The Pulse: Dec. 6, 2023

Strathcona County has signalled its intent to leave Edmonton Global by cutting its contribution to the organization from its latest budget.

The county's council passed the decision unanimously during budget deliberations held on Nov. 30. Strathcona County Mayor Rod Frank told Taproot that the municipality simply can't justify a yearly contribution close to $500,000 to remain part of the organization.

"It's really not a comment on Edmonton Global," Frank said. "It's a comment on a tight budget. Clearly capital costs have increased. So, we ended up going to every line of that budget, almost, justifying each cost."

The idea of whether regional cooperation works for all comes up often, like in the recent saga of the Villeneuve Airport Area. Though Strathcona County's decision could be perceived as a second hit on its regional collaboration — the first being its rejection of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Transit Commission — Frank said the county remains committed to working with others. He cited membership with the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board, Edmonton International Airport, the Edmonton Region Hydrogen HUB, and Alberta's Industrial Heartland Association as examples.

"We'll continue to work with Edmonton Global, so this is not isolationism," he said. "It's just actually getting a better bang for the taxpayer dollar. But at the same time, we're part of the region — it's a fact — and we're going to continue to be."

The off-boarding process for municipalities to exit Edmonton Global takes two years, meaning Strathcona County will retain all member benefits until its departure takes effect in December 2025.

"Their financial commitments will also remain in place until they are fully withdrawn in December 2025," Enzo Barichello, chair of the Edmonton Global board, told Taproot in an email. "If Strathcona County does not reverse this decision before then, the financial impact would impact Edmonton Global in its 2026 fiscal year."

Barichello said he wished the county would see its dues as an investment rather than an expense. He added that Strathcona County is a "critically important" part of the region, and that regional business development is a long game.

"There isn't a direct capital investment yet in Strathcona County," Barichello said. "Deals take time to close. All municipalities are benefiting from indirect and induced benefits. Just one example is the construction, logistics, and jobs to build the $1.6 billion Air Products facility. Air Products is coordinating the building of the world's first and largest net-zero hydrogen facility from their office in Sherwood Park. Residents and businesses of Strathcona County are certainly engaged in that massive project. We're also working closely with companies in Strathcona County on expanding into international markets through trade and export."

• The city has saved about $5 million in contracted services and budgeted overtime because of a lack of snow during the driest November on record, but says that it's still too early to predict overall savings this season. Staff from the city's snow and ice control program have been redeployed to complete other work, such as pothole filling and park maintenance. The city says any unspent snow and ice clearing funds from the season could be put in the city's financial stabilization reserve.
• Businesses that rely on cold, wintry weather say the unusually warm temperatures so far this season have put a damper on activities. The Edmonton Ski Club says the above-average temperatures have made it difficult to fully open, with only one lift open and none of its snow guns operating. Snow removal contractors like Griffin Landscaping and Snow Removal Inc. say the lack of snow means reduced hours and income, as well as fewer overtime opportunities for their employees. Gary Hunt, owner of Sherwood Park-based Helpful Guys, says he has had a 50% drop in requests for property clearing services. "It's Christmas season, and it's the last part of the year, which is really important to all the workers," Hunt said.
• The Edmonton Transit Service Advisory Board says the city's transit system need to improve safety, cleanliness, and service due to concerns about substance abuse and violence. The group, which presented a new report to the urban planning committee on Dec. 5, based its findings on surveys done from 2017 to 2022. Recommendations include forming an advisory board for safety, hiring cleaning teams, and enhancing service consistency. City administration said it has reviewed the recommendations, but noted work is ongoing to enhance safety, including investing more than $5 million for improvements. The discussion came one day after the Edmonton Police Service announced that a 55-year-old woman had been severely assaulted in a random attack on Nov. 26 at the Coliseum LRT Station platform, and the same day police asked for witnesses to a Nov. 12 attack at the same station that left a 58-year-old man with serious injuries.
• An Edmonton Police Service disciplinary hearing has ruled that Const. Matthew O'Mara will be demoted from a five-year constable to a three-year constable for assaulting a homeless man in December 2017 and leaving him in the river valley. O'Mara was found guilty of assault in 2019 and sentenced to 18 months of probation. The demotion will come into effect if O'Mara, who has been on medical leave since 2020, returns to work for the police service.
• Applications are now open for a new grant aimed at supporting gang violence intervention programs for at-risk youths. The grant is offered under the federal Building Safer Communities Fund. The city will distribute $1.5 million to new community-driven projects in 2024 through two streams: gang prevention and gang intervention/exiting. Programs can access a maximum of $250,000 per year for up to two years. Applications will be accepted until Jan. 31.
• University of Alberta president Bill Flanagan and vice-president of research and innovation Aminah Robinson Fayek are at the COP28 conference in Dubai to talk about the post-secondary institution's environmental efforts. The pair headlined a panel on Dec. 5 focused on net-zero energy solutions. Among the efforts being highlighted are the university's work on carbon capture and storage, including a geothermal project south of Grande Prairie, and its research into alternative fuels.
• The United Nurses of Alberta says it is "deeply concerned" about potential job losses as Alberta Health Services (AHS) undergoes restructuring efforts that include the creation of several new health service delivery agencies. The union said it received a letter from AHS indicating "there will be some reductions in positions" resulting from the creation of these new agencies. Union president Heather Smith said the uncertainty is making it difficult to retain and recruit nurses amidst ongoing staff shortages. "This is the opposite kind of signal that AHS should be sending to nurses and health care workers right now," Smith said. The concerns come as the union's 30,000 members prepare for collective bargaining in 2024.
• Jeff Jackson, CEO of Hockey Operations for the Edmonton Oilers, says he is confident the team is on the right track. "It was a rough start to the season for a few reasons, but the team's playing much better of late," Jackson said in an interview with TSN's Gino Reda. The team has won its last four games, and seven of the last 10. "If we can keep this going, we'll dig ourselves out of the hole we put ourselves in," Jackson added.

