Tag: edmonton

Coming up at City Council: February 29 – March 4, 2016

Moe Banga was sworn in as the new Councillor for Ward 12 at City Hall yesterday. He handily won Monday’s by-election, earning nearly twice as many votes as his nearest competitor. “City building is a team sport,” said Mayor Iveson at the ceremony. “So it’s very exciting to welcome a new member to our team.” He also offered some advice to the new councillor. “You represent the people of Ward 12, but you serve the entire community.”

Moe Banga Swearing In Ceremony
New Ward 12 Councillor Moe Banga

Here’s my look at what Council will be discussing in the week ahead.

Meetings this week

You can always see the latest City Council meetings on ShareEdmonton.

Stanley Milner Library Renewal

A recent update on the Stanley Milner Library Renewal project says that EPL has already raised $3.7 million, including “a lead gift from a significant donor.” The total cost of the project is estimated to be $62.5 million, and EPL has committed to raising $10 million from community partners by 2020. The City of Edmonton is contributing the rest of the funding. Bylaw 17572 is being considered this week and will authorize the City to borrow $51,498,000 to “undertake, construct and finance” the Stanley Milner Library Renewal project.

epl stanley milner renewal

The new building will be “open and airy, with much more natural light, a larger children’s library and Makerspace, and a two-storey tall interactive video screen” reports Metro Edmonton. Elise Stolte reports that the new building will also feature a daycare space, three new community meeting spaces, and a much larger cafe.

Draft Policy on Enterprise Risk Management

The Audit Committee has recommended that the Enterprise Risk Management Policy C587 be approved, and that Administration report on progress by the end of the year and again in Q2 next year. Here’s the policy statement:

“The management of corporate risks through a formal enterprise risk management framework and process is key to the fulfillment of Edmonton City Council’s goals for the City of Edmonton. City Council and the City Manager share the responsibility for creating a corporate culture and philosophy that encourages identification, evaluation, and reporting of corporate risks and risk mitigation strategies.”

There’s also an Administrative Directive that says the City is “committed to identifying, assessing, managing, and reporting on enterprise risk associated with the City’s business and strategic goals in a systematic, consistent and transparent manner.”

The policy was discussed by Council last June, and is largely based on Calgary and Saskatoon’s enterprise risk management policies. If Council approves the policy, future reports that require a Council decision will include a risk section.

McDougall United Church as a Municipal Historic Resource

If Council approves this bylaw to make the church a Municipal Historic Resource, a total of $500,000 will be allocated from the Heritage Reserve Fund to pay for rehabilitation efforts. The church has also been designated as a Provincial Historic Resource and Alberta Culture has committed $750,000 to help rehabilitate the building. The total estimated cost of restoration and rehabilitation is in the range of $11 million to $16 million.

McDougall Methodist Church, Edmonton, Alberta
McDougall Methodist Church, photo courtesy jasonwoodhead23

Here’s what the Heritage Planner’s Statement of Significance says:

“The heritage value of McDougall United Church rests in its association with the establishment of early religious institutions in Alberta. It is further significant as an example of early twentieth-century ecclesiastical architecture, and for its identity as a landmark cultural facility in Edmonton.”

The earliest church on the site was “a modest wood structure” built in 1873 by Reverend George McDougall. In 1892, a second wood-frame church was built. The current structure was erected in 1910. “Over the course of its history, McDougall United Church has served not only as a place for religious worship, but also as an important social and cultural centre.”

