Last weeks - May 2022
I haven’t written about my activity highlights yet this month because our schedules have been packed. With a break from Council meetings next week, it gives a bit of a chance to catch up!
Activity highlights
UDI/CHBA Dinner: Pre-covid, Council would meet with the local Urban Development Institute and Canadian Home Builders Association annually to help build relationships and share priorities. For the first time since 2019, we were again able to meet to get a sense of the development market and to share our needs as a municipality.
Youth Advisory Committee Meeting: These meetings have quickly become one of the highlights of my month. For our May meeting, we heard a presentation from the local Jack.org chapter about youth mental health and had productive conversations about single-use items/waste, the protection of Riverlot 56, and Downtown redevelopment.
ESAB/Council Annual Meeting: I was one of at least two members of Council who were unable to attend this meeting with our Economic Sustainability Advisory Board. I’m thankful for these advisors as St. Albert enters the most challenging economic environment in recent memory, with residents and businesses alike reeling from increased pressures and the prospect of a 7% municipal tax increase in 2023.
Homeland Housing: In addition to my regular meetings with the CEO and vice-chair, I also had the privilege of touring Château Mission Court. It’s a beautiful residence with fantastic staff & it makes me proud as a Homeland Housing board member. (And they have nesting ducks in the courtyard!)
Homeland Housing Governance Committee: This is the last Governance Committee meeting, where we finalized the details of our regular CEO performance review. We have exceptional committee members and a high-performing CEO, so this was a refreshing process to evaluate the organizational successes over the last two years.
Joint City/School Boards Annual Meeting: Like the meeting with developers, this is the first meeting with school boards since before covid. As a parent of school-aged children, I’m particularly aware of the pressures being put on school boards and the pressing need for the province to fund the construction of a new high school in particular. St. Albert Public Schools has seen record-setting kindergarten registrations over the last years and our current high school capacity is insufficient to address this growth. Further, reductions to the amount of land is allocated to municipalities (from 15% to 10% of a development) for uses like parks, schools, trails, etc. has further pressured our system - Unlike when past high schools were built, we have limited space where they fit. Thankfully, the servicing on our west-side lands will soon provide the kind of space required for a high school, although the proximity to Bellerose and St. Albert High means that students in the almost-built-out NE will likely have to bus west for school. This was a productive meeting in terms of improving understanding the needs and limitations of both school boards and the municipality.
Agenda Planning: As the chair of one of Council’s standing committees, I attended the May 10 Council Agenda Planning meeting. We have a heavy schedule over the next few months.
EMRB Welcome to the Region event: Delayed due to the pandemic, this was the first all-member Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board event of the term. My favourite takeaway from this event was from a presentation by Chief Arcand. I love the reminder that our role is to understand the paths of those who came before us, and to make a better future for our children and grandchildren who will live on this land after us.
Appointment of the new CAO: After an exhaustive search that included many meetings with the recruiter and several interviews with exceptional candidates, I'm delighted that Bill Fletcher has accepted the CAO position with the City of St. Albert. I look forward to working with Bill starting next month!
This is a brief and incomplete overview of my activities as a councillor and Council 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. Residents can register to speak if they have information to present to council. Full agenda packages can be found on the stalbert.ca website.
