The Pulse: Nov. 12, 2024

This week, council will debate a proposed tax increase for 2025, consider changes to the zoning bylaw, and discuss a proposed tower near Clareview Transit Centre.

There is a public hearing scheduled for Nov. 12 and a city council meeting scheduled for Nov. 13.

Here are key items on this week's agenda:

• Administration has proposed an 8.1% tax increase in 2025 as the city faces an estimated $34 million deficit. Council will debate the fall budget adjustment on Nov. 13 and 14. Council tentatively approved a 7% increase earlier this year. Administration proposes an additional 1% each year for the next two years to replenish the financial stabilization reserve. The final 0.1% of the proposed increase will pay for higher-than-expected costs for the 2025 election. Council can also cut or add programs, which would change the tax increase. Administration recommends adding funding to the capital budget for neighbourhood reconstruction in Overlands, Homesteader, Hillview, and Glenwood, as well as to replace or rehabilitate the Wellington, Beverly, and Coliseum LRT bridges. Council could choose to add about $6 million to the budget to build a replacement Harbin Gate at 97 Street NW and 101A Avenue, where the original Edmonton Chinatown began. In the operating budget, there are several unfunded service packages that council has the option to add to the budget. Council may continue funding for the City Centre Optimization project, which provides enhanced cleaning services for downtown, and also extend the program to the other business improvement areas, for a total cost of about $6.4 million. There is also a $10-million service package for enhanced mowing and weeding services.
• Edmonton needs to reduce its carbon emissions by 23% below 2023 levels to reach the 2025 target laid out in the city's carbon budget. In an update to the carbon budget, set to be presented alongside the financial budgets on Nov. 13 and 14, administration said 2023's levels were 9.3% lower than the 2005 baseline levels, but not low enough to reach the budget's target. The budget's goals are divided into two categories: Corporate carbon, which consists of areas that the municipality can control like city-owned buildings and vehicles, and community carbon, which is controlled by Edmontonians at large. The community carbon level is moving in a promising direction, administration said, as the community has surpassed the 2030 energy efficiency target set in the city's energy transition strategy.
• North Pointe Developments has applied to rezone a lot near the Clareview Transit Centre to allow for a 13-storey mixed-use development, which is nearly twice as tall as what is currently allowed. The lot at the intersection of Manning Drive NW and 144 Street NW is currently zoned to allow a six-storey building with only residential units. Administration said it supports the application because it will help add more housing near mass transit, and the land north of the subject site is already zoned to allow for such a development, making the rezoning compatible. Some residents opposed the application, arguing the proposed building would be too tall for the neighbourhood. Council is set to debate the rezoning at a public hearing on Nov. 12.

• Edmonton city councillors debated travel expenses during a committee meeting on Nov. 6, particularly travel costs to the Calgary Stampede. Councillors spent about $8,900 in 2024 and nearly $16,000 in 2023 to attend the event, according to public expense reports. Coun. Erin Rutherford pushed for cuts to shared travel funds because of Edmonton's ongoing financial constraints, while others argued events like the Stampede are important for networking and advocacy. Councillors ultimately decided to maintain travel budgets for three key events.
• While Mayfield Investments Ltd., which owns Camrose Casino, is in receivership because of $38 million owed to ATB Financial, it still plans to relocate the casino to Edmonton. Despite opposition from Edmonton non-profits concerned about the loss of charitable gaming revenues, Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) approved the relocation, though further municipal approvals are needed. Meanwhile, the Camrose Casino is continuing its operations under an interim licence issued by the AGLC as Mayfield seeks new financing to exit receivership.
• The City of Edmonton's "Here to Help" campaign, which increased the number of transit peace officers at eight transit centres from Aug. 28 to Sept. 20, resulted in a 33% decrease in calls at these locations and a 25% decrease across the entire Edmonton Transit Service network compared to 2023, the City said. The targeted stations included Century Park, Southgate, University, Coliseum, Clareview, MacEwan, Northgate, and Westmount.
• MacEwan University is addressing the under-representation of Indigenous scholars in academia by creating a tenure-track position in the Department of Biological Sciences, in partnership with the kihêw waciston Indigenous Centre. The role aims to integrate Indigenous perspectives into the curriculum and provide mentorship, with a focus on lived experiences rather than focusing solely on academic qualifications.
• The Beverly Memorial Cenotaph, which is Edmonton's oldest, hosted its 104th Remembrance Day service, featuring speeches, wreath-laying, and performances to honour veterans. A planned flyby by the 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron was cancelled due to weather.
• Edmonton's Kingsway Legion, the largest in the city, says it is faring better financially after struggling to stay open after the pandemic, thanks in part to a $20,000 fundraiser. Hundreds of people attended the legion on Remembrance Day for its annual event to honour veterans. Legion president Robert Torrie emphasized the importance of initiatives like the Edmonton Poppy Fund to fund its operations and support veterans and their families.
• Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is just five points away from reaching 1,000 career points in the NHL. McDavid, who has 995 points from 339 goals and 656 assists over 657 games, is set to become the fourth fastest player in NHL history to reach this mark.
• Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz ranked 29th on Maclean's list of Canada's richest people with a net worth of $5.84 billion. Katz initially made his fortune by expanding Rexall pharmacies and selling the business to McKesson for $3 billion in 2016. He bought the Oilers in 2008, helping to revive the team and fund the $600-million Rogers Place arena. Through his company, OEG Inc., Katz now invests in ventures like Dark Castle Entertainment and several restaurant groups, while his most ambitious project is a $2.5-billion transformation of downtown Edmonton into a sports and entertainment district, Maclean's reported.
• Rollers Roller Rink in Edmonton has relocated to a new, larger venue at 14648 134 Avenue, with 2,300 square metres of skating space. The new location, which it says is the largest roller skating rink in Canada, features a new floor, vibrant decorations, and a skate shop, party rooms, and concession area.
• The provincial government has appointed Ray Gilmour as interim CEO of the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo). The province has outlined a renewed focus for the organization after dismissing the entire board and four executives last week. The organization, which manages more than $168.9 billion in assets, is continuing to invest globally for a variety of Alberta-based funds.