Other interesting items

  • The Hawrelak Park Water Play Feature is in need of $1.8 million from the River Valley Trail and Park Renewal capital profile. The concept that Council supported in 2013 has “undergone significant redesign due to a change in location” and that has caused the budget to grow.
  • Bylaw 17531 will amend the Business License Bylaw to implement three of the recommendations put forward by the Body Rub Centres Task Force: new license application requirements will be added, two employees must be present at all times and one must be a manager, and practitioners may work at more than one location under a single license.
  • Community Services Committee has recommended that the CIOG award recommendations be approved. A total of $3,546,490 is being provided to 225 not-for-profit organizations in Edmonton.
  • At Executive Committee this week, Council reluctantly decided to approve the environmental review for the funicular. That means the project will move forward with a targeted completion date of 2017.
  • The terms of reference for the new Active Transportation Council Initiative are ready for approval, with Councillors Henderson and Knack leading the project.
  • Bylaw 17536 and Bylaw 17274 will allow for a new Stormwater Management Facility at 2403 51 Avenue NW.
  • Council will receive an update on the City Manager Recruitment effort on Wednesday.

Wrap-up

You can keep track of City Council on Twitter using the #yegcc hashtag, and you can listen to or watch any Council meeting live online. You can read my previous coverage of the 2013-2017 City Council here.

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #191

Congratulations to Moe Banga on winning the Ward 12 by-election this evening! You can see the full unofficial results here. The official results should be released later this week, with the swearing-in ceremony taking place Friday afternoon.

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

Protection measures in place early to prepare for wildfire season 201
Protection measures in place early to prepare for wildfire season, photo by Premier of Alberta

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

You can follow Edmonton media news on Twitter using the hashtag #yegmedia. For a great overview of the global media landscape, check out Mediagazer.

So, what have I missed? What’s new and interesting in the world of Edmonton media? Let me know!

You can see past Media Monday Edmonton entries here.

Edmonton Notes for 2/21/2016

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

The Rush Home
The Rush Home, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

Talus Dome
Talus Dome

Coming up at City Council: February 22-26, 2016

Monday is Election Day in the Ward 12 By-Election, so I’m sure Council will be paying attention like the rest of us to see who their new colleague is. I understand that the Elections Office expects the results to be posted in a large batch, hopefully by 8:30pm, so it shouldn’t take long to find who wins. The Swearing-In Ceremony for the new Councillor will take place on Friday afternoon.

Untitled
Photo by City of Edmonton

But enough about the election for now, there’s work to be done. As I wrote about back in January, a reorganization of the City Administration is slated to take effect on March 1. Mayor Iveson wrote about the reorg yesterday, and highlighted that Council will be changing its committee structure to match:

“On the City Council side of the table, we’ve also begun the process to change Council’s committee structure to support more coherent decision making and build clear lines of accountability into the departments. The new Urban Planning Committee should mean a better alignment of the City’s planning functions; City operations now report to the Citizen Services committee; and all infrastructure work will now report to the Executive Committee.”

Those changes have not yet taken effect but will soon.

Here’s my look at what Council will be discussing in the week ahead.

Meetings this week

You can always see the latest City Council meetings on ShareEdmonton.

MacEwan West Operating Models: Governance & Tenancy

Although Council approved the purchase of the MacEwan University West Campus back in November 2012 for $36 million, the transfer of the facility isn’t expected to take place until the fall of 2017 (just $5 million has been deposited thus far). To prepare, the City has established a Community Stakeholder Committee as well as a cross-departmental Internal Committee. The proposed vision for MacEwan West is “an Intercultural, Interagency Community Hub for arts, recreation, wellness and learning.”

MacEwan West
Photo courtesy of MacEwan University

The building was constructed in 1981 and contains 257,000 square feet of space, about half of which is considered available for programming (the rest is common areas, mechanical, etc). Over 80 groups initially expressed interest in being tenants or offering programs at MacEwan West. In addition to their input, research on governance, operating, and tenancy models has been completed. Three different models have been identified:

  1. Mixed Used Model – accommodates the greatest number of tenants/stakeholders with an anchor tenant occupying 30% of the space
  2. Hybrid Model – anchor tenant would occupy 50% of the space
  3. Predmoninate Single Use Model – anchor tenant would occupy over 70% of the space

Under the first two models, the City would be responsible for ongoing maintenance and renewal costs, estimated at $1.6 million annually. Under the third model, the City would consider selling the facility to the large tenant, but would “would retain the parkade for future LRT development.”

