The Pulse: March 14, 2022

After repealing Edmonton's mask bylaw on March 8, city council is to consider two new bylaws to reinstate the mandate.

The Temporary Transit and City Facilities Face Mask Bylaw would keep masks mandatory on public transit and at city-owned facilities. Masks are currently required on transit, but that provincial provision is expected to be lifted when Alberta enters Step 3 of its reopening plan.

The Temporary Face Mask Bylaw is expected to be similar to the rescinded version, but it would have to be submitted to the province for approval under the requirements of Bill 4, which amends the Municipal Government Act to limit municipalities' power to enforce their own public health measures. The bill was introduced in the legislature at the same time as council was debating whether to repeal its temporary face-covering bylaw.

Episode 169 of Speaking Municipally, Taproot's civic affairs podcast, offered a bit of a play-by-play on the debate. Co-host Troy Pavlek questioned why some members of council who said they supported the mask bylaw voted to repeal it in light of Bill 4, even though it has not yet been passed into law.

"Why would you repeal it? If nothing else matters, if it's truly the same result, no matter what happens, wouldn't you want to show your values? Wouldn't you want to stand up for your constituents? Wouldn't you want to show why you've been elected?"

Pavlek also questioned the wisdom of the replacement bylaws to be considered this week, given the risk of further confusion around where and when masks are required.

"Not only was council performative, and trying to pretend to be on my side, and actively voting against what I wanted, (but) they didn't even have the good graces to do it with a good policy framework," he said, agreeing with Coun. Tim Cartmell's point that it makes little sense to reintroduce what council just repealed.

Two years after the pandemic was declared, Alberta surpassed 4,000 deaths from COVID-19. Wastewater data indicates a downward trend in the presence of the virus in the Edmonton zone, and hospitalizations are trending down, too, though as of March 10, the number of people in Alberta hospitals with COVID-19 was still higher than at the peak of any previous wave.

• The province has announced it will match federal funding to support transit operations, with $79.5 million for transit systems in Alberta. It's unclear how much of the $159 million total will be allocated to Edmonton, but Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said it would be "a significant amount." The city had asked for $41 million in the provincial budget for transit, but that was not funded. "This funding will mean that Edmonton will be able to ensure our transit ridership rates return to their pre-pandemic numbers by 2024, making us the first municipality to accomplish this economy-boosting goal," Sohi tweeted.
• The Edmonton Police Service has introduced three new community councils to provide input to Chief Dale McFee and to improve relationships between community and police. "These councils aren't just checking a box," McFee told Global News. No budget has been allocated to the councils.
• Coun. Michael Janz wants the city to explore a licensing system for landlords alongside rental regulations and standards in an effort to help level the playing field between landlords and prospective tenants and to deal with problem landlords. A licensing system could also reduce the number of landlord-tenant disputes — more than 10,000 such complaints are processed each year by the province. "It's about a systemic look. The same way we do licensing for vehicles for hire...for restaurants. It's about setting and raising the bar and bringing in a better standard," Janz said.
• Janz also wrote a blog post about curbing "excessive executive compensation" paid to senior executives and board members at EPCOR. According to figures obtained by Janz, president and CEO Stuart Lee earned more than $2.2 million in compensation in 2020. "It is important to remember that every dollar spent on compensation is another dollar that could be returned to the City of Edmonton as a dividend," he wrote. EPCOR board chair Janice Rennie said in a statement to Postmedia that executive pay is reviewed every year by an independent third party.
• On Friday, the City of Edmonton and Enoch Cree Nation celebrated the five-year anniversary of a memorandum of understanding signed to support the collaborative partnership between the two jurisdictions. "In the last five years, we have set the foundation for the next 50 years for Edmonton Enoch future leaders," said Chief Billy Morin, Enoch Cree Nation. "This MOU highlights the spirit and intent of Treaty Six."
• Coun. Ashley Salvador reported over the weekend that the new permanent railing on the Ada Boulevard bridge has been installed. When the upgraded bridge opened last fall, residents expressed safety concerns about the lack of a railing on the south side. A temporary railing was installed a week later while the permanent railing was fabricated.
• Sportsnet reports that Edmonton could be a potential host for the NHL Heritage Classic in 2023-2024, to mark the 20th anniversary of the game between the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens that took place at Commonwealth Stadium on Nov. 22, 2003 with 57,000 fans in attendance.

City council meets on March 14 with a continuation on March 16, plus there is a city council public hearing on March 15 as well as the city manager and city auditor performance evaluation committee. Audit committee will meet on March 18. Here are some of the key items on the agenda this week:

• The city is reporting a surplus for 2021 of $51.9 million or 1.7% of the roughly $3 billion tax-supported operating budget. About 43% of the surplus was the result of lower than budgeted personnel costs thanks to vacancies and delayed hiring. A surplus in the snow and ice control program and lower than budgeted fuel costs also helped. On the negative side, transit fare revenue was $10.5 million lower than budgeted and revenue from recreation centres was $5.8 million lower than expected.
• The Edmonton Police Service spent $488.9 million last year and ended 2021 with a deficit of $7.389 million, thanks in part to decreased revenue as a result of an 11.8% decrease in the number of tickets issued compared to 2020. The EPS Operating Reserve, used to cover the deficit, now has a deficit itself of $2.895 million.
• The city spent about $1 billion on capital projects in 2021, the lowest annual amount since 2016. At the end of the year, the city reported that 99.9% of all capital projects were within an acceptable tolerance for budget and 80.4% were within an acceptable tolerance for schedule. The city's debt increased by about $140 million in 2021 to reach $3.5 billion, which is 59% of the Municipal Government Act debt limit. Total debt is projected to peak at $4.92 billion in 2025.
• The Edmonton Metro Transit Services Commission (EMTSC) is targeting 2023 to roll out transit services delivered under its authority. This year the organization is moving into new offices, completing brand development work, and will start to pursue new sources of funding for transit. EMTSC member municipalities include Beaumont, Devon, Edmonton, Fort Saskatchewan, Leduc, St. Albert, Spruce Grove, and Stony Plain.
• The 122 Street medium-rise apartment project proposed by Footprint Developments would be a six-storey building at the corner of 122 Street and 101 Avenue NW with a maximum density of 100 units. Administration supports the rezoning application.
• Council is also expected to consider two bylaws to replace the repealed mask bylaw.

This week's calendar includes celebrations of students and alumni, professional development for marketers and artists, the finale of an investment summit, and the return of Story Slam.

• March 14: Strut Your Stuff Student Business Showcase from NAIT's Mawji Centre
• March 15: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: A Panel Conversation on What's Worked from the Advertising Club of Edmonton
• March 15: Linda Hoang: Social Media for Artists with the Art Gallery of Alberta and CARFAC Alberta
• March 16: University of Alberta Alumni Awards
• March 16: Edmonton Story Slam at The Common
• March 17: Startup TNT Life Sciences Investment Summit Finale

Photo: Edmonton Story Slam returns on March 16 after a two-year pandemic pause.