SCOW Agenda Highlights
The Standing Committee of the Whole meets Tuesday for a few discussions.
“Restricted” Products (Cannabis)
This is a recommendation from Admin to change our bylaws so that cannabis retailers are no longer required to cover their windows from the outside. This recommendation came about starting last summer when I reached out to staff to ask:
Regarding the removal of the AGLC policy requiring that cannabis retailers cover windows and clause 14.1(2) of our Business License Bylaw saying that "No Person shall display a Restricted Product at a place of Business such that the Restricted Product is visible from outside the place of Business.":
1) Have St. Albert businesses experienced any of the robberies cited by AGLC as the reason for this change?
2) Would businesses or the Chamber like our bylaw changed to increase safety/reduce opportunities for crime?
3) If businesses in nearby communities no longer have this requirement, do we have an opinion about whether we risk attracting the crimes that will be less convenient in cities without this restriction?
The Admin response advised that there had been robberies in St. Albert, and that businesses do have security concerns about having opaque windows related to staff safety. Some retailers had already removed window coverings at the request of AGLC inspectors, in contravention of St. Albert bylaws. St. Albert RCMP also provided the following recommendation, which contributed to the administrative recommendation to remove the requirement for windows to be covered:
Business Licence Exemptions for Private Curriculum-Based Educators
It was recently discovered that, technically, someone who is hired by a school to provide educational services (special art project, etc.) is required to hold a St. Albert business licence. As this requirement has never been followed and as requiring a licence would be a barrier to attracting guest educators to schools, Admin in collaboration with St. Albert Public Schools, is recommending that we update our bylaw to exempt persons/organizations who are contracted by local school boards to provide curriculum/educational-based instruction from requiring a licence.
St. Albert West ASP
As a continuation of the discussion about priorities for an Area Structure Plan (ASP) for the lands in the NW, “Administration is seeking feedback… in relation to the setback from Carrot Creek and the north shore of Big Lake, as well as a discussion regarding the City’s needs within the City-owned Badger Lands and Lakeview Business District”.
Regarding “Environmental Reserve” (ER) - or undevelopable lands - bordering Carrot Creek:
“If no additional studies are conducted… the development limits are set at the greater of 50m from the top-of-bank, 30m from the waterbody, or the 1:100 year flood line... With additional studies, this development line may be altered… ER at this stage is approximately 184 ha (455 ac)”
Regarding “Municipal reserve” - or the maximum of 10% of developable lands reserved for municipal use (parks, trails, school or recreation sites), administration is proposing a couple of options to extend the undeveloped space bordering the creek: 1. 20m abutting the ER line. 2. 50m abutting the ER line. These are both viable options, but the second would significantly limit the amount of park/other municipal use in the rest of the area.
Municipal Naming Policy
We’re starting this discussion with an in-camera meeting with the consultants. followed by a public presentation about findings and recommendations coming out of a project to re-write our dated Municipal Naming Policy, which directs how we name municipal assets like roads, parks, buildings, etc.
The team also explored the possible impact of renaming a municipal asset. What was found was:
· There are minimal costs to update city signage, especially if it is done as part of
operational upgrades (street signs, park signs, etc),
· Municipal renaming does not require condo boards or businesses to change their
name,
When specifically renaming streets:
· Alberta Registries generally waive the cost of updating drivers’ licenses as the change
is initiated by the City and Canada Post (much like the annexation),
· There is no cost to update mailing addresses in land titles, and
· Postal codes remain the same, as such Canada Post will provide free mail forwarding
for one-year post change.
The resulting recommendations from this project propose to continue naming assets after people, which I find disappointing, but does set clearer criteria for how names are approved and/or removed.
· Names can be submitted by anyone…
· Names and themes may be in any language, with priority to Indigenous languages,
· Perceived difficulty to pronounce a name is not a reason to exclude a name from consideration, and associated pronunciation and communication tools will be developed to assist and ensure proper pronunciation, and;
Municipal Asset Names shall reflect:
· Local geography or topographical features,
· Flora, fauna, or natural features,
· Traditional usage, ways of knowing, and cultural/historic elements/events of Indigenous peoples,
· Generic words that represent the community, or
· Commemorative names which align with the Naming Criteria.
Commemorative names must meet at least 2 of the following:
· Belong to an Equity Deserving Group,
· Demonstrates excellence and exceptional dedication to service,
· Volunteers or gives care to the community,
· Fosters quality and reduces discrimination,
· Risks their lives to save or protect others,
· Outstanding achievement in their profession, and or,
· Exceptional contributions to the community
Commemorative names shall not:
· Be discriminatory or derogatory,
· Represent a person, group, or action that results in a harmful experience or oppression,
· Results in inappropriate acronyms,
· Duplicate another asset, or
· Detracts from the integrity of the community.
One of my questions regarding the criteria for commemorative names is how comprehensive will research on a name be to determine if it meets the proposed criteria and the cost for resources to undertake this research.
As for changing or removing names, the recommendation is that anyone can request a name removal, which will be considered by a Naming Committee with members from City departments and external cultural/historical experts. I’m concerned about how we’ll manage this as so many of our assets are named after people - politicians notably - whose values would be unacceptable by today’s standards. Lucien Boudreau, for example, is a former mayor who is known to have been the only MLA-equavalent who opposed the Alberta Equal Suffrage Act, which gave women of European descent the right to vote. Boudreau’s comments about a ‘woman’s place’ were hair-raising, even for the times, but I haven’t heard about anyone in St. Albert being concerned about continued harm from his name being so prominently displayed in St. Albert.
I’m also a bit mystified about why there isn’t a specific recommendation about the Grandin name in this administrative report as this was explicitly discussed as a priority when we passed the motion directing that this work be undertaken - I’ll be asking if there is a recommendation, or if the renaming process is expected to apply to this specific situation as well should the new bylaw be passed.
Special Council Meeting Highlights
This is mostly an administrative/housecleaning meeting, but still important topics, and is time-sensitive due to reporting requirements.
Preliminary Year End Surplus & Reserve Transfer
Administration is recommending. that the 2022 Municipal operating surplus (~$2.3M) is transferred to the
Municipal Land and Facilities Reserve, which is a small dent in our needs for ongoing development of commercial and industrial lands. Alternatives include putting all or part of these funds in the Capital Reserve, which is also in need in terms of our longer-range capital plans. I suspect that questions (and possibly proposed amendments) will be around the possibility to use these to reduce the short-term tax burden.
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.