The next steps are to establish a Tenant Selection Committee, finalize a tenant selection process and criteria, report back to Council in Q4 with a “recommended tenancy structure, governance model and operating model,” and complete the MacEwan West Business Plan and budget by early 2017.

Corner Store Pilot Program Update

Back in March 2014, Council approved the Corner Store Pilot Program to “stimulate local small business growth, enhance access to local amenities and contribute to community building.” The pilot began with three sites in Ritchie, Elmwood, and Newton and has been successful enough that the City will be expanding it to five additional sites later this year. More than 100 business owners and residents in Ritche were surveyed about the pilot and they expressed strong support:

  • 88 percent of business owners feel the Corner Store program is important to their business and are confident the program will positively impact their commercial centre
  • 86 percent of community members feel the program is important to their community
  • 77 percent of community members are confident that the program will positively impact their commercial centre

The new sites “will be chosen based on the program criteria and possible alignment with the Neighbourhood Renewal program.” A total of $1.25 million has already been budgeted for “public realm enhancements” for the new sites, so no new funds are required to expand the program.

Measures of Social Return on Investment and Other Community Well-being Indicators

Last year, Council asked for an update on how Edmonton and Calgary measure social return on investment and other community well-being indicators. Both cities are working together to share information, tools, and techniques in this area. “The most common area that captures well-being indicators in both the City of Edmonton and the City of Calgary is through Family and Community Support Services (FCSS).” Edmonton and Calgary (and other municipalities) are mandated to report on outcomes for FCSS funded programs.

The overarching goal of the FCSS Outcomes Model is to enhance “the social well-being of individuals, families, and community through prevention.” In Edmonton and Calgary, three dimensions are evaluated: economic well-being, social well-being, and physical well-being:

community well being indices

Calgary has gone further and has experimented with Social Return on Investment, “an innovative, principles-based methodology and increasingly sought-out approach that assigns a financial value to a social impact that would otherwise be overlooked or misunderstood.” After pilot projects in 2008-2009, Calgary decided to offer grants to agencies that wish to complete a Social Return on Investment evaluation.

Edmonton currently has two Social Return on Investment evaluations underway, one on the “Net Analytics Pilot” and one on “The Youth Transit Access Project”. Both are expected to go to Council in the next month or so.

LRT History and Principles

How are we going to build the next phases of the LRT network? That’s one of the key questions that Council is going to have to address this year, starting with Wednesday’s discussion. “Council has laid the foundation for the next phases of LRT expansion with a principle-based plan,” the report says, highlighting The Way We Move, the Valley Line planning process, and the LRT Network Plan.

“Globally competitive cities recognize the importance of an integrated transportation system that gives people choices of where to live and how to move around the city. LRT is an investment in Edmonton’s future, a critical asset for a modern city with a transportation system and land-use choices that meet the needs of a diverse, dynamic and growing population. LRT is one of the most efficient modes of transportation: a single light rail track can carry up to 20,000 people per hour compared to a freeway capacity of 2,000 vehicles per hour per lane. As demonstrated by cities around the world, modern LRT can help shape cities, communities and neighbourhoods, with LRT often becoming the focal point for new mixed-use development.”

Funding for the southeast leg of the Valley Line LRT has been approved and construction is slated to take place through 2020. But what about the other legs? Based on direction from Council a year ago, Administration has initiated the LRT Prioritization Study to “provide a recommendation for construction staging of the remaining unfunded portions of the LRT network.” One of the first deliverables from that is the LRT Prioritization Evaluation Critera. Will Council be able to agree on an order that makes sense for Edmonton, or will Councillors push their own areas of the city above all?

LRT Network Plan

The report goes on to note that “the cornerstone of the plan is Urban Style LRT” which encourages transit-oriented development, reduces construction costs, and “strengthens the City’s integrated transportation network.” While this report only deals with the prioritization of LRT, it should be noted that other complementary work is already underway, such as the development of a new Transit Strategy.

