Last week
Election 2021 post: I added a third post to my series series giving prospective candidates an idea of what the role entails and giving residents some insight on the demands of the role. This post addresses the kinds of abuses some public servants face in the course of their role. "For anyone hesitant to run because of these kinds of experiences, know that the kind and thoughtful people outnumber the cruel by a wide margin. And know that there will always be moments of exceptional kindness and accomplishment that can be your anchor."
Covid 19 update: Special thanks to City staff who responded quickly to changes in provincial Health Orders. They have also been in close contact with AHS to clarify how the Orders impact outdoor sports like pickleball and skateboarding. For the most updated information about municipal response, please visit the St. Albert website. Staff have also advised that “if a resident observes something concerning, they should report it through AHS Environmental Public Health who can be reached at 1-833-415-9179 or using the online form at https://ephisahs.microsoftcrmportals.com/create-case/”.
Decarbonizing Transportation webinar: I attended an interesting session on the transformation of the transportation industry featuring Amy Myers Jaffe, research professor and managing director of the Climate Policy Lab at Tufts University. Organizers asked “from personal transportation to long haul freight, how fast can we decarbonize, how much will be electrified vs other solutions, and what are the limiting factors affecting the pace of change?” The discussion centered on “what the transition will mean for Alberta and Canada in terms of demand for oil, changes to local transportation infrastructure, and the potential to capture a part of the new market”.
CLSC Agenda Highlights
Seniors' Advisory Committee’s 2020 Year End Report & 2021 Priorities
Our volunteer Seniors Advisory Committee (SAC) is reporting on their 2020 activities and 2021 priorities that include:
1. Current/Future impacts of COVID-19 on St. Albert Seniors; and,
2. Joint Project with YAC in creating Intergenerational opportunities for youth and seniors’ in St. Albert
These priorities are a bit different from most of our committees that centre priorities around Council’s strategic plan and the business plan, so this is a good opportunity to understand the committee’s role.
Youth Advisory Committee’s 2020 Year End Report & 2021 Priorities
Our volunteer Youth Advisory Committee is reporting on their 2020 activities and 2021 priorities that include:
a. Finalize and publish the Cultivate the Conversation Page;
b. Build a relationship with more schools to build a base in which to get feedback from the larger youth perspective;
c. Continue to work with groups like Amplify, BAM, and Jack.org to support youth in St. Albert;
d. Collaborate with the Seniors' Advisory Committee to identify shared concerns to bring to Council; and,
e. Work on projects of interest that pertain to the four subcommittees that were established: Mental Health and Disability Accessibility, Communication, Post Secondary & Education
As with the seniors’ committee, these priorities are a bit different from most of our committees that centre priorities around Council’s strategic plan and the business plan. My primary concern with this heavy workload is expectations for administrative support. I’m not sure how all the subcommittees are handled in terms of staff support, so we’ll be able to clarify staff expectations during our meeting.
I was also surprised that the committee has their own social media account and communications plan, including a presence as a committee on the City’s engagement page. This could create some conflict because of the communication guidelines in the bylaw, but again, this week’s meeting is a good way to clarify whether City staff are providing support or how these media are managed.
Bylaw Amendment Request
The Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) have requested that Council amend the YAC bylaw to specify that they meet with the seniors’ committee once per year. As these bylaws are reviewed on a regular schedule, I suspect we’ll recommend that this amendment be considered along with the next full review. Waiting would both limit work from our legislative and legal staff, but it also won’t prevent these committees from meeting as they see fit.
“Recurring” Community Events Grant Recommendations
After reviewing grant proposals, the Community Services Advisory Committee is recommending that we fund the following events for 2021/22:
1. K-40 Club of St. Albert Rainmaker Rodeo Parade ($6,500)
2. The Royal Canadian Legion - Remembrance Day Ceremonies ($1,730)
3. St. Albert Christian Ministerial Association - Community Carol Sing ($2,000)
My only concern with these recommendations is about event cancellations due to the pandemic. I’m sure the CSAC recommendations were made without consideration of covid, but I’m not sure if a cancellation impacts this process.
CGISC Agenda Highlights
YAC and SAC Recommendation - Additional Transit Route ($450,000)
Our Youth and Seniors’ committees have submitted a joint recommendation that we add a “North to South bus route in St. Albert to ease travel from one end of St. Albert to the other”. In the Administrative backgrounder, staff are recommending that we do not move forward with this recommendation both because north-south routes exist between Nakî and St. Albert Centre Exchange and the cost is prohibitive.
“The introduction of a north/south transit route traveling between Nakî Transit Centre and the northern extremes of St. Albert would represent a duplication of service that already exists. Adding the extra distance would require the deployment of an additional bus to the schedule for an annual cost of approximately $450,000 per year”.
Implications of Provincial Budget
This is a presentation from our Director of Financial Services regarding the impact of the provincial budget on St. Albert’s operations. Of note, municipalities maintain 60% of public infrastructure in the province.
“When considering the entire 3 year outlook, we are expecting a 25% reduction in capital funding from historical averages. This level of funding reduction… will have significant ramifications to our community in terms of our ability to properly maintain our existing infrastructure as well as to grow our community. A couple of years ago, we began including a funding reduction in our longer term planning in anticipation of these provincial decisions. However, the funding cuts announced on February 25. 2021, were deeper than we had planned for. While our pro-active planning has ensured that we did not over-allocate dollars for capital projects… the reduction in revenue from the Province will limit our ability to fund our capital program in the future”
Other impacts include:
1. A freeze in education property tax levies, which the city collects on behalf of the province.
2. The transfer of disaster recovery costs from the province to municipalities.
3. A 79% decrease in affordable housing funding over the next two years.
4. “An intention to cut public sector wage spending by $800 million”, which will likely impact the 30% of St. Albert residents who work in the public sector.
5. Offloading of police DNA testing to municipalities, which is about $25,000/year for St. Albert.
The Alberta Municipalities Association has published a comprehensive report on the impacts for anyone interested in more details.
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.
