The Pulse: Oct. 31, 2022

As city council begins its budget deliberations on Oct. 31 with a first look at the capital budget, it’s a good time to remember that every decision has consequences and trade-offs.

Episode 196 of Speaking Municipally explores a few of the tough choices ahead. For example, administration has recommended scaling back the Lewis Farms Recreation Centre by cutting a diving pool and shrinking a pool from 50 metres to 25 metres to save $58 million on the project that had been approved at a budget of $311 million. Given the budgetary constraint that council finds itself in, it seems to make some sense to fund the basics rather than the bells and whistles, suggested co-host Troy Pavlek.

“In terms of the ability of a family to go to the recreation facility and enjoy it, I don’t think administration is proposing cutting those things,” he said. “But in terms of making this a facility that could be a host to competitions and a ‘world-class recreation facility,’ that may be on the chopping block.”

But Nakota Isga Coun. Andrew Knack said changing the plan now may incur further costs and delay the construction of a much-needed amenity. That resonated with co-host Mack Male. “There’s a whole bunch of knock-on effects that they need to consider when they make these decisions,” he said.

Trade-offs were also involved when council decided to close the Scona Pool, given the deteriorating state of the facility. The decision was not popular with those who use the Queen Alexandra neighbourhood’s pool, and a group is raising money to try to keep it open until the construction of the Rollie Miles Recreation Centre (about which there is a public information meeting on Nov. 1).

The desire to keep the Scona Pool open is understandable, but it’s going to take a lot of money to repair the pool and run it until its replacement is ready, Male said.

“There’s also the liability and insurance costs,” added Pavlek. “A non-profit society that is funded only by donors from individuals and has less than a million dollars in the bank going to be hard-pressed to operate a pool facility without insurance backing from the city. And it does not sound like the city wants to insure this.”

• Edmonton Public Schools is launching a voluntary student demographic survey in November that will ask personal questions about gender identity, race, and for older kids, sexual orientation. The information collected will help identify “barriers and inequities,” the division said. The survey is not anonymous and results will be correlated with student data already collected. “If we want every child to walk through the door every day and feel welcomed and feel a sense of belonging, we need to have a better sense of who students are,” said Nancy Petersen, a managing director with Edmonton Public Schools.
• Amalgamated Transit Union Local 569, which represents Dedicated Accessible Transit Service (DATS) drivers, has launched a public awareness campaign aimed at securing wage parity with other bus drivers. President Steve Bradshaw said there are about 130 DATS drivers in Edmonton who make about $5,000 less per year than drivers of conventional buses. “It’s not so much about the money, it’s about the equality,” said union representative Daryn Kreutzer, who has been a DATS driver for 13 years.
• EPCOR announced on Oct. 28 that it has installed 24 new electric vehicle charging stations at eight sites around the city. The EV chargers are free for public use. Natural Resources Canada provided $210,000 to cover the installation costs.
• Curiocity has put together a trick-or-treat map for Edmonton showing special decorations, events, and candy locations. You can add your own information to the map, too. Follow the #yegkidcount hashtag to see trick-or-treat hotspots throughout the evening.
• More than half of respondents to a new Leger poll obtained by Postmedia think the state of downtown has either somewhat or significantly declined in the last year. Edmonton Downtown Business Association executive director Puneeta McBryan said the results are not surprising. “It’s a really tough thing to talk about because I don’t want anyone to be thinking that downtown is unsafe, because it’s not, but I also can’t talk about downtown without … recognizing the very real concerns people have,” she told Postmedia.
• Coun. Michael Janz says making Edmonton’s zoning bylaw more permissible to cannabis could help position the city as “the future cannabis capital of the world.” In a blog post published on Oct. 28, Janz said he intends to ask for the inclusion of more cannabis uses as part of the Zoning Bylaw Renewal project. “I think we already have all the ingredients here in Edmonton and Alberta,” he told CityNews. “We already have people innovating in this space … but we as a city can get out of the way.”
• Premier Danielle Smith said her government “will not permit” any future mask mandates for students in K-12 schools and has instructed her ministers to investigate “any legislative or regulatory changes that may be necessary to reaffirm or clarify our government’s full authority with respect to this and other health and education matters.” On Oct. 27, a Court of King’s Bench judge ruled that schools could create their own rules for masking, despite a previous statement from Education Minister Adriana LaGrange to the contrary.

This week, city council meets on Monday, with a continuation scheduled for Wednesday. The emergency advisory committee will meet on Tuesday morning, and a public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. There’s a special council services meeting scheduled for Thursday morning, and a utility committee meeting will take place on Friday.

Key agenda items include the following:

• The proposed 2023-2026 capital budget totals $7.75 billion in spending, including $4.4 billion in previously approved capital growth spending. Administration recommends cutting $57.9 million from the Lewis Farms Community Recreation Centre and Library project to help address a lack of funding for infrastructure renewal. Unfunded capital projects that council will consider include enhanced snow and ice control and implementation of the Bike Plan. The next step is for city council to submit written questions, which will be answered by Nov. 14.
• In an update on the city’s work to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action, administration says the Indigenous Framework has “become the structural scaffolding” to help make its services more responsive and inclusive. The new TRC Municipal Response Plan will address more than 35 of the calls to action.

This week offers a look at St. Albert’s naming policy, workshops on turning an idea into a venture or into a film pitch, a networking event with Coun. Tim Cartmell in Ward pihêsiwin, and a celebration of Alberta’s tech innovators.

• Nov. 1, 12pm: What’s in a Name? The Past, Present, and Future of Municipal Naming in St. Albert
• Nov. 2, 10:30am: Business Foundation Series – Bring Your Business Idea to Life, presented by Business Link
• Nov. 2, 4:30: Edmonton Chamber of Commerce: Councillor Connect at Hart’s Table and Bar
• Nov. 2, 6:30pm: Takin’ It Outta Town: Successful Local Project Pitch Stories with DOC Alberta in collaboration with the Rainbow Visions Film Festival
• Nov. 4, 4pm: ASTech Awards 2022 at the NAIT Productivity and Innovation Centre

Find even more listings in Taproot’s weekly roundups.

Photo: The ASTech Awards will recognize and celebrate individuals and organizations in the Alberta science and technology innovation community. (Technology Alberta