Active Transportation Council Initiative

City Council already has an expansive list of 24 initiatives but it has decided to add another one. The new Active Transportation initiative is slated to proceed through the end of the current Council term and hopes to achieve “heightened awareness of the Active Transportation options available to Edmonton’s citizens and the benefits of active, healthy living, recreation, and sustainable communities” and “education for users of Edmonton’s transportation systems about their rights and responsibilities, including drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians”, among other things. Currently the initiative lacks both a budget and Councillor sponsors.

Other interesting items

  • The list of CIOG Award Recommendations is now available and totals $3,546,490 that will be provided to 225 non-profit organizations.
  • An update on the Urban Beekeeping Program says that 31 beekeeping sites have been approved and licensed and that no complaints have been received about those sites.
  • Deloitte was contracted in October 2014 to conduct a review of the City’s programs and services for developing or redeveloping community league facilities. They made a number of recommendations that the City is now proposing to action including a draft Tripartite License Amending Agreement “that would reduce the risk to the City and community leagues, as well as support the future sustainability of community league facilities.”
  • One report looks at the impacts of the Provincial Budget on community organizations and says that “although the Province increased funding to the Family and Community Support Services in 2016, the City continues to advocate for further funding increases for 2017-2018.” The report also highlights that “increasing unemployment throughout Alberta is resulting in an increased need for social services, especially in larger urban centres such as Edmonton.”
  • Thus far the Edmonton Public Library has raised $3.7 million for the Milner Library Renewal project. They need to raise a total of $10 million by 2020 to support the revitalization of the downtown branch, which the City is contributing $52.5 million toward. You can learn more about the plans for the library in the Make it Possible! document.
  • An update on efforts to protect and preserve the McDougall United Church says that urgent repairs using provincial funding are underway and that “a bylaw to designate the McDougall United Church as a Municipal Historic Resource is expected to be brought to City Council for consideration on March 1, 2016.” The total cost of restoration and rehabilitation could be up to $16 million “in the immediate to short term.”
  • Council is being asked to approve an Environmental Impact Assessment and Site Location Study to advance the River Valley Mechanized Access project, commonly known as the funicular. An open house and online survey held last year found that “approximately two thirds of the respondents were supportive of the project.” Council has already approved $34.4 million for the project.
  • Proposed amendments to the zoning bylaw would reduce the minimum parking requirements and otherwise increase the flexibility of passenger pick-up/drop-off spaces to facilitate the expansion of child care services.
  • The LRT Governance Board’s fourth semi-annual report is now available and covers the period from July 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015, during which the board convened five times.
  • A detailed report on the Mill Woods Double Barrel Replacement/SESS SA1B project is on the Utility Committee’s agenda. The project is “one of the largest and complex capital drainage projects undertake by the City of Edmonton in over 35 years.” The City has run into challenges though, and the original $56.9 million budget has grown to $91 million. In order to complete the project by August 2017, Admin is recommending another budget adjustment, which would bring the total to $96.5 million. One of the lessons learned here is the same as what came out of the Metro Line debacle: “Regular communication to Council and citizens on the status of the project and more frequent updates when experiencing issues.”
  • Council is being asked to support appointing a City representative to the board of the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance. “The City has provided grant funding to the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance in the amount of 25 cents per capita.”

Wrap-up

You can keep track of City Council on Twitter using the #yegcc hashtag, and you can listen to or watch any Council meeting live online. You can read my previous coverage of the 2013-2017 City Council here.

