WEEKLY UPDATE - JUNE 06
Welcome back to the (belated) Weekly Wrap Up! City Council returned from recess last week for a busy one with three committee meetings and a public hearing.
There were two rezonings in O-day’min at Public Hearing. Warehouse Park was rezoned for the future park space, marking another exciting milestone for this beautiful new greenspace in downtown. Prince Rupert also saw a rezoning for a mixed use development on the corner of 109 Street and 111 Avenue. It will be great to see this empty corner transform into a vibrant hub in our community.
At Community and Public Services Committee, we heard the second annual State of Immigration report. The report shared community-led insights on how the City can tap into the wealth of knowledge and skills being brought into our community by newcomers through our hiring processes.
Fitting for Indigenous History Month, we received an annual update on the City’s Indigenous Framework. I'm grateful to the guidance of the Elders Circle that has informed this work and the exceptional dedication of our City staff team. Learn more in this beautiful summary:
https://pub-edmonton.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=187674
Arts Council presented their exciting work. I especially appreciated the disaggregated data they provided so we can track investment in equity deserving groups and ensure that our cultural resources are going to give everyone a voice.
We heard an update on the Corporate Homelessness Strategy, which informs the City’s approach to preventing and ending homelessness. The next step will be to complete an in-depth analysis of City spending on homelessness to enable us to make best use of these resources. The Corporate Strategy will complement the community-wide plan being developed by Homeward Trust. This will also be returning to Committee in the fall and I'm looking forward to a clear roadmap for preventing and ending homelessness.
At Urban Planning, we received an update on the great work being done on hydrogen. The City is providing economic leadership by creating a reliable demand for hydrogen - a key to building the supply chain and supporting economic growth in the Edmonton region and Alberta as a whole.
We also heard an update on tree protection and renewal for Hawrelak Park. City staff clarified measures they are taking to preserve as many trees as possible. Over 700 trees will be within 5m of construction and has an individual tree-management plan. Of those 700, only 115 are likely to be removed, with an additional 82 that may be at risk due to grading changes. The remaining 550 trees will be protected throughout construction to avoid damage, with all other trees being untouched by the park renos.
I heard again that staff are deeply committed to minimising the loss of trees as much as possible, and that each tree lost or damaged will be replaced with equivalent value - for example, a single mature tree may be replaced by 3 younger trees to ensure there is no net loss. Thank you to everyone who expressed their strong commitment to tree preservation in Hawrelak Park. Trees are tremendously important to both our climate goals and creating joyful recreation spaces, and I'm grateful for the thoughtful and balanced approach being taken by City staff.
At Executive Committee, a report on the National Housing Accelerator Fund was discussed in private. The importance of affordable and supportive housing to Edmonton’s future can’t be understated and I look forward to future news about this exciting program.
That’s all for last week! If you want to talk about these topics or any others, be sure to stop by my community conversation happening tonight at 7:30pm, available online or in person at Stanley Milner Library.