Door designs for the year-old Valley Line Southeast, which date back to the project's planning stage more than a decade ago, did not account for a rise in social disorder seen in 2024, the head of Edmonton Transit Service told Taproot.

"When I talked to (ETS branch manager) Carrie Hotton-MacDonald at the Muttart station, she said these design plans were approved in 2013, and, at that time, there was no way to predict the level of distress in our public realm," reporter Colin Gallant said during an appearance on Episode 284 of Speaking Municipally. "And so the way that it was designed did not necessarily address the disorder that could happen."

The design in question is one used for 152 automatic sliding doors that offer access to 76 shelters built at the $1.8-billion line's 11 stops. As Taproot reported earlier this year, shelter doors were often either not working or had become dislodged from their tracks.

Gallant's story, which charted the line's successes and challenges on its first birthday, broke the news that ETS has now ordered these doors be removed and that the $20,000 in resulting labour costs were covered by the existing contract between the city and TransEd, which built and operates the line under a public-private-partnership agreement, or P3.

Podcast co-host Mack Male questioned whether the shelter doors were ever well-designed, regardless of the level of social disorder. "It doesn't seem like it was designed by anyone who had actually ever used a train platform in their life," Male said. "It's not complicated to get somebody with a stroller or a wheelchair and imagine what the user experience is going to be like when we create such a narrow platform, a door that is potentially unreliable, and have almost no space inside (the shelter)."

Gallant relayed further details about their interview with Hotton-MacDonald, including other design challenges she readily identified and how they could inform the Valley Line West portion, projected to open in 2028. "There were numerous instances during that interview where (Hotton-MacDonald) pointed out, 'I don't think this works, I don't think that works, this isn't perfect,'" Gallant said. "What she's going to do with that information, she told me, is that they're going to apply that when they do the later stages of the Valley Line West."

While ridership has increased to 279,000 per month, podcast co-host Troy Pavlek noted that those numbers are significantly lower than what was projected when city council first approved the line.

The Nov. 8 episode of Taproot's civic affairs podcast examined more about the Valley Line Southeast on its first birthday, as well as Gallant's stories about downtown retail and how Edmonton should grow as part of Taproot's Housing Complex project. The podcast also touched on Stephanie Swensrude's story on Edmonton International Airport's efforts to keep people on its grounds, city council's upcoming budget adjustment, and more. Find all the ways to listen to and subscribe to Speaking Municipally, which comes out most Fridays, right here.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Housing Month-Second Chances: How Preloved Furniture Transforms Lives starting at 12pm online
• Sturgeon County Budget 2025 Open House starting at 6pm at Sturgeon County Centre
• Design Thinking starting at 6:30pm at Edmonton Unlimited
• Islanders vs. Oilers starting at 7pm at Rogers Place
• Tellaround - Story Sharing Circle starting at 7pm at Edmonton Public Library (Idylwylde)
• Saint City Writers Anthology Launch starting at 7pm at St. Albert Public Library
• Tuesday Jam Hosted by Brady Lloyd starting at 8pm at Yardbird Suite

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Nov. 21: Housing the Nation: Development Trends, Issues, and Opportunities at Royal Glenora Club
• Nov. 21: Downsizing and Decluttering Presentation at the Ritchie Community League
• Nov. 24: Girls in the Park starting at 6pm at Sunridge Ski Area

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