Danisha Bhaloo is the right choice for Ward 12

Much has already been said about the large number of candidates running for Council in next week’s Ward 12 by-election. Choosing from 31 names is certainly daunting, but fortunately there are some quality candidates to consider. Irfan Chaudhry has run a solid campaign and would bring a strong focus on diversity and inclusion to Council. I continue to be impressed by Lincoln Ho‘s passion for Edmonton and his thoughtful ideas. Moe Banga would bring solid credentials in addressing crime & safety. But there’s one candidate who I believe stands out as the right choice for Ward 12. And that’s Danisha Bhaloo.

danisha bhaloo

After receiving her BA in Criminology from the University of Alberta, Danisha went on to become Alberta’s youngest Probation Officer. She made the move to the not-for-profit sector shortly thereafter and for the last few years has been the Manager of Fund Development with Boys & Girls Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton. BGCBigs is an organization Danisha has a lot of history with. “My teenage years were difficult,” she wrote in 2013, but thankfully her mother enrolled her in the Big Sisters program. Danisha credits the experience with helping her overcome the challenges she was facing at the time.

Danisha’s experience has fueled her committment to improving the lives of Edmonton’s children and families ever since. I first got to know Danisha when she was the President of the Youth Restorative Action Project and Director of the Inner City Children’s Project. I found her to be very driven and compassionate. She has continued to make important community contributions in the years since, joining the Edmonton John Howard Society board, the Edmonton Opera board, and the University of Alberta Senate, among many others. The common thread throughout her work has been a focus on community and ensuring others have the support and opportunities they need to lead happy, healthy lives here in Edmonton.

Along the way, Danisha has earned a number of awards and honors. In 2009 she was chosen to receive the Distinguished Nominee for the Ron Wiebe Restorative Justice Award by Correctional Services of Canada. She was named one of Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 and one of Edmonton’s Sizzling 20 under 30 in 2013. And in 2014 she recieved the Alumni Horizon Award recognizing “the outstanding achievements of University of Alberta alumni early in their careers.” This is just a small snapshot of the recognition she has received.

“My life, both professionally and personally, centers around improving the lives of children and families in our community. That’s what keeps me motivated,” she said in a 2014 interview.

I think Danisha has run a solid campaign. She has heard from residents about the need for crime prevention and community safety and she understands that different parts of the ward experience these issues differently. Danisha is supportive of building LRT and of ensuring that Ward 12 has great connections to the Valley Line. She’d also like to review DATS and has spoken about the important work of the Transit Strategy review that the City is currently conducting. She views the cultural diversity of Ward 12 as an asset and something to be celebrated. She is supportive of the service review that Council has asked for, but understands the need for balance.

I really like Danisha’s position on public engagement and the fact that she has joined one of the working groups as part of the Council Initiative on Public Engagement. “We need to be as diverse in how we connect with Edmontonians to reflect the diversity of Edmontonians themselves,” she wrote in response to my survey on the issue.

Her position on women’s issues is also encouraging. She agrees with many of us who feel that we need more women in leadership positions throughout the city and her approach to achieving that is focused on mentorship and leadership. “I will look for ways to ensure we are asking the tough questions of ourselves for the agencies and boards to which we appoint Edmontonians,” she responded, “where we have opportunities in the City to mentor strong female leaders, and set a good example of leadership on this issue for members and organizations in our community.”

I don’t agree with Danisha on everything. She’s a little more sympathetic to the taxi industry than I am, and I don’t think she’s tough enough on the issue of police spending. But what’s important is that she is able to have a healthy, constructive debate about these and other issues. Danisha is open to new ideas and information, and she’s willing to consider alternative perspectives. These are important skills and attributes that any City Councillor needs to have in order to work collaboratively to get things done for Edmontonians.

danisha bhaloo

It’s true that Danisha does not live in Ward 12. She did grow up in the ward and does still own property there, however. I asked Danisha about this and her position was that the ward is very diverse, so living in one neighbourhood doesn’t mean you automatically understand the needs and challenges of the others. Whether you live in the ward or not, you’re going to have to work hard to represent your constituents effectively. My preference is definitely for a Councillor to live in the ward that he or she represents, but it’s not a deal-breaker for me. What’s more important is, can they do the job and are they willing to put in the work? I think the answer for Danisha is a clear yes.

I believe Danisha is in this race for the right reasons. She’s running to contribute to her community and to help move Edmonton forward. The reason that Danisha was first to announce her candidacy was because this is not a decision she made on a whim. This is not just a stepping stone for her. This is a logical step forward in a career built on public service.

