The Pulse: Oct. 1, 2024

This week, council is scheduled to discuss how Alberta's Bill 20 will affect its budget for the 2025 election, vote on bylaws that enable the District Policy, and decide if it will approve a rezoning on 124 Street.

There is a public hearing scheduled for Oct. 1 and a city council meeting scheduled for Oct. 2, with a continuation on Oct. 3. There is a special audit committee meeting scheduled on Oct. 3 and a non-regular city council meeting scheduled on Oct. 4. There is a city manager and city auditor performance evaluation committee meeting scheduled on Oct. 4.

Here are key items on this week's agenda:

• The city projects it will need to spend about $7 million more than budgeted on the 2025 election to meet new requirements the United Conservative Party government created for municipal elections, according to a report scheduled to be presented to council on Oct. 2. Council initially budgeted $6.72 million from 2023 to 2025 for the election. Bill 20, which the UCP government introduced this spring, will ban automated voting tabulators. Administration estimates that an additional 1,230 workers will be needed to count votes by hand and larger, costlier spaces will be needed for voting stations to accommodate the extra staff. The prohibition of voting tabulators is expected to cost the city an additional $2.6 million. Bill 20 also requires municipalities to implement and maintain a permanent electors register that aligns with the Elections Alberta register. Administration estimates that requirement will cost an additional $2.36 million over two years. The city said it will recover some costs by terminating its contract with the vendor that supplied automated voting equipment and some costs from school divisions, bringing its projection for additional costs to $5.83 million. Alberta Municipalities introduced a resolution at its annual convention in Red Deer that called on the province to allow voting tabulators "to ensure accurate, cost-effective, and timely results for Albertan voters." St. Albert Mayor Cathy Heron, the past president of ABMunis, told CBC's Edmonton AM that prohibiting tabulators will lead to "less timely and less accurate and much more costly counting of the votes."
• Council is scheduled to vote on more than 30 bylaws to implement or repeal land use policies to allow the District Policy and its 15 district plans on Oct. 2. If passed, the bylaws will repeal 57 land use policies, amend five area structure plans, and bring in new city planning guidance. Council passed the first two readings of the district planning bylaws earlier this year and then sent the policy to the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board. The board approved the policy, subject to a 28-day appeal period ending Sept. 17. No appeal was submitted, meaning the bylaws are ready for a third reading. If the plans are approved, they will help move the city towards two goals laid out in the City Plan — to have 50% of new housing units added through infill and to have 50% of trips made by transit and active modes.
• Casia Developments has applied to rezone a land parcel with low rise buildings at 124 Street NW and 105 Avenue NW to allow for a 25-storey development instead of the currently allowed five storeys (about the same height as The MacLaren building a few blocks to the south). Administration said it supports the application because it's located near a future Valley Line LRT stop and along a major road, and the developer plans to include commercial bays at the street. Some residents oppose the application, reasoning that the building is too large for the neighbourhood, and will lead to congestion and parking issues. Council is scheduled to vote on the rezoning at a public hearing on Oct. 1.

