Weekly Update - Nov 28

Welcome back to the weekly wrapup! While budget is big right now, there was still much going on at our Council Committees.

The week started with a discussion of the City’s draft MMIWG+ Action Plan. A number of speakers spoke powerfully about the imperative of this work for the safety of Edmontonians, and the critical role housing plays in keeping women and girls in our city safe.

We also heard about an affordable housing project built by Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers and Right at Home Edmonton at Blatchford. I’m so excited to see this addition to O-day’min’s newest neighbourhood. We also had an update on the Africa Centre, an initiative that I’m keen to see supported in the budget.

It was an exciting day at Urban Planning Committee with the first full draft of the new Zoning Bylaw. This is a transformative project that can help make our city a more inclusive and efficient community, welcoming more homes and businesses in all neighbourhoods in the city. Huge kudos to the Edmonton Planning team for the great work on Zoning Bylaw Renewal so far. The new bylaw will change what can happen on almost every property in Edmonton so now is the time to get involved! You can visit Engaged Edmonton to learn more and provide your feedback on Zoning Bylaw Renewal by December 18th.

Emergency shelter spaces this winter are of huge concern for me and many others I’ve been hearing from. On Wednesday, I was pleased to support a motion at Executive Committee to advance $7.5m to support over 200 new spaces for Edmontonians in need. The final decision will be made by Council this Wednesday and I’m hopeful we can fund these desperately needed shelter and bridge housing spaces, along with supporting services. Thanks to Jasper Place Wellness Center and Tallcree First Nation for developing this plan for our community.

We also heard a report on the Climate Resilience Action Plan, something I consider critical to our next budget as we prepare for a changing climate and do our part to take action on GHG emissions. The information was a great reminder of the urgency to act.

The week ended with Utility Committee with a report on Blatchford’s Renewable Energy Utility. I was initially concerned about the recommendation to build a non-renewable energy centre as a next infrastructure investment and asked a number of questions on this approach. The answers left me feeling confident that the planned course of action is the best way to expand the Utility and continue to support the Blatchford development.

Utility Committee also heard proposals for converting landfill off-gas to renewable natural gas - exciting stuff!

This week we’re hearing from members of the community about what they’d like to see in our city budget - the deadline to sign up is 4pm today! If you aren’t able to make public hearing, please be sure to reach out by email any time.

Thanks for tuning in, see you next week for lots more on budget!