I do think increasing the cultural and gender diversity of City Council would be a good thing, but I don’t believe we should accept candidates less suited to the role just to achieve that. Fortunately with Danisha, that’s not an issue.

Amarjeet Sohi represented Ward 12 very effectively during his time on Council. He brought important leadership and perspective to the table, both for his constituents and for all Edmontonians. No candidate should seek to fill his shoes, but should instead bring their own ideas, strengths, and abilities to the table. I know that Danisha will do all of that and that Ward 12 residents would be very well represented if they chose her as their Councillor. I also know that like Amarjeet Sohi, Danisha will consider the bigger picture in serving as a member of City Council.

If I were voting in Monday’s election, I’d be voting for Danisha Bhaloo.

A closer look at the issues Ward 12 candidates care about

I’ve been looking through all the Ward 12 candidate websites (well, those that have websites) to find information on their platforms. As expected there are a few common themes, but not a lot of detail.

I’d say the top three issues that candidates talk about is community safety, transportation, and fiscal responsibility. Nearly every candidate says they want to reduce crime, improve roads or transit or both, and ensure citizens receive good value for money. Quite a few candidates mentioned reducing or eliminating poverty and/or homelessness, but never as a top priority.

Ward 12 By-Election Signs

Most candidates mention the Valley Line LRT one way or another. Some like Brian Henderson highlight the importance of LRT expansion, while others like Jag Gill say that the Valley Line needs oversight to ensure it is completed on time and budget. Don Koziak would “reallocate LRT funding to improve vehicular traffic flow.” David Staples spoke with a number of candidates on this issue, as did Vue Weekly.

I thought that the Vehicle for Hire issue would come up more, but only Moe Banga, Dan Johnstone, Nav Kaur, Balraj Manhas, and Nicole Szymanowka mention it on their websites. Many candidates shared their thoughts on Uber with Metro Edmonton, however.

Some eye-catching ideas include Mike Butler‘s “sky train idea”, Dan Johnstone‘s pledge to donate $10,000 of his salary, and Jason Bale‘s pledge to spend just $100 on his campaign. Shani Ahmad, Sam Jhajj, and Balraj Manhas, and Steve Toor all talk about fixing potholes. Mike Butler, Jag Gill, and Dan Johnstone all mention photo radar and either reviewing or banning the program.

A few candidates went with a slogan. Nick Chamchuk‘s is “Cold Hands & Feet, Warm Heart”. Lincoln Ho went with “Keep. Moving. Forward.” Yash Sharma‘s slogan is “People Living in Harmony”. And Preet Toor chose “Moving Forward for Better Communities”.

There are four candidates that actually provided some details behind their platform priorities. It’s one thing to say that you support improving transportation, for instance, and quite another to provide some ideas on how you’d go about doing that. I certainly don’t agree with all of the ideas presented, but I appreciate that these candidates made the effort to go a bit deeper.

Jason Bale wants to increase the fines for speeding in school zones, implement free 24-hour public transit, install city-wide video surveillance of public areas, and bring esports to Edmonton to boost tourism. If elected he would work to establish a cap on the amount election candidates can spend. I like his idea for saving money on signs, but unfortunately the weather hasn’t been cooperating: “In lieu of producing costly lawn signs, I am asking my supporters to write ‘100’ in the snow in front of their homes and businesses.”

Irfan Chaudhry would work to create incentive-based structures within agreements to ensure projects are complete on time and budget. He would work with EPS and the Chief’s Advisory Council to improve public safety. He would support creating share social spaces (such as community gardens) and would work with universities and colleges to enable the donation of unused U-Passes to the “Donate a Ride” program. He would work on developing “Edmonton for All”, a strategic plan for making Edmonton a welcoming and inclusive city, and he’d help Administration establish a Local Immigration Partnership Council.

