The Pulse: March 26, 2024

The Bellevue Community League is surmounting insurance challenges to open a toy library, but many other leagues across the city are struggling with insurance costs that have spiked by as much as 25%.

"Getting insurance approved took several months, but we have received the go-ahead," Bellevue Community League president Fraser Hayes told Taproot in an email about the toy library. "Apparently, because community members will be taking these items off-site, this fell outside of our normal 'program' insurance coverage."

The library will be a collection of toys that can be booked out for kids up to 12 years old. Hayes doesn't know when it will open. His colleague, treasurer Brian Finley, told Taproot that the league's most recent annual insurance bill was $10,600.

The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues uses broker NFP to help leagues secure appropriate coverage at competitive rates, though last fall premiums rose by between 15% and 25%. The city requires leagues to have no less than $5 million in liability coverage.

"Our broker that we work with knows the world of leagues very, very well," Laura Cunningham-Shpeley, executive director of the EFCL, told Taproot. "Their role is really to advocate to the insurance company to make sure that these great things can still happen."

Still, insurance is why the Riverdale Community League had to cease its popular snow angels program, as it was unable to insure liability for off-site services. Treasurer Kevin Minaker said the city and EFCL instructed the league to end the program, which once saw neighbours shovel each other's sidewalks as an official program. The problem was that the angels or league could be sued if someone got injured on an improperly cleared sidewalk.

"I believe we still do some voluntary shovelling — it's just not an organized program of the league, so we can't be held liable for any accidents," Minaker told Taproot in an email.

Cunningham-Shpeley said another insurance issue facing Edmonton's 163 community leagues is skyrocketing deductibles. These grew from $1,000 to $25,000 last fall due to a rash of property damage at league facilities.

She added that EFCL does what it can to alleviate the insurance burden for leagues. Beyond organizing a brokerage service, the organization lobbied the city to approve a hold on $250,000 of the EFCL's funds to cover the new deductibles. Should leagues need to file a claim, they can apply for EFCL to cover the deductible.

"We knew this would have big impacts on leagues if they were going to have to pay a $25,000 deductible," Cunningham-Shpeley said. "It just shows you that insurance companies and the state that they are in. No insurance company wants to lose money. Nobody wants to lose money."

• Civic Service Union 52 members who work for the City of Edmonton have accepted a new four-year contract, ending prolonged negotiations. Union members had been expected to strike earlier in March, but a last-minute deal with the city averted the action, which would have impacted city services and forced the closure of some municipal facilities. The agreement, which includes wage increases and a retroactive lump-sum payment, passed with 83.5% of participating members voting in favour. Edmonton Public Library employees represented by the union received the same deal. The results of their ratification vote are expected this week.
• A City of Edmonton report obtained by CBC found that the construction of the Castledowns Pointe condo building did not follow design drawings, confirming engineers' findings from last year. The building's residents were forced to evacuate in September due to structural issues discovered after a fire. The city's report, stemming from an inquiry into the design and construction phases of the 83-unit building, highlighted a failure to comply with building codes. It makes several recommendations to improve public safety, including better communication of roles under the Safety Codes Act and the development of investigation training for safety codes officers.
• Edmonton city hall officially reopened to the public on March 25, two months after a shooting attack prompted its closure and new security protocols. Visitors must now undergo security screening before entering the City Room, stairwells are locked except for emergencies, and elevators require a City of Edmonton pass. Visitors can freely enter the Hallway Café, City Hall School, and south corridor, but the building's parkade remains closed. Bezhani Sarvar, 28, faces several charges in connection with the January attack.
• Two Edmonton bridges are being renamed in honour of Edmonton Police Service Constables Travis Jordan and Brett Ryan, who were killed in the line of duty last March. Memorial signs with the names of each officer will be posted at the end of each bridge, which are located over the North Saskatchewan River between Terwillegar Drive and Maskekosihk Trail.
• The City of Edmonton is expected to be finalizing the severance for outgoing city manager Andre Corbould, Global News reported, citing political analyst John Brennan. While the city would not confirm whether Corbould was hired for a set term, Brennan suggested it would have been about five years. Corbould, whose departure comes a little more than three years into his tenure, was hired in January 2021 at an annual salary of $350,267.94. Brennan said it could take about six months for the city to complete its search for a new city manager. Corbould's last day in the role will be April 3. He is the seventh high-ranking manager to leave the city in less than a year.
• Sherwood Park Goodwill is auctioning off a donated guitar signed by members of Guns N' Roses. The organization received two donated guitars, and staff recognized the autographs on one as belonging to the legendary rock group. The other is suspected to be autographed by Van Halen, but it hasn't yet been authenticated. Goodwill said it will hold a silent auction for the Guns N' Roses guitar at its Sherwood Park location because so many interested buyers have already reached out with offers. The auction runs until April 1.
• The Edmonton Elks will celebrate the team's 75th season with several festivities and a special logo featuring Edmonton's skyline and Commonwealth Stadium, where the team has played since 1978. Events include an alumni dinner at the Edmonton Convention Centre, a public autograph session, and expanded pre-game activities at Elks Fan Park, all leading up to the team's home opener against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on June 8.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Spring on the Square starting at 11am at Sir Winston Churchill Square
• Spring Market & Networking Event starting at 3pm at the Castle Downs Family YMCA
• YEG Ecosystem — March Mixer & Radio Panel starting at 6pm at Felice Café
• Conversation Café #2 starting at 6pm at The Tea Place

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• April 3: Community Conversation at Michael Phair School
• April 6: How To Buy Your First Home at ATB Entrepreneur Centre
• April 6: Best Restaurants at Edmonton Convention Centre

Visit the beta version of the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.