WEEKLY UPDATE - MAR 20
Welcome to the weekly roundup.
Last week was a deeply tragic one for our community and my thoughts remain with all those affected. For those seeking more information, the Edmonton Police Service is providing regular updates on the investigation on social and traditional media.
Earlier in the week, there were a number of important decisions made at City Council that I wanted to highlight.
At Public Hearing, we saw three rezonings move forward in O-day’min. I’m pleased that there will be opportunities to welcome new neighbours to Oliver, Boyle Street, and Central MacDougal.
Council heard an update on our Truth and Reconciliation Commission Action Plan. As part of that, we declared Sept 30 a formal civic holiday for National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. This addresses TRC Call to Action #80 and helps us continue on the path of reconciliation.
We also welcomed the winners of the WAVE YEG Parity Essay contest to Council. I’m lucky to have three of these wonderful young people as mentees. Over the past weeks, I’ve enjoyed learning from them and sharing the work of City government with a new generation of leaders.
Big infrastructure changes are also moving forward, with bylaws passed to move forward on the renovations of Hawrelak Park and the High Level Bridge. These landmarks are iconic parts of Edmonton and I look forward to seeing them restored and improved.
Speaking of big infrastructure projects, we also had an update on the Edmonton capital budget. Scaled by expenditure, 99.8% of City capital projects are on budget, and 80.5% are on schedule. A huge thank you to all the City staff who are continuing to build our city.
We are also moving forward with greater investments in affordable and supportive housing through the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Third Round of the Rapid Housing Initiative. These are very exciting investments from the federal government that will help us house hundreds of Edmontonians.
That’s all for this week’s weekly roundup - thanks again for tuning in.