• The Old Strathcona Public Realm Strategy, set to be discussed at city council's urban planning committee meeting on Oct. 8, proposes seven recommendations for the area, including transforming parking lots into parks, developing affordable housing, widening sidewalks, and adding bus rapid transit lanes. While many residents support the plan, public feedback raised concerns about the cost, reduced parking, and traffic impacts. Coun. Michael Janz said the strategy is a vision to guide the long-term development of the area, and that funding discussions wouldn't start until 2026.
• Water testing at Edmonton Law Courts found elevated lead levels in about 4% of samples, prompting the replacement of 19 water fountains with new models featuring filters and bottle fill stations. The issue comes as the province finalizes a $3-million business case to determine the future of the aging courthouse, which has been plagued with problems including leaks and an extended power outage.
• The City of Edmonton and TransEd are reviewing signs and signal timing on the Valley Line Southeast LRT, which has been involved in at least 23 collisions since opening last year. The City is not currently considering adding crossing arms to the line, said Carrie Hotton-MacDonald, director of Edmonton Transit Service. She said ETS is also looking at improvements to contingency bus service when the LRT isn't running because of a crash.
• Advocates are calling on the federal government to release a revised citizenship study guide that includes more Indigenous content, a key recommendation from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 2015 report. Lewis Cardinal, an advisor with the Indigenous Knowledge and Wisdom Centre, helped work on the new guide, which he said would help correct misinformation, reduce racism, and promote understanding of Indigenous histories and rights.
• Mill Woods Town Centre in southeast Edmonton will undergo significant redevelopment, including the construction of two 22-storey rental apartment buildings starting next year and the opening of a new grocery store by August 2025. The project is part of a long-term plan to build 6,000 to 8,000 homes and new retail spaces on the 22-hectare site. "It's really about building a strong community," said Bill Blais, president and CEO of Maclab Development Group, which owns the property.
• Artist Branden Cha unveiled a new mural in Edmonton's Chinatown, marking the second piece in his Four Guardians project aimed at promoting inclusion and community responsibility. The Azure Dragon of the East mural, which includes a tribute to Indigenous peoples, joins the White Tiger of the West and will eventually be accompanied by the Vermilion Bird of the South and the Black Tortoise of the North.
• Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi is among the Alberta municipal leaders urging the province to pay its full share of property taxes on provincial buildings. Sohi said Edmonton is owed $90 million after years of deferred payments, and that taxpayers are forced to cover the shortfall. The government will examine the issue ahead of possible changes in next year's provincial budget, Premier Danielle Smith said at the Alberta Municipalities convention on Sept. 27.
• Edmonton's Conor Kerr has been named one of five finalists for the 2024 Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize for his work Prairie Edge. The prize, which awards $60,000 to the winner, recognizes the best novel or short story collection by a Canadian author. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in Toronto on Nov. 19.
• Alberta healthcare workers say they are feeling overwhelmed as they brace for an expected surge in patients due to the upcoming respiratory virus season. Alberta Health Services said it is taking steps to address the anticipated demand, such as increasing the number of temporary acute care beds and hiring additional staff, but concerns remain.
• The Globe and Mail launched a new podcast, In Her Defence: 50th Street, focusing on the unsolved murder of Amber Tuccaro, a young Indigenous mother who disappeared in 2010 after leaving a Nisku motel to find a ride into Edmonton. A critical piece of evidence in the case is a recording of her final moments that includes the voice of a man believed to be Tuccaro's killer. Despite the 2012 release of the tape and years of investigation, no one has been charged in her murder. The podcast will explore the failures of the initial police investigation and her family's ongoing fight for justice.
• Edmonton's Food Bank held a door-to-door food drive on the weekend to address the rising demand. Meanwhile, staff at Mr. Rooter Plumbing harvested thousands of pounds of potatoes to donate to the food bank, which serves more than 34,000 people each month.
• Kim Ruether, whose son Brock died from cardiac arrest while an AED remained unused nearby, has become an advocate for training dispatchers to guide callers in using defibrillators during emergencies. She will be honoured with the Alberta Order of Excellence during a ceremony in Edmonton scheduled this month. Ruether's efforts have led to changes in emergency response protocols in several countries.
• Alberta spends $193 per day per inmate, which is the least in Canada and significantly lower than most other provinces, according to new Statistics Canada data. Experts note the Edmonton Remand Centre, the largest jail in Canada, relies on surveillance to reduce operating costs, which has led to concerns about inmate well-being and calls for more mental health support.
• The provincial government is promoting Alberta as an ideal location for data centres due to its cold climate and business-friendly environment. Minister of Technology and Innovation Nate Glubish promoted the idea during a recent trip to Silicon Valley, but CBC News spoke to one data centre CEO who argued that the province must first address high energy costs and aging infrastructure to attract these energy-intensive facilities.

A 47% surge in the number of unhoused and underhoused people between January and July suggests Edmonton may not be ready to shelter those who would otherwise sleep rough in freezing winter temperatures, the co-hosts of Episode 278 of Speaking Municipally said.

