards two non-market housing providers to "purchase and convert two hotels into self-contained apartment housing with on-site social supports."
• Executive committee will get an update on administration's plans to address the gaps in service delivery for people experiencing homelessness as a result of the pandemic, during the upcoming winter months. The committee will also receive an update on the city's bridge renewal process and work that is currently underway as well as upcoming in the next budget cycle.
• Funding for the construction of the Lewis Farms Facility and Park is not approved, so administration is recommending that the city proceed to preparing a phasing plan, which could be completed within the current approved budget. A council decision will be required if this is recommended by community and public services committee.
• The community and public services committee will also review the service agreement between the City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Arts Council, as well as look at an evaluation of the EndPovertyEdmonton initiative.

Meetings are streamed live on city council's YouTube channel.

Photo: Edmonton's river valley is a potential location for a national urban park. (Mack Male/Flickr)

• Conversations on Being and Belonging is a discussion series from the Edmonton Heritage Council about personal experiences of belonging, inclusivity, and safety in Edmonton. The next panel will take place on Nov. 16.
• A session on job interview preparation will run on Nov. 17 as a part of the University of Alberta's I-Work! Workshop Series.
• You can have tea with and ask questions of the Edmonton Public Library's Elder in Residence, Nôhkom Jo-Ann Saddleback, online on Nov. 18. For this session, she will commemorate Métis Week by speaking about the modern movement for Métis rights.
• Also in celebration of Métis Week, join the EPL and the Métis Nation of Alberta on Nov. 18 for an online film premiere and panel of Forgotten People, a film about Métis experiences of residential schools in Alberta.
• A virtual exhibit celebration for And Still We Rise: A Black Presence in Alberta by the Edmonton Heritage Council and the Edmonton City as Museum Project (ECAMP) will take place on Nov. 18.

Photo: A souvenir of our unusually long fall: Downtown Edmonton peeking through the trees. (Sameer Ahmed/Instagram)