The Pulse: Feb. 14, 2023

The commission in charge of redistributing federal electoral districts in Alberta has changed its mind about the way it groups municipalities in the region around Edmonton.

The changes follow public hearings held by the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Alberta in the fall of 2022. The boundaries had to be redrawn to account for an increase in Alberta's seats in the House of Commons and population growth that, for example, has made Edmonton-Wetaskiwin the most populous riding in Canada, with more than 209,431 people, compared to the electoral quota of 115,206.

Several municipal leaders raised concerns during the hearings about where the commission proposed drawing the new lines, which would have seen the creation of a district called Spruce Grove-Leduc and another called Sherwood Park-Beaumont. Combining some municipalities south of Edmonton with those to the west and others with those to the east didn't make sense to speakers such as Bill Romanchuk, the superintendent for the Black Gold School Division.

"By deviating from strict population parity and giving due consideration to the community of interest and historical patterns, we believe the Commission can better ensure effective voter representation, while respecting the sense of belonging and community interest of the residents in our region," Romanchuk told the commission.

The new plan results in a riding called Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan, which consists of Strathcona County and Fort Saskatchewan, and Leduc-Wetaskiwin, which includes Beaumont, Leduc, Devon, Nisku, and Leduc County, among other municipalities.

Beaumont Mayor Bill Daneluik welcomed the decision to put his city back in the same riding with its close neighbours instead of aligning it with Strathcona County. "(It's) clear that the Commission took our words to heart and presented a thoughtful report for consideration by Members of Parliament," he said in a news release. "As the Commissioners noted in their report, the process has been an example of participatory democracy in action."

Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan will end up being 9.64% bigger than the electoral quota. "The presenters explained that they were quite prepared to have a larger population as a fair exchange for maintaining the existing boundaries of Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan as that decision would result in more effective representation for those communities," the report says.

Spruce Grove and Stony Plain will now be kept together in a riding called Parkland, which takes in the eastern part of Yellowhead County and stretches as far east as Enoch Cree Nation.

• An opioid response team operated by Boyle Street Community Services, which formed as part of pilot project the city launched in May 2022, is no longer allowed to hand out harm reduction supplies like clean needles and pipes in public transit areas and pedways. Ryan Birch, director of bus operations with Edmonton Transit Service, said the team of city contractors has "refocused their efforts" to reflect amendments council made last June to the Conduct of Transit Passengers Bylaw, which include adding "visibly using a controlled substance" as "inappropriate behaviour." Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said the program was increasing risks for passengers and transit workers, while Ward Anirniq Coun. Erin Rutherford argued the lack of clean supplies only increases risk among people with addictions, who will continue to use. Clean supplies are proven to stop the spread of several infectious and fatal diseases.
• Mayor Amarjeet Sohi and Premier Danielle Smith will have their first meeting on March 7, five months after she became United Conservative Party leader in October 2022. Sohi, who told Postmedia he has requested the meeting multiple times, said he hopes to discuss housing, mental health, addictions, and issues impacting downtown businesses, adding he is "disappointed (and) concerned" over the delay. Smith has met with Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek at least twice since becoming premier.
• The city is inviting public feedback on several initiatives including the Old Strathcona Public Realm Strategy, which aims to "imagine a new future" for parks, plazas, sidewalks, streets, and alleys in Old Strathcona. The city is seeking input on design ideas developed with the feedback collected during Phase 1 of the project. The two major areas are Whyte Avenue and publicly owned lands next to Gateway Boulevard and Calgary Trail. The survey is open until March 5.
• Ehsan Hashemi, an assistant professor in the University of Alberta Department of Mechanical Engineering, is leading a research team working on an algorithm to make autonomous vehicles safer. Part of the effort involves installing remote sensors on infrastructure to create a "shared perception" system with the vehicles. They plan to pilot the system at the north campus in coming months and eventually want to work with the city on a downtown pilot.
• Edmonton-based photojournalist Amber Bracken and the news outlet The Narwhal have filed a lawsuit against the RCMP for wrongful arrest, wrongful detention, violation of Charter rights, and violation of freedom of the press. The Mounties arrested Bracken in late 2021 while she was covering protests opposing the Coastal GasLink pipeline in Wet'suwet'en territory. The Canadian Association of Journalists said in a statement it "strongly supports" the legal action.
• WestJet announced it is adding new non-stop flights from Edmonton International Airport to Charlottetown, Moncton, London (Ontario), Minneapolis, and Seattle as part of its 2023 summer schedule. According to a release, the company's service in Edmonton will increase nearly 50% this summer compared to 2022.

A stretch of road downtown that city council wants to turn into a pedestrian-friendly corridor and administration would prefer to keep open to cars may emerge from limbo as early as Feb. 21.

That's when a public hearing will consider changes to a bylaw that would temporarily close 102 Avenue to traffic between 103 Street and 99 Street for a one-year pilot that would enlist the help of the Edmonton Downtown Business Association and others to bring some vibrancy to the space.

"This report actually says that administration does not support the bylaw," Speaking Municipally co-host Mack Male said on Episode 208 "The longer this goes on, the more in limbo that stretch of road is going to be, but there's a very real chance that after Feb. 21, we could have a one-year pilot."

Male's co-host, Troy Pavlek, recalled administration's resistance to closing the avenue to traffic when council made its decision last June, and he doesn't think it's a done deal.

"We're going to need proactivity from both councillors and the community to avoid administrative sabotage," he said.

Hear more about this issue as well as a report on the health costs of homelessness, a request from police to tighten rules around pepper spray, administration's skepticism about a mansion tax, and Jobber's latest big win on the Feb. 10 episode of Taproot's civic affairs podcast.

Photo: A stretch of 102 Avenue that was closed for LRT construction won't reopen to cars for at least a year if council approves a bylaw change on Feb. 21. (Mack Male/Flickr)