Last Weeks + Regular Council Meeting November 5, 2024
Immediately following this week’s Council meeting, we’ll be heading into more budget presentations. These have gone quickly so far, likely because we’re in the last year of the term and are already very familiar with projects and priorities.
Last weeks highlights
Inter-City Forum on Social Policy Meeting: I was out in Strathcona County for this full-day meeting with representatives from across the province. It’s interesting to see that many of the challenges St. Albert is facing - limited affordable housing, increased demands for services related to homelessness, mental health and addiction, and impacts of social media and general misinformation - are rampant everywhere. This is a good group for sharing ideas & successes, and for joint advocacy.
State of the Province: I attended the State of the Province address at the Edmonton Convention Centre along with board members from Homeland Housing, Smoky Lake Foundation, and Newthorad Foundation. It was an excellent opportunity to connect with others who are committed to creating sustainable seniors housing & supports.
Meeting with Minister Nally: This was a valuable meeting with Minister Nixon’s staff, Minister Nally, Mayor Heron on behalf of St. Albert, and Raymond Cormie and myself on behalf of Homeland Housing to advocate for the St. Thomas Street affordable housing project. I’m hopeful that we’ll see shovels in the ground next spring.
Agenda highlights
Northeast ASP (1st reading)
This might be the most interesting ASP that has come to Council since I was elected. I look forward to the Public Hearing presentation because I think there is opportunity to bring some clarity around why the application is being brought forward. I might ask questions about the following:
If this area is prioritized for development 20-30 years from now, why. the push now?
Why such a departure from the MDP growth strategy & EMRB growth plan?
What impact does the high water table have on this plan?
The Natural Area Assessment reflects the previous MDP’s policy direction (not the current MDP policy direction) - What impact does that have on outcomes?
What is likely to happen if this ASP is sent to EMRB as a project so misaligned with MDP priorities?
How much is the developer proposing to up-front of the $69.7 million required to support off-site leviable capital projects? (This might be a more appropriate question when Council is asked to consider funding this project in the new year.)
I’d like to know more about the $800,000 cost to update the MDP should this pass three readings, as well as delays to the Infill Strategy, Housing Accelerator Funding projects, and implementation of the St. Albert West ASP Neighborhood Plan,
Of note, there seem to be a lot of misunderstandings about the “municipal reserve” land use designation, which was recently renamed to add clarity to our various City plans. We received many letters from folks living on Edgewater Terrace assuming that the tree stand behind them is protected. From what I understand, the landowner could raze all of them tomorrow if they chose to do so.
Edmonton Global Withdrawal
This is my motion to provide notice of withdrawal from Edmonton Global. Last year, Strathcona County, Sturgeon County, the City of Fort Saskatchewan, the Town of Devon, and Parkland County also provided notice - so they could be gone as soon as 2025. If this passes, it will provide an opportunity for the 2025-2029 Council to decide whether to stay or leave at the end of 2026. We have to pay our dues through the entire 2-year notice period, which started at about $24,000 in 2017, were up to $240,000 this year, and are expected to increase to $295,000 after municipalities listed above leave, so this would just make the decision of the next Council a bit more nimble and create an opportunity to save about $1M next term. Because our rates are fixed once we provide notice, we could also save $100,000 over the next couple of years due to the expected rate increases.
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.
