The Pulse: Nov. 24, 2025

This week, council will get its first look at the fall budget adjustment and will continue with orientation.

There is an orientation meeting scheduled for the mornings of Nov. 24, 25, and 26, and a city council meeting scheduled for the afternoons of Nov. 24, 25, and 26.

Council will review the fall budget adjustment at the afternoon meetings. Administration has proposed a 6.4% tax increase for 2026, which is in line with what the previous council approved in the spring.

Administration has identified a $52.3-million gap in the city's operating budget. City staff moved money around internally to address $13.4 million of the gap, and the remaining $38.8 million will "be addressed through specific action plans, which include fee increases, program reviews, and adjustments to service levels," the budget report said. Administration has proposed reducing the budget of the city's anti-racism office by $430,000. Other proposed service reductions will be discussed in private.

Council will debate budget service packages that are currently not funded, including $1.9 million to staff transit stations with safety attendants during periods of lower ridership, $95,000 to support expanding the derelict residential tax subclass beyond mature neighbourhoods, $2.7 million to make a temporary enhanced transit cleaning program permanent, $9.9 million to improve snow clearing and sidewalk repair, $555,000 to reinstate the infill liaison team, and a $2.9-million funding increase to improve service levels with DATS.

Meanwhile, three capital projects require more than what was already approved in the four-year budget cycle. The estimated cost for the 137 Avenue and Anthony Henday Ramps project has more than doubled, from $6.6 million to $14.3 million. Construction of the Athlone Fire Station is now expected to cost $28 million, or $10 million more than its original allocation. Construction of the Walker Fire Station has increased, too, from $19.9 million to $32.8 million.

Council will debate purchasing 25 new buses, for $25.22 million, to transition three On Demand Transit zones to scheduled service. This change would result in a $420,000 operating budget increase in 2026, and about $7.4 million annually starting in 2027, the year the buses are expected to be put into service.

The budget report also includes an update on the Old Strathcona Public Realm Strategy. Council had asked administration to establish a reserve fund so that parking revenues from the ePark lot across Gateway Boulevard from the Old Strathcona Farmers' Market would be used to support the upgrades identified in the strategy, including design and construction of upgrades to End of Steel Park. Administration forecasts that the parking revenues will be able to fund the design of the park, but not the construction or any other upgrades in the strategy.

The carbon budget report said the proposed adjustments aren't expected to significantly change the city's emissions. The city is still forecast to deplete its community carbon budget in 2036 and its corporate carbon budget in 2032. Its stated goal is to be carbon-neutral by 2050.

• Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack says the steep tax hikes of the current budget cycle are the result of decisions made during the pandemic, when council froze increases to help residents facing economic uncertainty. With inflation rising and the population surging, he argues Edmonton is now catching up after years of holding the line. Administration is recommending another 6.4% property tax increase for 2026. Knack said the city must stabilize chronic funding shortfalls in areas like snow clearing and explore long-term budget reforms starting in 2027. He said taxpayers want value for their money and that he supports sustained funding for agencies such as Explore Edmonton.
• Residents in the Steinhauer area in south Edmonton are raising concerns about a proposal to replace the Ermineskin Centre strip mall with 750 new homes, including two 20-storey towers. They worry additional traffic will strain an area already seeing rapid growth around Century Park, where several towers are under construction. At a recent open house, more than 100 residents shared their concerns with Coun. Jon Morgan, who says the city must balance neighbourhood pressures with the need to limit outward sprawl.
• The Edmonton Valley Zoo has unveiled a 15-year plan featuring new themed zones, expanded habitats, and amenities such as an aerial trail, education centre, and restaurant. The proposal includes space for species the zoo hopes to add and highlights a new Coastal Arctic zone with polar bear and sea otter habitats.
• The City of Edmonton celebrated urban design excellence at the Edmonton Urban Design Awards gala on Nov. 20, honouring 23 projects in nine categories. Mayor Andrew Knack stated the awards highlight the talent of Edmonton's design community in creating inviting public spaces, streetscapes, housing, and future plans.
• The Alberta government is set to provide an update on plans for a new stand-alone Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton on Nov. 24. Infrastructure Minister Martin Long and Matt Jones, the minister of hospital and surgical health services, will lead the announcement, joined by representatives from the University of Alberta's pediatrics department and the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation. In February 2024, then-Health Minister Adriana LaGrange announced $17 million in planning funds for the project. The current Stollery, Canada's second-largest children's hospital, shares space with adult services at the University of Alberta Hospital, prompting calls for a dedicated facility.
• The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) recalled a strike of 16,000 nursing care workers on Nov. 22, just minutes after it began. The union reached a tentative deal with Alberta Health Services that includes a 12% wage increase over four years and retroactive market adjustments of 4% for health care aides, and 10% for LPNs, effective April 1, 2024. Picket lines had formed at Royal Alexandra Hospital before the agreement was announced. AUPE members will vote on the deal after a town hall on Nov. 25.
• The Edmonton Police Commission lauded investigators from the Edmonton Police Service on Nov. 20 for their extensive work on the Samuel Bird case. Bird, a teenager last seen on June 1, was found dead in late October in a rural area outside Edmonton, leading to a second-degree murder charge against a 38-year-old Edmonton man. More than 100 officers, including Staff Sgt. Andrew Larson and Det. Jared Buhler, contributed to the investigation, which garnered national attention and highlighted police-Indigenous relations.
• Sohail "Zee" Zaidi, owner of Remedy Cafe, is close to selling his Edmonton-area chain to one of two local buyers. Zaidi, who acquired the original 109 Street NW location 25 years ago, has since expanded Remedy to 11 shops. However, he closed locations on Jasper Avenue and in Sherwood Park due to reduced foot traffic, fewer University of Alberta students, and overall changes since the COVID-19 pandemic. The chain now consists of eight locations, and Zaidi intends to remain involved for a couple of years to assist with the ownership transition.
• Alberta Premier Danielle Smith distanced herself from a $109 million lab testing debacle involving former private provider Dynalife, saying the problems predated her time in office. Her comments followed the release of a report from Auditor General Doug Wylie which found $109 million in public funds were wasted in the 2022 privatization effort. Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi urged Smith to apologize, but she said she took responsibility after the 2023 election by terminating the contract and returning services to the public system.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• A Conversation with Minister of Municipal Affairs, Hon. Dan Williams starting at 8:30am at Edmonton Chamber of Commerce
• Supportive Housing Visit starting at 12pm at George Spady Supportive Housing (Balwin Place)
• Housing and Recovery: Parallel Journeys starting at 12pm online
• Rose Campaign Launch starting at 4pm at Rogers Place
• Virtual Business Model 101 starting at 6pm online
• Audreys Book Club November starting at 7pm at Audreys Books
• Moonlight Cocktail Club 2025 Wrap Up starting at 7pm at EPIC Market
• Dreams, Prayers & Mozart starting at 7:30pm at Winspear Centre

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Nov. 27: Nerd Nite Edmonton #90: Space, Community, and Alternate History at Fringe Theatre Arts Barns
• Dec. 1: Science on Tap - Understanding Breast Cancer at The Rec Room South Edmonton
• Dec. 8: Green Drinks YEG at The Buckingham Pub

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

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