It’s feels strange to say, but I hope everyone had an uneventful Christmas & New Year’s. This was a bizarre holiday season, but it brought me joy to see how so many residents found ways to celebrate without the gatherings that are normally the highlight of the season. My highlight was probably finding the biggest chaga mushroom I’ve ever seen, enough to supply my morning tea for the better part of 2021! Internal meetings start up again next week, and Council will meet again on January 11.
Last couple weeks
Homeland Housing
We have a December 31 year-end, so I was asked to come in to sign a few documents to help wrap up the year. The Homeland team is exceptional, and I look forward to what we have in store for 2021.
Redistricting Open House announcement - Midwifery
When Admin gave Council a heads-up that the St. Albert Midwives had plans to request redistricting for a residential property, I immediately asked for information about when this would become public. I posted the notice as soon as it was available and the response from the community, including those living nearby, has been overwhelmingly positive. Although my motion to allow more diverse business in residential areas failed a couple of years ago, I suspect that this particular business in a specific location will have more traction. My hope is that we’ll see high levels of participation at the open house and public hearing to ensure that we cover all bases (addressing traffic, parking, etc.) when considering this change.
Continuing education
Last year, I posted an update on my year in professional development. At that time, I said that “as a member of Council, part of my obligation to residents is to ensure that I keep bringing my best to this role, which includes participating in Professional Development.” I continued with that development with many opportunities, but two have been more involved:
Indigenous Canada
Last fall, I heard about the University of Alberta’s online course from the Faculty of Native Studies, but my plate was a bit too full to consider another commitment. After Council completed budget deliberations, however, I found myself with some extra time just before the registration cut-off for the latest session. Over the last month, I’ve completed 10/12 of the modules, and plan to complete the course over the next weeks. It is an eye-opening lesson in Canada’s colonial history, and the modern issues of Indigenous peoples. The course is available online to anyone interested.
MBA from Athabasca University
Last year, I commented that “St. Albert is a municipality with “part-time” Councillors, so I’m fortunate that my role allows for the time required to commit to this kind of program. The Athabasca program is also primarily an online/correspondence program, so it allows me to fit in my studies around my Council and family schedules.” This year, my budget with the City paid for one of my four courses from 2020, which included:
Strategy and Organizational Analysis
Ethical Decision Making
Making Sense of Organizational Change
Developing Leaders
Each of these courses has helped me better understand how the decisions St. Albert Council makes, and how the actions I take impact the well-being of our community. The last course, Developing Leaders, was particularly meaningful because it both forced myself to reflect on my strengths and shortcomings, and to consciously consider how I can better support others through their journeys.
Earlier in 2020, I was also deeply honoured to have been selected as a recipient of the 2019-2020 Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship. As someone who was never the best student in their youth, it is humbling to reach a point in my life where I’m nominated for an award “recogniz[ing] outstanding academic achievement of students pursuing graduate studies in Alberta”. Special thanks to Dr. Mark Alpern and Dr. Anshuman Khare for their support in the award process.
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 also register to speak if they have information to present to council. Full agenda packages can be found on the stalbert.ca website.
