The Pulse: Oct. 7, 2024

This week, council committees will meet to discuss gaps in the operating and capital budgets, changes to the Old Strathcona public realm, and what transit needs to serve a growing population.

There is a community and public services committee meeting scheduled on Oct. 7 and an urban planning committee meeting scheduled on Oct. 8. There is an executive committee meeting scheduled on Oct. 9 and a utility committee meeting scheduled on Oct. 11.

Here are key items on this week's agenda:

• A report outlines how the shortfall in the city's operating and capital budgets is exacerbated by regional residents who benefit from Edmonton's services but do not pay taxes. Nearly a third of the vehicles on Edmonton roadways are driven by people who live in other cities or towns and thus don't pay property taxes to Edmonton, the report said. Edmonton funds policing, cultural centres, recreation centres, and other facilities and services that are used by regional residents. Other factors have widened the fiscal gap, like Edmonton's decreased share of industrial properties across the region, rapid population growth, and inflation. To help narrow the fiscal gap, administration recommends the city grow its non-residential tax base, explore the sale of municipal assets, and prioritize services. Council's executive committee is scheduled to discuss the report on Oct. 9.
• Council's urban planning committee is set to review the proposed Old Strathcona Public Realm Strategy on Oct. 8. The strategy suggests the city build wider sidewalks on Whyte Avenue, turn parking lots into parks, and pedestrianize 83 Avenue, among other changes. Paths for People, a group that advocates for pedestrians and cyclists, said the changes will bring "much-needed improvements to the aging and deteriorating infrastructure in Old Strathcona." The main concern about the plan that the city heard from residents is about parking. The city said there are currently more than 3,500 parking stalls in the project area. If the plan was fully implemented, there would be 2,900 stalls as the city parking lot leased to the Old Strathcona Farmers' Market could become a park and parking spots along Whyte Avenue could be reduced. To alleviate parking issues, the city proposes to sequence the removal of parking stalls with the improvement of cycling and transit infrastructure and to establish a wayfinding system for people to locate parking. Currently, there is no funding allocated to implement the strategy, and the document is meant to guide decisions about future capital projects.
• Administration forecasts the Edmonton Transit Service will need an additional 4,750 service hours by 2026 to serve the city's growing population. To create the additional service, $16 million would be required for operating costs, as well as from $90 million to $159 million for 99 new buses. Some neighbourhoods, including Big Lake, Cavanagh, Keswick, and Glenridding Ravine, could be upgraded from on-demand transit to conventional service, because population and transit ridership have increased in recent years. Administration said it plans to apply for funding from the new Canada Public Transit Fund to help address the service gap. Decisions won't be made until the fall 2025 supplemental budget adjustment.

• More than 4,150 support workers in Edmonton's public schools, represented by CUPE Local 3550 and CUPE Local 474, are preparing for strike votes on Oct. 17 and 20 after four years without updated collective agreements. Edmonton Public Schools said it remains committed to reaching an agreement with both unions.
• Edmonton's approach to encampments and its extreme weather winter response will remain mostly unchanged from last year, city council heard last week. However, getting information about the provincial navigation centre remains challenging, with councillors expressing frustration over the lack of data to inform homelessness policies. Council passed a motion to send a letter to the province requesting detailed data on shelter use and housing outcomes. "I have absolutely no idea what is the truth," said Ward Karhiio Coun. Keren Tang, adding that better information would help improve public transparency on this complex issue.
• Edmonton city council is seeking feedback from social agencies on the risks associated with encampment removals following a motion by Coun. Anne Stevenson. The motion, approved unanimously, calls for clear documentation of risk factors and emphasizes the importance of ensuring shelter capacity when shutting down encampments. "I think that it is extremely impossible for us to be making these decisions in the absence of input from those who are most directly and significantly impacted," Stevenson said.
• Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi has sent a letter to the Alberta government outlining the city's fiscal requests ahead of next year's provincial budget, calling for support with affordable housing, mental health, and managing population growth. A key demand is for the province to resume paying full property taxes on its 248 buildings, which it has only paid 50% of since 2020. "We need support from other orders of government, and the province has not stepped up as it should have," said Ward Métis Coun. Ashley Salvador.
• Shootings in Edmonton have decreased by 49% through the first nine months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, with 91 incidents recorded this year, the Edmonton Police Service said in a release. EPS attributes the decline, particularly during the summer months, to its focus on reducing gun violence, and firearm seizures have also dropped slightly from last year.
• Canadian Finals Rodeo wrapped up its 50th anniversary on Oct. 5, with attendance of more than 42,000 over four days and nearly $1.5 million paid out in the major events. "This year was a huge success, and we are so grateful to Edmonton and rodeo fans from all over the country for coming out and having a grand old time with us here at Rogers Place," said Arlindo Gomes of Explore Edmonton. "It was really everything we could've hoped for and more. From all of us: thank you, YEGHAW, and see you all next year." CFR will return to Rogers Place in 2025 and 2026.
• More than 2,700 people participated in the 30th annual Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure in Edmonton, raising $600,000 in support of the Canadian Cancer Society. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Canada.
• Family doctors and nurse practitioners in Alberta will not receive flu or COVID-19 vaccines in time for the fall immunization program, and it remains unclear if they will receive any at all. A memo from Alberta Health stated that vaccine distribution to community clinics was "temporarily paused" in April due to an expired contract with the distribution company. "The impact of this is far-reaching for patients. Approximately 300,000 patients, plus, receive their vaccines in community practices," said Ernst Greyvenstein, a director with the Alberta Medical Association.
• Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her government plans to amend the Alberta Bill of Rights by adding the right to make personal choices over vaccinations, the right to not be deprived of property without legal process and just compensation, and the right to legally acquire and use firearms. Smith stated the amendments are necessary to ensure the Bill of Rights evolves with society. According to Eric Adams, a constitutional law professor at the University of Alberta, while the bill is symbolic and part of Alberta's unwritten constitution, it also holds legal weight.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Wente Vineyards Wine Dinner starting at 6pm at XIX Nineteen
• Scott Woods Concert Yee Haw starting at 7pm at the Stony Plain Community Centre
• Silent Book Club starting at 7pm at St. Albert Public Library
• The Returns Department starting at 7pm at Horizon Stage Performing Arts Theatre

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Oct. 18: Charcuterie & Wine Tasting with Caymus Vineyards at Meuwly's
• Oct. 25: Alumni Series Paired Dinner at Ernest's Dining Room
• Nov. 1: 35th Annual ASTech Awards Gala at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Edmonton South Conference Centre

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