Last week + Regular Council Meeting September 16, 2019
Last week
The Ruth Kelly Thought Leadership Series: Truth & Consequences in Publishing & Mental Health
This panel discussion featuring Senator Paula Simons, University of Calgary Chancellor Deborah Yedlin, and University of Alberta Writer in Residence Darrin Hagen was exceptional. The primary areas of discussion were the health impacts of social media, the implications of online attacks, balancing public and personal lives in a social-media rich world, and how to handle inaccurate/false statements online. The Coles-Notes advice given was:
Don’t feed the trolls.
Never read the comments.
It’s not your job to fact-check the internet.
Don’t post everything that pops into your mind.
Oakmont redistricting open house
I attended the first part of the presentation & question session for this information session - There was a lot of interest from residents about the proposed mixed retail-residential development. If the developer moves forward with their application, it will be reviewed by Administration before being seen by Council at a public hearing.
Erin Ridge redistricting open house
I also attended the last part of the presentation on the proposed Erin Ridge redistricting.
State of the City Address
Mayor Heron gave her annual state of the city address this week, celebrating our successes, talking about our challenges, and showing our intent for the future. It was wonderful catching up with regional partners, seeing our MP and MLAs, and speaking with local business representatives at this annual Chamber of Commerce event.
Inclusion Alberta Luncheon
At this luncheon, I learned more about the efforts being made to provide inclusive spaces - in schools, workplaces, and in daily life - for those living with developmental disabilities. It was great hearing from those with first-hand knowledge of the challenges faced and opportunities available in Alberta.
Agenda highlights
Presentations - Midwives
We have a delegation from St. Albert Midwives and the Birthing Centre coming to address Council; MLA Renault has also registered to speak about midwifery. I don’t know for certain what will be asked of Council, but based on a meeting I had with this group a few weeks ago, I suspect it’s a request for us to amend the Land Use Bylaw to allow a midwifery practice to operate a business from a residential area, in a single-family home.
Consent Agenda
Right now, the following items are on consent and won’t be debated unless someone requests further information:
“That Council support Administration’s Alberta Community Partnership grant application to Municipal Affairs to be a host municipality for the 2020-21 Alberta Municipal Internship Program… The total cost of hosting an intern is $75,000 with $43,000 covered by the Government of Alberta. The City of St. Albert’s portion is $32,000 which will be funded from existing salary and benefit cost centers. The costs are associated with the intern’s wages, office supplies, travel and professional development.”
Approval of a time-extension request for the Utility Corporation presentation to October 2019.
Approval of a time-extension request for the Waste-to-Energy presentation to November 2019.
Payhonin Reconciliation Circle Recommendations, at discussed at last week’s GPFC meeting.
Land Use Bylaw Amendment - Solar Arrays (2nd & 3rd Reading)
I’ve heard no objections to the amendments that would adjust some of the language in the LUB to provide clarity around ground-level solar arrays.
This is a brief high-level 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. As always, I also encourage everyone who is able to tune in the the live-stream of the meeting (3pm here) or attend in-person (3rd floor of St. Albert Place, hang a right getting out of the elevator). You can also register to speak if you have information to present to council. Full agenda packages can be found on the stalbert.ca website.