On this day in 1941, a Christmas choir rang out in an auditorium named for one of Edmonton's earliest residents.

George McDougall first arrived in Fort Edmonton in 1871. By then, McDougall had already spent much time in the Prairies. He was born in Ontario, ordained as a Methodist minister in 1854, and tasked with establishing ministries across what would become the Prairie provinces. That role took him first to what would become Manitoba, then to what would become Saskatchewan, and eventually to what would become Alberta.

In 1863, McDougall established the Victoria settlement near present-day Smoky Lake. At some point, his wife Elizabeth and son John (not to be confused with the other John McDougall, a businessman and future Edmonton mayor) joined him.

In 1871, McDougall received a new task from his church: to establish a mission outside Fort Edmonton. The family arrived in the summer and began building a small home and church at the top of a hill overlooking the river valley. It was a modest two-storey structure, but one that gained significant importance in the history of Edmonton. The house and church are likely the first permanent structure built by a settler outside the fort's walls.

After building his mission, McDougall wasn't one to stay in one spot. He frequently travelled to what's today southern Alberta, where he played a part in negotiating the Treaty 6 and Treaty 7 agreements between the federal government and Indigenous nations. In 1875, he and his son founded an orphanage and residential school near Morley.

Before McDougall arrived in Edmonton, he was also responsible for the theft of Manitou Asinîy, a meteorite that fell near Hardisty and served as a sacred spiritual site for many Indigenous people. This spiritual significance led McDougall to dig up the stone and remove it from where it had rested for untold years. Given the spiritual importance of the stone, McDougall hoped that taking it to his mission would encourage Indigenous people to embrace Christianity.

McDougall left a considerable mark on Edmonton's history, but he didn't live in the area long. Five years after he arrived, McDougall died during a blizzard while hunting near Calgary.

While McDougall Auditorium is no longer, his name can still be seen across the city and the province — the original church he built was moved to Fort Edmonton Park, with McDougall United Church now on the land. Other parts of his legacy are being unwound: While the Manitou Asinîy is currently housed at the Royal Alberta Museum, plans are underway to repatriate it to its original location.

This clipping was found on Vintage Edmonton, a daily look at Edmonton's history from armchair archivist @revRecluse of @VintageEdmonton.