Lincoln Ho has perhaps the most specific and wide-ranging list of priorities. He wants to establish text-to-911 for everyone, widen major roads and add additional access points to the Anthony Henday, add trams to the public transit mix, and utilize land along the Anthony Henday for urban farmland and large scale community gardens. He’d also like to implement free transit to the river valley, create specially designed parks/playgrounds for pets, vary speed limits on Whitemud Drive, and use traffic circles instead of traffic lights in new developments.

Steve Toor wants better lighting for pedestrian crosswalks, more citizens involved in neighbourhood watches, more thorough snow removal in school zones, to reduce or cap bus fares, to create more park ‘n ride locations for the LRT, to add more bus routes into newer areas, and to reduce interest rates.

If “progressive issues” are your jam, then check out the analysis from Progress Alberta. If you think gender diversity and women’s initiatives are importance, check out the Women’s Initiative survey. Metro Edmonton asked candidates for their thoughts on the police budget. And in case you missed it, here’s my candidate survey on Edmonton as an open, transparent, accountable, and engaged city.

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #190

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

More than $10 million in funding announced to support non-profits, jobs provincewide 110
Ricardo Miranda, Minister of Culture and Tourism, announces $10 million in funding to support non-profits, photo by Premier of Alberta

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

You can follow Edmonton media news on Twitter using the hashtag #yegmedia. For a great overview of the global media landscape, check out Mediagazer.

So, what have I missed? What’s new and interesting in the world of Edmonton media? Let me know!

You can see past Media Monday Edmonton entries here.

Edmonton Notes for 2/14/2016

Happy Valentine’s Day! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

Stand With Ghosts
Stand With Ghosts, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

Lunar New Year in Chinatown
Lunar New Year in Chinatown with Councillor McKeen, the God of Fortune

Coming up at City Council: February 15-19, 2016

It has been a couple of months since my last “Coming up at City Council” update – time to get back into the routine. Thanks to everyone who has provided positive feedback on this series!

Untitled
Photo by City of Edmonton

Here’s my look at what Council will be discussing in the week ahead.

Meetings this week

You can always see the latest City Council meetings on ShareEdmonton.

Infrastructure Report Card

Every year the City compiles an annual inventory of its infrastructure. The report for 2014 is now available while the 2015 inventory is still under development. The 2014 Report indicates that the City’s replacement value for all of its infrastructure assets is $42.8 billion. Of that, $29.4 billion is drainage and road right-of-way, hence the phrase “roads and pipes”.

infrastructure value by asset 2014

The average state and condition of the City’s assets are as follows:

  • 57% of the City’s assets are in good or very good physical condition, 30% in fair condition and 13% in poor or very poor condition
  • 65% of the City’s assets have very good demand/capacity, 19% have fair demand/capacity and 16% have poor or very poor demand/capacity
  • 79% of the City’s assets have good functionality, 9% have fair functionality and 12% have poor or very poor functionality

How does that compare to other municipalities? “In comparison to national averages in the 2016 Canadian Infrastructure Report Card, the City of Edmonton generally has fewer assets in good and very good physical condition and more assets in fair condition.”

There are lots of charts and other information in the report, which you can read here (PDF).

ETS Bus & LRT Review

Well this report from the City Auditor is just depressing. I use transit and want to support ETS, but this just makes it extremely difficult to do so. The auditor found that “the reliability of service has been declining” and worse that “actions being taken to address reliability issues (i.e., on-time performance and overcrowding) are not improving the overall system performance.” Combine that unreliability with the cost of transit (which just went up yet again) and the value proposition isn’t very appealing. The single cash fare in 2011 was $2.85 and today it’s $3.25.

ets reliability

This chart shows that:

  • “Adherence to service schedules has declined from 2012 to 2015.”
  • “The best overall performance period was in the June to August period. In 2012, 74% of service was on-time. In 2014, performance declined to 69%.”
  • “The worst performance was experienced in the December to January period. In 2012, 60% of service was on-time. In 2014, performance declined to 58%.”
  • “The 90% performance target for arrival was not achieved in any time period measured.”

