Last week + Meetings week of November 1, 2021
It has been a busy couple weeks!
Last week highlights
Council orientation: As I mentioned in my last post, we wrapped up the first phase of training to get our new councillors ready to jump into governance roles in a highly regulated environment. This was different from our 2017 orientation in that it was a hybrid virtual/in-person series, which allowed some speakers and councillors to attend virtually. Although it’s unfortunate that we haven’t all made it into the same room yet, I’m glad we have access to technology that lets everyone participate while prioritizing the health/safety of all participants, including staff.
Homeland Housing: As Chair, my work with Homeland continues normally. We are preparing for our first meeting of the new term, including welcoming and bringing new members up-to-speed on the organization and our responsibilities as a board. Although St. Albert Council hasn’t appointed me back to the board, my best guess is that we will to ensure continuity at a time when about half the board members will be brand new. I was also pleased to receive a letter from Minister Pon (the provincial Minister of Housing) this morning approving our plan to renovate a new head office building - We’ve grown significantly over the last year and expect to continue to grow to accommodate growing need for supportive and affordable housing in the region.
Arts Advisory Committee: I was only able to attend the first part of the Arts Committee meeting this week, but it was great to catch a presentation for an Amplify Committee member. It will be interesting to see how the 2021-25 Council will invest in arts over this term, particularly in term of its value for creating vibrancy at a time when business and community need special attention in our pandemic recovery efforts.
Interview with Le Franco: I managed a 15-minute interview entirely speaking French for Alberta’s French news outlet! Every time I give an interview or presentation in French, I'm so thankful for the patience of those who let me use my second language. We're incredibly fortunate in St. Albert to have such a strong Francophone community and I'm grateful that my French immersion education allows me to participate in these vibrant conversations.
Meeting with Campus St. Jean Students Association: It was great hearing about the opportunity for the province to take advantage of significant funding from the federal government to support minority-language education. As a former student, I see incredible value in giving the gift of language to our students.
Organizational meeting highlights
The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled on November 1 at 6pm at the Arden Theatre, with the org meeting to follow.
2021 Meeting Schedule
We’re tentatively planning to continue to schedule Council meetings at 2pm, every second Monday afternoon. Standing committee meetings are expected to continue for the second Monday of the month at 9:30am and 1:30pm. I suspect that Council will discuss whether these times/schedules work for us in the next six months, at which point we may see changes.
Deputy Mayor Roster
For now, we’ll continue to assign a rotating DM roster, with each councillor taking 2 months per year. I’m tentatively expected to be DM for January/February.
Special Council Meeting & 2022 Budget Introduction
On November 2, we’re scheduled to start at 2pm with a Special Meeting to vote on whether we support Mayor Heron’s application to be the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association Board Chair. The AUMA is instrumental in municipal advocacy and education in Alberta, so this appointment would give the St. Albert perspective a big voice at this provincial table.
Following the Special Meeting, our CAO will present the proposed 2022 budget. The budget is embargoed until the presentation to ensure the context and strategy of its creation is provided alongside the details, but I will provide an overview later next week.
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.
