The last few weeks haven’t been typical of the normal municipal cycle. Council attended unplanned meetings to manage emergent issues relating to the pandemic, and we continue to monitor the situation. It’s important to note that our staff also haven’t had the typical slow-down that we see in summer, prior to our extremely challenging budget season - We’re lucky to have such an incredibly hard-working and diligent team of employees who’ve managed an unprecedented season with grace.
It’s also been a busy summer as a board member of Homeland Housing, where work continues on the Morinville affordable housing project and where the province recently announced 12 new Supportive Living spaces in our Redwater facility.
Council is also permitted to return to Council chambers in-person on Monday, which is the first time we’ll hold meetings from St. Albert Place since early March. I’m not sure who will be there in person - I likely won’t decide myself until Monday morning - but I suspect there will be at least a few from Council. For anyone wanting to attend meetings in person, please email legislative@stalbert.ca or call 780-459-1632 to register your attendance.
And, on a lighter note, I experienced my favourite interview since being elected recently. Special thanks to the St. Albert Gardening Club for introducing me to mushroom cultivation - it’s been one of my favourite experiences of 2020:
Agenda highlights
Mayor's Task Force on Homelessness Recommendations ($650,000/yr + $?)
In the spring, the Community Standing Living Standing Committee recommended that Council adopt two of the three recommendations brought forward by this task force. The first is to accept the task force final report as information, and the second is to develop a project charter “to be considered as part of the 2021 budget process for the construction and operation of a new [10-room] youth transitional home”. No estimates have been made regarding the capital costs for this project, but the operating budget is estimated to be $650,000/year.
Solar Farm Business Case ($200,000)
In the spring, the Community Growth & Infrastructure Standing Committee (CGISC) unanimously recommended that Council support the development of a business case for a solar farm in the Badger Lands. The recommended motion is to set aside $200,000 for this project. (The Gazette wrote an interesting article about the proposal and the CGISC recommendation.)
Advocacy for COVID 19 testing and vaccination sites in St. Albert
Many of us are frustrated that there is no covid-19 testing site in St. Albert for residents who are symptomatic, and our Recovery Task Force is no exception. As such, they are recommending that we advocate for both a testing site and vaccination sites when they become available.
I know this advocacy is especially important as schools open up in the next couple weeks because any child who is symptomatic (including a runny nose or headache) are not permitted to attend school and are “legally required to self-isolate”. For children who are not tested, they “must isolate for 10 days from the onset of symptoms AND until symptoms have resolved (whichever is latest)” and those who are tested have to wait for their results before self-isolation is no longer required. With testing facilities only available in Edmonton, this means parents will have long drives to have these tests done. Parents without access to personal vehicles will be further burdened.
I know many residents have already started this advocacy work, and I hope to see a local testing site sooner than later.
2020 Financial Forecast - COVID-19 Facility Re-openings ($14.4M)
The 2021 budget process will be unlike anything we’ve experienced to manage our recovery. From the City:
“Forecast[s] currently estimate… the City’s [2020] deficit to be $498,000. The pandemic has created a total financial impact of $14.4 Million against the approved budget. This impact is made up of 2 major components: Lost Revenues (Recreation: $5.4M, Culture: $0.9M, Transit: $2.7M, Other: $3.7M) [and] Response Costs ($1.7M).”
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.
