Last weeks
Homeland Housing
I was out in Westlock for two days of strategic planning last week with a wonderful group of leaders. It’s heart-warming seeing this organization get excited about their role in providing housing and housing supports so our residents can stay in their communities. I think I recognize our planning facilitator from somewhere:
Roundtable with Minister Allard & Minister Nally
Thank you to the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce for hosting this Zoom meeting with the Minister of Municipal Affairs and St. Albert’s UCP MLA.
During his opening comments, Minister Nally commented that we have the "most conservative Premier in Alberta's history". Regarding our low corporate tax rates, he said we’re attracting investment because "we're cheaper than anywhere else in Canada and 44 US states, and we're competitive with Louisiana and Texas". He also said the provincial government’s goal is to have Alberta be a world-class location for petro-chem facilities. He also says we can recycle single-use plastics and they were disappointed by the federal government's commitment to reducing single-use plastic waste.
I asked the following of Minister Nally:
“You’ve said that our new corporate tax rate makes us competitive against states like Louisiana - Considering that states like Louisiana have high poverty rates, how are we investing in social programs to make sure we have strong safety nets for Albertans so we don’t see these same poverty rates here?”
His response was two-fold. Firstly, he said safety nets are already in place. Secondly, he said the investments brought by new business would allow us to invest in social programs. He explained that "the best social program is a job".
“How are you advocating for residents regarding local access to symptomatic covid-19 testing - particularly for those who don’t have access to private vehicles?”
His response was that "he has no answer" for this and that "it's a capacity issue," but that he will discuss the issue with the Minister of Health.
Of Minister Allard, I asked: “What commitment is being made to engage municipalities, and to use feedback of municipalities, prior to changes to development regulations in the MGA?" She responded that she will engage directly with municipalities.
Annual Outside Agency Meetings
Council spent an evening meeting with many of our community partners, including SAIF, Victim Services, the Community Village and Food Bank, Mitchif, the Bereavement Followship, Visual Arts Studio Association, Family Resource Centre, St. Albert Seniors Association, and St. Albert Housing Society. It’s been a rough year for many of these organizations, but many of them have done incredible work to support our community through 2020.
Riverbank Landing Public Information Meeting
I attended a session from a developer considering applying for changes to the ASP and Land Use Bylaw to allow for a development just downstream of Botanica, which is of great interest to many residents. To add clarity to how ASP changes work, and the stage that we're at with the current proposal, I've copied part of the explanation that I gave in January before the last Riverbank Landing application & I've added current timelines:
I've heard from many residents concerned about a significant ASP amendment for the area just downriver of Shops on Boudreau. The revised concept plans are on the developer's website: http://riverbanklanding.com. It’s been awkward responding to these concerns because Council will likely not see the final proposal until Spring 2021, after the developer has updated the plan based on resident feedback and Administration has completed a review of the application. My responses have included a mix of the following information, depending on individual concerns:
Council has not seen the application or any associated impact assessment reports, which we are obligated to consider before making any decision about approvals or rejections of amendments. I have concerns about traffic congestion and long-term planning for areas around the river, which will be addressed before any decision.
At this point, Council has no involvement in this private application process. Should the application reach Council, I expect that first reading of a proposed bylaw change will take place no sooner than April (?), with a public hearing to follow. For anyone who would like to register support or opposition for the final proposal, they can either write to have comments included in the public hearing after a hearing date has been set in 2021 and the final proposal is available to view, or attend the public hearing.
Agenda highlights
Committee Recommendations
All the recommendations from last week are being presented, with the exception of transit service levels - For these, we’ll wait until the 2021 budget is being considered to make a decision.
Bang the Table Online Platform
Admin is launching our new public participation tool, so they’ll present an overview about how it works on Monday.
Integrity Commissioner Annual Report
Last term, Council created the position of an Integrity Commissioner to investigate complaints against Council members; Part of this role includes presenting an annual report to provide an overview of activities throughout this year. There were two complaints received and investigated over the past year, and two new recommendations:
To consider extending our code of conduct bylaw to non-Council committee members.
That we amend the bylaw to suspend complaints in the 90 days proceeding an election.
Code of Conduct Bylaw Amendments
This is to amend the code of conduct bylaw so that we only use the Integrity Commissioner, only if an investigation is required. In cases where there is no dispute about facts of a complaint, Council would handle the complaint directly.
“The premise underlying this recommended new complaint process is that when the facts are clear, Council is well able to judge the severity of the situation and what (if any) sanction to impose, and therefore does not need to spend taxpayer’s money on a third party’s recommendations. If there is a factual dispute then a third party investigator would still be engaged to investigate and make findings of fact; the difference is that the City would cease to keep someone on a monthly retainer waiting for a complaint that may or may not come, and instead only bring in a qualified investigator as and when the need might arise.”
If passed, this change would only apply until March 2022 and the next Council would be tasked with deciding how they wish to handle complaints.
Face Covering Bylaw (3rd reading)
This is the update that passed 1st & 2nd readings two weeks ago to increase clarity around the definition of “face covering” to match provincial recommendations, and to require businesses to display signs outlining bylaw requirements.
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.
