The Pulse: Nov. 6, 2023

This week, council will take its first official look at the fall supplemental budget adjustments, hear updates on the carbon budget and anti-racism efforts, and consider a rezoning in Boyle-McCauley.

There will be a public hearing on Nov. 6, a regular council meeting on Nov. 7 with the possibility of a continuation on Nov. 8, and a non-regular council meeting on Nov. 10.

Here are some of the key items on the agenda:

• The fall adjustments for the operating budget and capital budget will be presented to council on Nov. 7. Administration has said a 7.09% tax increase is needed in 2024 to maintain services, 2.13% above what was initially approved by council when it set the four-year budget in December 2022. Most of the discrepancy is due to salary settlements for the Edmonton Police Service as well as lower-than-expected revenues from transit fares and ATCO Gas franchise fees. The budget adjustments will be deliberated in December.
• New figures show the city is set to use up its carbon budget faster than the forecast given at budget deliberations in 2022. Both the community and corporate carbon budgets are expected to be depleted one year earlier — in 2036 and 2032, respectively. "It is important to note this shift is not caused by any of the budgetary decisions made over the past year but are primarily due to increases in energy use in buildings and the industrial and transportation sectors," administration said.
• Nearly two years after council approved an anti-racism strategy, there is still no independent anti-racism body and no high-level anti-racism office, administration said in an update on the strategy that will be presented to council on Nov. 7. A 15-person community advisory panel has been meeting every two weeks since February to propose the structure and governance for the independent anti-racism body after the dissolution of the Anti-Racism Advisory Committee. A funding package that would launch the high-level office will be presented to council during budget adjustments. One of the three pillars of the anti-racism strategy that is in motion is the disbursement of funding, with city council approving more than $1.2 million in ongoing anti-racism grants to community organizations. Other anti-racism initiatives outside the strategy include a council internship where youth from diverse backgrounds worked alongside the offices of the mayor and councillors, and an anti-Black racism action plan that was published in June 2023.
• The Mustard Seed wants to open a new shelter in Boyle-McCauley and has applied for a rezoning, which will go to public hearing on Nov. 6. The lot at 95th Street and 106th Avenue was previously a seniors' drop-in centre run by Operation Friendship Seniors Society. The Mustard Seed wants to open 60 temporary winter shelter beds on the main floor and 64 women-only beds on an upper floor.

• Hundreds of transit enthusiasts flocked to the Valley Line Southeast on Nov. 4 to take a ride on the inaugural 5:15am trip on the long-awaited $1.8-billion LRT line. The first trains departed from stops in Mill Woods and 102 Street downtown and were standing room only, with city officials, residents, and transit officials on board to take in the festive atmosphere. Passengers brought cake, champagne, and homemade signs to celebrate the occasion. "It was so much fun, and so great to see everybody enjoying the experience," said Stephen Raitz with advocacy group Paths for People. The line was initially scheduled to open in December 2020, but faced a series of setbacks, including cracked concrete piers and signalling cables that needed replacing. It is operated by TransEd, the consortium that built the project through a public-private partnership.
• The Red Road Healing Society will receive more than $6.9 million in federal funding to address Indigenous homelessness in Edmonton through its Restoring Home Fires initiative. The society is working with six other organizations to help provide safe and stable housing, along with emergency and transitional spaces, for Indigenous people and families experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. The funding comes from the Indigenous stream of Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy.
• A new Senate report on Islamophobia in Canada fails to address the need for mental health support for victims of Islamophobia, says Edmonton-based advocacy group Sisters Dialogue. The report reflects the growing discrimination faced by Muslim Canadians, particularly Muslim women. It recommends educational campaigns and new Criminal Code offences for hate-motivated crimes, but does not address the need for mental health supports. "We are seeing such a massive spike in people's ability to manage the world ... and there just isn't any funding," said Salima Versi, a psychologist and Sisters Dialogue member.
• Thousands of protestors gathered in Churchill Square on Nov. 4 to join a global call for a ceasefire in Gaza. The demonstrations were organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement, with similar protests taking place in cities across Canada and around the world. The group is urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to call for an immediate ceasefire and an end to support for Israel's military action against the Gaza Strip. "We're here to call for ceasefire in Palestine and an end to the siege in Gaza and an end to support of Israeli occupation," said Mousa Qasqas. Israel began a bombing campaign in Gaza following attacks launched by Hamas in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
• Gamers in Edmonton participated in a 25-hour gaming marathon beginning Nov. 4 to raise funds for the Stollery Children's Hospital. The event, organized by Extra Life Edmonton, has grown in popularity over the years, starting with just 30 gamers a decade ago and growing to 250 in 2019. The organization said it raised $200,000 during the event. The funds will support programs, equipment, training, teaching, and research at the hospital.
• Despite the official end to Alberta's wildfire season, 72 fires continued to burn across the province as of Nov. 3. The season, which runs from March 1 to Oct. 31, was characterized by hot, dry, and windy weather, and resulted in a record-breaking 2.2 million hectares of land burned, which was 10 times more severe than the average. "The amount of area burned this year was significantly higher than anything we've seen," said fire information officer Derrick Forsythe. Throughout the season, thousands of firefighters from across Canada and the world came to Alberta's aid. Alberta Wildfire says it has started planning for next year's season.
• Sports analyst Ryan Rishaug suggested that Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft's job may be in jeopardy as the team delivers a weak start to its season. "It's a results-oriented business, and they've had no results so far. I do believe that this option is on the table," Rishaug said during a TSN segment on Nov. 5. The team has lost six of its past seven games and are seventh in the Pacific Division. "Our struggles are all over the rink," said Oilers captain Connor McDavid following the team's 5-2 loss against the Nashville Predators at Rogers Place.
• The University of Alberta Golden Bears football team will play in the Hardy Cup for the first time since 2010, after the team's decisive 40-17 win against the Saskatchewan Huskies on Nov. 4. The Golden Bears will take on the UBC Thunderbirds in the final on Nov. 11 in Vancouver.

This week sees a talk by War Child Canada's founder, a look at wildfire science, a virtual night out on the river, a meetup for community builders, a farewell to a local movement, and an exploration of newcomers' lived experiences.

• Nov. 7, 6pm: 2023 Henry Marshall Tory Lecture: Leading Change in a Complex World with Samantha Nutt, presented by the Friends of the University of Alberta at the TELUS Centre
• Nov. 7, 7pm: Science on Tap: Science of Wildfire, presented by the Edmonton Space & Science Foundation Programming Committee at Fargos
• Nov. 8, 7pm: Night Out on the North Saskatchewan, presented online by the Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition
• Nov. 9, 4pm: CMX Edmonton Chapter Meetup at Work Nicer Beaver House
• Nov. 9, 5pm: The Local Good's Last Hoorah at Boxer Albertan Kitchen and Bar
• Nov. 9, 7pm: Ribbon Rouge Interactive Theatre Presents: Intercultural Dialogue at the Alberta Avenue Community League

Find even more things to do in Taproot's weekly roundups.

Photo: The Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition is presenting three perspectives on the night sky over the river valley, plus an ecologically themed live auction. (Mack Male/Flickr)