Whoa, the last few weeks have flown by. During the winter break, some of the activities that I participated in include:
Youth Advisory Committee Meeting: New members were introduced & the committee re-elected both the Chair & Vice-Chair. I look forward to connecting with this group over the next year.
Mid-Sized Cities Summit: This was a 3-day conference hosted by the mid-sized mayor’s caucus. With all but two members of Council in attendance, it was an interesting glimpse into the differences that smaller cities have with our rural and large-city neighbours. Connecting with peers from across the province at the Mid-size Mayors’ conferences was a reminder that we aren’t alone. I was particularly impressed with excellent presentations from both Dr. Jody Carrington & Doug Griffiths. On top of the presentations, conversations about the challenges of rapid growth with the folks from the cities of Beaumont & Airdrie were a reminder that St. Albert’s steady growth makes for more manageable planning. Discussing water as a scarce resource, with just about everyone south of Calgary, was a reminder that we’re not even trying to conserve water in St. Albert - With predominantly grass lawns & toilets filled with potable water, we’re flushing away a finite resource. Brainstorming about non-market & supportive housing capital & operations with the folks from Canmore was a reminder that many of us are struggling with similar issues.
St. Albert Strategic Planning Session: Council met in West Edmonton for a two-day session regarding our strategic plan. This was all in camera, but I expect a public document to come out in the next couple months.
Greater Edmonton Health Advisory Council Meeting: I attended the first part of this meeting, which discussed some of the challenges of offering services to diverse persons.
Agenda highlights
This week’s meeting looks like it might be a long one.
Health Service Land Use
This is a public hearing for an amendment to our Land Use Bylaw to allow “health services” like drs offices, chiropractors, physics, etc. in a commercial land use district in the north end of Campbell Business Park (around the intersection of Chevigny Street & Carleton Drive). This came about because a property owner requested the change. I’m a bit horrified that a business owner had to apply with this request and I’m looking forward to needed changes to our land use bylaw that would eliminate the need for these single requests.
Millennium Park Borrowing Bylaw (1 st Reading)
This is a continuation of Council’s direction to fund the Millennium Park build. As a stated priority in our strategic plan, I suspect this will go ahead without any material changes. This is one of the most significant non-infrastructure growth projects that I’ve seen, with the cost estimated and approved at $16,6M. Admin is recommending that the borrowing bylaw is for $20,8M, which includes a 25% contingency. One of my only concerns is that investment in this area downtown will make it harder for Council to invest in other downtown opportunities - like near-market housing - that could have an even more pronounced impact on downtown vibrancy.
Community Events Grant Policy Change
This motion by a member of Council is to remove the limitation of one grant per year. As there is no limitation in our policy - only in the administrative directive - Admin couldn’t action this motion if it passes. Admin is already undertaking a review of their policy, so any Council direction could make a fair review challenging. That said, I understand and support the intent - We want grants to support community vibrancy and wouldn’t want any administrative limitation preventing a community event. My hope is that Admin can sort this out internally so that Council doesn’t have to make a motion to change an admin policy.
Firehall 4 - construction methodology
This is a motion from a member of Council directing Admin to change their selected construction method (from modular to conventional methods) for the Firehall 4 build, increasing the cost from from $16.341M to $19,341M. We’ve had some pressure about this from interested parties, but it’s still highly unusual for Council to get involved in building techniques. The backgrounder for this motion goes over the cost differences for the two build options, but doesn’t address any of the benefits or detractors of either. Based on this, my questions will be around whether there is a noted benefit to investing an additional $3M, and whether specifying “conventional” building techniques will limit admin as they manage this project.
Long-Term Plan for Fire Services
This is a motion from a member of Council directing Admin to create a long-term plan for fire services by the end of September. This is very similar to my motion last year to put together a plan for policing - That motion failed (unanimously, I think) because Admin is undertaking a Community Well Being Long-Range Strategy that will incorporate policing services. Admin is recommending that the proposed motion change to instead direct to incorporate fire services in the 2026 project, which I assume will happen with or without the motion.
This is a brief and incomplete overview of our meetings, with my personal comments sprinkled in - In no way are my opinions representative of the official direction of council or the City of St. Albert. Please let me know of any typos or errors. Members of the public can register to speak if they have information to present to council. Full agenda packages can be found on the stalbert.ca website.