Why is the performance so bad? ETS says it is “a reflection of an increase in the number of persons with mobility devices and strollers, construction activity, and increased traffic congestion on city streets.” Sounds like a lot of excuses to me. On top of that, they suggest that operating budgets did not include funding to address these issues.

Capacity issues are also a problem. “In total there were 1,328 pass-by incidents reported in 2014,” the report notes. “Bus Operators estimated that more than 21,700 customers were affected.” While the current ETS fleet meets “the majority of ridership capacity needs” the report notes that “35% of customers rated overcrowding as unsatisfactory.”

Here are the auditor’s three conclusions:

  • ETS services are generally delivered in an efficient and economical manner when compared to other public transit organizations.
  • Service reliability expressed in terms of on-time performance was lower in 2014 than in prior years.
  • A lower percentage of ETS operating expenditures are funded by revenues than for comparable public transit organizations, single ride cash fares are comparable to that of other public transit organizations, and monthly pass prices are below average for comparable organizations.

You can find the auditor’s report here and Administration’s response here.

Designating the Molson Brewery as a Municipal Historic Resource

Bylaw 17507 “is to designate the Edmonton Brewing and Malting Company Ltd. Building as a Municipal Historic Resource and to allocate financial incentives for its restoration.” This bylaw is ready for three readings.

Molson Brewery Building, Edmonton
Photo by Connor Mah

Here are the details:

  • “The heritage value of the Edmonton Brewing and Malting Company Ltd. Building, built in 1913, consists in its association with the formation of the brewing industry in Edmonton and Alberta, its functional, yet artistic design, and its association with Chicago architect Bernard Barthel.”
  • “The Province has initiated the process to designate the building as a Provincial Historic Resource.”
  • “A payment of $417,550 annually over a ten-year period will be made to the owner to encourage the designation of the Edmonton Brewing and Malting Company Ltd. Building as a Municipal Historic Resource in accordance with City Policy C450B.”
  • “Annual rehabilitation grant payments of $417,550 will be made from the Heritage Reserve Fund to the owner starting in 2016, and will extend to 2025. However, the owner will be required to complete the identified rehabilitation work to the building by December 31, 2021.”
  • “The total estimated cost of the restoration portion of the project for the Edmonton Brewing and Malting Company Ltd. Building is over $8,350,999. Other non-heritage work is estimated at another $3,590,462.”

Great to see this moving forward!

Other interesting items

  • A review of the City’s Debt Management Policy finds that it “is consistent with debt management practices in other Canadian cities.” I wrote about Edmonton’s debt back in 2013 during the municipal election.
  • Executive Committee has recommended that the funding agreement between the City and EEDC for the Edmonton Film Fund be approved. They also voted on February 2 to have Administration, the Edmonton Arts Council, EEDC, and industry work together to develop “a preferred model to replace the Film Commission.”
  • Bylaw 17527 is an amendment to the Zoning Bylaw to “add Urban Gardens, Urban Outdoor Farms and Urban Indoor Farms to additional zones.” Council approved the three new classes back on October 19, 2015 as well as the zones they apply to. Additionally, they asked for special area residential zones like Terwillegar to allow Urban Gardens and for Commercial Shopping Centre zones to allow Urban Farms, which is what this bylaw will allow, among other minor changes.
  • As of February 4, there are 34 recommendations from the City Auditor outstanding, 10 of which are overdue. Administration has completed 13 recommendations since November 2015 and has provided an update on recommendations that are more than 6 months overdue.
  • The Coin Processing Audit report suggests that “the City’s coin processing operations are effective in mitigating the risk of mismanagement of City cash” and that “the services Coin Processing Operations provides are economical compared to other municipalities.”
  • Council’s furniture budget remains unchanged for 2016 at $11,278. Only $3,073 of last year’s budget was spent.

Wrap-up

You can keep track of City Council on Twitter using the #yegcc hashtag, and you can listen to or watch any Council meeting live online. You can read my previous coverage of the 2013-2017 City Council here.