WEEKLY UPDATE - DEC 12
Welcome back to the Weekly Wrap Up! Lots of important items came forward last week at our last committee meetings of 2023.
At Community and Public Services we heard about lessons learned from the 2017 Plan to End Homelessness. It was great to reflect on the successes that were achieved while also acknowledging the challenges faced, including the need to shift to emergency response during the pandemic. The report affirmed the power of the coordinated community action plan and identified areas that can be further strengthened moving forward. I look forward to more robust conversations as the new plan comes forward in the early 2024.
There was also incredibly good news in the Community Property Safety Team’s update. Derelict homes cause a huge negative impact in our communities and I was delighted to see the success the teams have had tackling this issue. There's been a 31% decrease in property fires in this first year alone! That is a huge improvement in addressing major safety concerns for neighbours. The Community Property Safety Team's work is a great example of how the City can make targeted investments that provide huge returns. I'm grateful to the leadership of Edmonton Fire Rescue Services and all the partners that made this phenomenal work possible.
We also received the Q3 update on the City’s Response Plan to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, as well as the MMIWG2S+ Action Plan. It was a great opportunity to reflect on the steps we continue to take along the path set out in our Indigenous Framework.
Committee also included a discussion of our enforcement resources. Ensuring we have enough personnel to uphold City rules is key in creating the community we want to see. Our current system is largely complaint based, which can put the burden of reporting on Edmontonians. I'm excited that Committee made a motion to bring back staffing options to our next budget conversation. This will give us a chance to fund more positions that can make sure we have the staff to do proactive monitoring and respond more quickly to concerns that are submitted.
At Urban Planning Committee, we had a robust discussion about District Planning. We heard from 30 Edmontonians who shared their input, and we had a chance to ask City staff a range of questions. My biggest takeaway from the conversation was the importance of providing clear information in the District Plans. I made a motion to make a number of changes before the Plans come back to public hearing. The changes are intended to make District Plans more user friendly, to avoid confusion in the future, and to create a shared understanding of what change may look like in our neighbourhoods.
We also saw recommendations from the Edmonton Transit Advisory Board on how we can increase ridership on ETS. It affirmed the need for ongoing investment in service reliability, safety, and cleanliness - all areas of focus for Council. Thanks to ETSAB members for their work!
At Executive Committee, we had the first annual report on the Chinatown Strategy. It was a good opportunity to hear how the Chinatown Transformation Collaborative has been working to advance the Strategy, and the areas they'll be focusing on in the year ahead.
We also discussed our policy for affordable housing on surplus school sites. I was pleased to see the streamlining of these policies that will help us meet our minimum target of 16% affordable housing in all neighbourhoods across Edmonton. The City's Welcome Homes campaign is a great reminder of why access to affordable housing is so critical in our communities. Be sure to check out the personal stories that show how affordable housing makes home possible.
See you all next week for the last Weekly Update of 2024!
