Last week + Committee meetings November 22, 2021
Last week was a whirlwind - With a Council meeting on Monday, Budget 2022 conversations with community groups on Tuesday, and the Alberta Municipalities (formerly AUMA) conference on Wed/Thurs/Fri, it meant the weekend was a bit of a catch-up on emails & reading.
Budget Conversations
Some members of Council met with the Chamber of Commerce, members of the non-profits supported by municipal grants (SAIF, the food bank, etc.), and then representatives from our advisory committees about St. Albert priorities, including what we should invest more in, and where we should invest less. We also have options for members of the public to weigh in on priorities on our Cultivate the Conversation Budget 2022 page.
Alberta Municipalities Conference
Mayor Heron, councillors Brodhead and McKay, and I attended the Alberta Municipalities conference in Edmonton. Congratulations to Mayor Heron for being elected the new president of AU! It’s been a few years since I last commuted into downtown every morning, but it was a valuable three days.
AU conference highlights included:
Demystifying Drug Decriminalization: This was a learning session talking about the impact of dated drug policies that are not only costly to the public system - policing, health, etc. - but also result in harm to those dealing with addictions and their loved ones. Vancouver & BC, and groups like Moms Stop the Harm are leading the way to address the addiction crisis. One comment about the commercialization of recreational drugs from the Moms group that stood out to me was “alcohol and cannabis are not well regulated.” The benefits of safe supplies, plain packaging & no advertising for drugs (including alcohol and cannabis) are compelling.
Address from both the Premier and Leader of the Opposition: These were interesting, especially the response of the room to hot-button issues. Both talked about the curriculum, the proposed replacement of the RCMP with a provincial police force, EMS, the importance of collaboration with municipalities, and the provincial covid-19 response.
Questions for provincial ministers: These were hard to sit through because most answers skirted around the questions, but it was interesting hearing the reactions from the room (including applause, banging on tables, gasps, etc.) for certain issues that municipalities are facing. Hot-button topics included provincial downloading, the curriculum, EMS, the proposed provincial police force, rising opioid poisonings, and affordable housing. With the assistance of our fantastic staff, I asked Minister Luan:
St Albert believes all orders of government need to formalize partnerships and sustained financial commitments to provide appropriate housing options to Albertans, as housing rights are human rights.
As one of Albertas mid-sized municipalities, and one of the largest in the Edmonton Metro Region, we’ve consistently been overlooked by the Federal and Provincial governments to address homelessness and appropriate housing.
With your Ministry having budgeted $193 M annually over the next 3 years, will you commit to a regional funding approach to address chronic houselessness in areas outside of the 2 Big Cities, as issues do not stop and start at municipal boundaries?
As expected, my yes-no question was not answered, but it was reassuring to hear support from representatives of municipalities across Alberta when I asked the question. Most of the challenges facing St. Albert are shared by municipalities throughout the province.
Climate Crisis: This was a learning session talking about the role of municipalities in addressing challenges related to climate change, including emergency response preparedness, infrastructure and supply-chain resilience, and GHG reductions.
Connecting with councillors: As with any conference, some of the most significant value comes from meeting council members from across the province and learning from their experience. This week, I had great conversations with Chris from Grand Prairie (who spearheaded an edible yard policy!), Rachel from Okotoks (who is contemplating Reconciliation activities in her community), Chad from Black Diamond (who is involved in a friendly annexation with their county), and many others. I’m thankful for everyone willing to share their experience.
CLSC agenda highlights
Community Capital Grants
The Community Services Advisory Committee is recommending that St. Albert Minor Hockey Association be awarded $15,000 for their Automatic Video Streaming Cameras project.
FCSS ($541,697)
These are grants for preventative social services, supported by both provincial and municipal funding. It’s interesting to see that many groups asked for less funding than in 2021, and that the Community Services Advisory Committee (CSAC) is recommending more funding than requested for one group. CSAC recommendations:
Big Brothers Big Sisters: $64,229 (same as 2021/as requested)
Community Village and Food Bank Community Liaison: $70,550 (-$7,000 from 2021, as requested)
Community Village and Food Bank Income Tax Program: $1,000 (new, as requested)
St. Albert Family Resource Centre Family Life Education: $157,615 (-$3,000 from 2021, as requested)
Further Education Association Newcomer Connections Program: $43,556 (+$20,000 from 2021, $10,000 more than requested)
Outloud for LGBTQ Community Supports & Services Outreach Services: $84,495 (+$8,000 from 2021. $24,000 less than requested)
Seniors Association Senior Supports and Services: $65,752 (-$8,000 from 2021/as requested)
Stop Abuse in Families Society SAIF Education: $12,500 (-$48,000 from 2021/as requested)
Stop Abuse in Families Society Youth Counselling: $42,000 (new/as requested)
Outside Agency Grants ($594,738)
These grants are to support the operation of local non-profit organizations. With two new organizations on the list and a limited budget, I suspect it was challenging for the Community Services Advisory Committee to make these recommendations:
St. Albert Bereavement Fellowship $7,668 (highest eligible amount, same as 2021)
St. Albert Housing Society $44,650 ($20,000 less than request, same as 2021)
St. Albert Seniors Association $219,285 ($60,000 less than request, same as 2021)
St. Albert Victim Services Association $66,515 (as requested, same as 2021)
St. Albert Community Village & Food Bank $110,675 ($3,00 more than 2021, as requested)
Stop Abuse in Families (SAIF) $21,400 (half of request, half of 2021)*
Michif Cultural Connections Company $9,697 (as requested, same as 2021)
St. Albert & District Further Education Association $30,303 (about half of request, $7,000 more than 2021)
St. Albert Family Resource Centre $19,155 (as requested, $25,000 less than 2021)
Outloud Foundation for LGBTQ Community Supports & Services $16,290 (new, half of request)
Kaleo Collective Ltd. $21,415 (new, $7,000 less than requested)
Visual Arts Studio Association of St. Albert (VASA) $27,685 ($4,000 less than requested, same as 2021)
*The SAIF recommendation is the only one that I significantly question. As we heard in our last RCMP report, domestic violence has taken a sharp rise in St. Albert and I am concerned about lowering the funding for the organization that supports residents in these situations.
CLSC agenda highlights
Property Tax Relief
Every year, our taxation department receives requests to have taxes or penalties for late payment waived. Administration can waive these only if they’re made an “error, omission, or misrepresentation”. Council, however, may “cancel, reduce, refund, or defer all or part of a tax” as per the Municipal Government Act. St. Albert’s Tax Relief policy stipulates that when considering requests, we must consider “Fairness & equity to all taxpayers… Sustainability of municipal revenues… Simplicity, transparency, and efficiency of the tax levy process… [and] Predictability and stability”. Permissible reasons for tax relief include compassionate grounds, but exclude a failure to receive notice, payment errors or delays, natural disasters, non-tax related charges, demolitions, and structural fires. This agenda item is a presentation of the policy.
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 register to speak if they have information to present to council. Full agenda packages can be found on the stalbert.ca website.