The Pulse: Dec. 4, 2023

This week will be the last of committee meetings in 2023, with councillors set to learn more about the city's progress on its truth and reconciliation efforts, district planning, and improving transit.

Community and public services committee will meet on Dec. 4, urban planning committee will meet on Dec. 5, executive committee will meet on Dec. 6, and a special council services committee will meet on Dec. 6. A special evaluation committee for the city manager and city auditor will round out the week, also meeting on Dec. 6.

Here are some of the central items on the agenda:

• The city has completed or taken action on nearly all of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's 94 Calls to Action that it determined it could accomplish as a municipality. The city said it identified 39 of the calls and has started work on or completed 34 of these, according to a report that will be presented to councillors on Dec. 4. The city has not started work on the call to waive costs for name-change processes for families whose names were changed in the residential school system, and has not fully implemented Jordan's Principle. Actions the city has yet to start involve other governments, specifically to eliminate barriers to the creation of Indigenous healing lodges in the correctional system, to require denominational schools to teach Indigenous spiritual beliefs, and to amend the Physical Activity and Sport Act.
• The city has revised proposed district planning documents after public engagement, which will be presented to councillors at urban planning committee on Dec. 5. The node and corridor policies now support low-rise and mid-rise buildings through the entire node and corridor area, while taller buildings will be directed to sites along major roadways, near mass transit stations, and major intersections. Other changes include adding priority growth areas, where more residential and commercial development is expected. The district planning policy is scheduled for public hearing in the second quarter of 2024.
• The Edmonton Transit Service Advisory Board put forward several recommendations to improve rider experience. The board suggested increasing cleanliness by hiring dedicated cleaning staff and enhancing the perception of safety by better understanding how riders feel in transit spaces. The board wants council to continue funding the on-demand transit service, demand for which tripled since September 2021. Another report that will be considered at urban planning committee on Dec. 5 details how on-demand transit could be co-mingled with DATS for efficiency, as some smaller municipalities did during the pandemic when demand was lower. The city said it's unsure whether a similar approach could work in a city the size and layout of Edmonton.

• Coun. Jennifer Rice has issued an apology and committed to workplace training following allegations of bullying from five former staffers. In a statement emailed to media outlets, Rice said she was "sincerely sorry" if former staff members' perception is that they "did not have a good employment experience." The Ward Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi councillor also said that her loud communication style stems from cultural differences. "I feel the way I have been portrayed in recent media reports is inaccurate," Rice said. She also said that the high turnover in her office was the result of hiring temporary and contract workers. Rice has had 19 staff work in her office since being elected in 2021, which is three times more than any other city councillor.
• The Blatchford development has struggled to meet its initial construction and sustainability targets, with fewer than 100 total homes completed instead of the target of 500 annually. City administration is considering ways to accelerate development and enhance affordability, such as reducing land prices and allowing developers to purchase multiple parcels. Despite the slow pace, proponents remain optimistic. Coun. Anne Stevenson noted the project timelines were overly-ambitious from the start. "A very apt analogy for Blatchford is that a plane has to gather up speed down the runway before it starts to take off," Stevenson said. "We are just at that inflection point and I see it continuing to rise to great heights."
• The federal government announced more than $4.2 million in funding to combat gun crime and gang violence in Edmonton. In a release, the government said the funding is intended to address the root causes of crime by supporting community projects for young people at risk of gang involvement. The investment is part of the federal Building Safer Communities Fund. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said the funding will build on the work being done through the city's Community Safety and Well-Being Strategy.
• Some shoppers at West Edmonton Mall say they feel uneasy about their safety following a gun scare on Dec. 2 that forced the mall into lockdown for two hours. The Edmonton Police Service confirmed that no shots were fired, no one was injured, and that one person was taken into custody. It was the second lockdown at the mall this year, with the previous incident in August resulting in three injuries after gunfire between two groups.
• CBC profiled a pilot program at Stanley Milner Library that aims to address the rising number of overdoses and mental health crises among its patrons. Since 2022, the library has had an in-house team that includes an overdose prevention and response nurse and an outreach worker. Libraries can help connect people to support services without stigma, says Sharon Day, an executive director with Edmonton Public Library. The program, part of the city's Downtown Vibrancy Strategy, was developed in response to increased security incidents and opioid poisonings. It is set to conclude at the end of December, but the city is exploring funding options to allow it to continue.
• Residents in a building near 95 Street and 105 Avenue expressed concerns about noise, safety risks, and criminal activity at a nearby encampment. Some encampments attract gangs that prey on the vulnerable people who live within them, said Warren Driechel, deputy chief of the Edmonton Police Service community safety and well-being bureau. "When you have this vulnerable population living on the street, they're attracting a criminal element that becomes predatory on them," he said. Edmonton police are collaborating with city employees such as park rangers and peace officers to address high-risk encampments around the city. While cleanups are ongoing, the Coalition for Justice and Human Rights has filed an injunction against the city to stop encampment removals, which it says puts vulnerable people at risk. The court hearing has been scheduled for January.
• The city's ski hills have opened for the season, despite warmer than average temperatures and a lack of snow. The Edmonton Ski Club has managed to preserve snow its machines made during an October cold snap, while the Snow Valley Ski Club turned approximately nine million gallons of water into snow, allowing it to open about 70% of their runs. "Everyone is just in a great mood because we're open," said Tim Dea of Snow Valley Ski Club.
• Darcy Visscher, a professor at The King's University in Edmonton has received $100,000 to study why white-tailed jackrabbit populations are thriving in Edmonton despite declining elsewhere in the province. Visscher's team will use GPS collars to track 20 rabbits to understand their urban behaviour and the impact of human activity on their use of natural spaces. The study is supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Parks Canada's Urban Parks Initiative, and the Alberta Conservation Association. Visscher hopes to begin the tracking over the holiday break once snowfall begins.
• Mill Woods resident Doug Olson discovered a meteorite while cleaning out his rain gutters, which the University of Alberta confirmed was the first witnessed fall of a meteorite in Alberta since 1977. The rock, named Menisa, is one of only 18 meteorites ever found in the province. A piece of the space rock is now part of the university's meteorite collection, but Olson was allowed to keep the rest.

This week's events include stories on global responses to HIV, insight into the experiences of refugees, a roundtable discussion about the bioenergy sector, a social impact demo day, and a discussion about the relationship between buffalo and the land.

• Dec. 4, 4pm: Educating for Change: Local, National and Global Responses to HIV, presented by Grandmothers of Alberta for a New Generation and CANAC, at Allard Hall
• Dec. 5, 7pm: On the Edge: Emerging Scholars — What Can Refugee Literature Teach us About our World?, presented online by the Edmonton Public Library
• Dec. 6, 11am: Virtual Roundtable: BioEnergy and BioGas in Alberta, presented online by BioAlberta
• Dec. 6, 4pm: TELUS CSW Cohort 4 Demo Day at Edmonton Unlimited
• Dec. 7, 7pm: Buffalo Rematriation and Conservation moderated by award-winning Cree filmmaker Tasha Hubbard at the Muttart Theatre

Find even more things to do in Taproot's weekly roundups. And don't miss Taproot's holiday market roundup.

Photo: Tasha Hubbard will moderate a panel discussion on the connection between Indigenous peoples and the buffalo. (University of Alberta)