Edmonton's shelter squeeze worsening?

"Very soon, we will be in that danger zone where people sleeping outside get frostbite and get amputations, and in the worst case, die," co-host Troy Pavlek said. "It's looking like we're not any more prepped to handle this than we were last year."

Homeward Trust's By Name List report, which sources data from more than 65 social agencies, revealed that the number of people who are unhoused or in unstable housing has jumped from just more than 2,700 in January to more than 4,000 in July. About 2,200 people are "provisionally accommodated," meaning they are in transitional or temporary housing, leaving approximately 1,800 in need of shelter. Edmonton has 1,801 shelter spaces. The Edmonton Coalition on Housing and Homelessness said the number of people who are unhoused or in unstable housing might be greater, however, due to people who have been evicted from encampments potentially not being counted.

Co-host Mack Male noted that Homeward Trust is conducting its Point in Time count and survey this month to ensure the count is as accurate as possible. "They're recruiting volunteers for that now," Male said. "If you want to get out and help, you can do that, and that activity does give us more detailed information about the number of folks who are unhoused."

Signs of vibrancy?

At the top of the show, Male and Pavlek contemplated the cost-benefit ratio of Edmonton's new eponymous sign at Churchill Square. Created by Indigenous artists Michelle Sound and Crystal Lee Clark alongside design agency Vignettes Showcase, Pavlek reported that it cost $270,304.70. That's roughly $255,000 from the Downtown Vibrancy Fund and $15,000 from Prairies Economic Development Canada. "(The) jury's out on if this is (good) bang for your buck," he said.

But Male challenged Pavlek's assertion that the money could be better spent if it were given to businesses. Male said he saw people engage with the new sign and the nearby Canadian Finals Rodeo sign on Rice Howard Way. "These kinds of things serve a purpose, right?" Male said. "In terms of art and public art, which we talk about on this podcast more than you might think, it gets people talking, and that's a good thing, right? It gets people engaged in the downtown."

Male saw the sign in person. Pavlek saw Sound's Instagram post of it. Pavlek praised the sign's visual appeal but opined that the City of Edmonton's press release image to announce it was less than exciting. "The press release is the most unflattering, least pleasing image it was possible to take of this," he said.

One out of four ain't bad?

Though city council was mostly away from meetings in the week leading up to the episode, the co-hosts still had business to discuss. One item was a City News poll that suggests low support among Edmonton voters for incumbent candidates as the 2025 election approaches. Though it shows only one in four Edmontonians want to reelect their councillor and the mayor, Pavlek said he would be "giddy" reading these numbers if he was in office. Tune in for his explanation.

There's much more in the Sept. 27 episode of Speaking Municipally, including peanut-sized penalties for 2021 mayoral candidates who overspent on their campaigns, a report from Sen. Paula Simons on challenges and opportunities for municipalities, drivers and a cyclist crashing into Valley Line trains, an op-ed on planning, and a newsroom update from Taproot managing editor Tim Querengesser. Speaking Municipally comes out on Fridays. Listening and subscription options are all right here.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• High Roller Barrel Racing starting at 9am at Edmonton EXPO Centre
• Building the Next Leg of Alberta's Talent Pipeline with Minister of Advanced Education Sawhney starting at 11am at World Trade Centre Edmonton
• Fireside Chat with Jon Love starting at 11:30am at Chateau Lacombe Hotel
• DEAM Speaker Series starting at 2pm at Westbury Theatre
• Alberta Family Business Institute 20th Annual Signature Event starting at 5pm at Westin Edmonton
• Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour starting at 7:30pm at Arden Theatre
• The Music of Talk with Tom Allen starting at 7:30pm at the MacEwan University Conservatory of Music
• Tuesday Jam Hosted by Biboye Onanuga starting at 8pm at Yardbird Suite

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Oct. 15-19: Startup Week
• Oct. 16-20: LitFest
• Oct. 17-28: STARFest Readers Festival

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