WEEKLY UPDATE - MAR 24
Welcome back to the Weekly Wrap Up! Council's on a spring recess this week but last week was a busy one!
At Council we received the year end report for our capital and operating budgets. Dedicated work from City staff saw us end the year effectively even, avoiding the $30m deficit that was projected in the fall. I'm grateful to everyone who worked so hard for this outcome!
We also heard a report about transit safety. While the vast majority of transit rides happen without incident and crime has been decreasing, perceptions of safety have been stuck at around 60%. I'm keen to explore a mix of strategies to improve both people's experience and sense of safety.
I moved a motion that would see more Peace Officers, along with enhanced cleanliness and vibrancy in stations. City staff will be coming back to our next Council meeting to share more details on what this could look like. I look forward to further conversations to build on the safety improvements in recent years. Thank you to all the ETS employees, TPOs, EPS, security guards, cleaners - and the record number of riders - who all play a key part of safe transit!
Downtown was also on the agenda with the extension of the Downtown Community Revitalisation Levy. This has served as a vital source of funding for projects that have built up downtown with beautiful parks, exciting amenities, and more attractive streets. We voted to apply to the Province for an extension to the CRL with new catalyst projects, like the Winspear Expansion, LRT station upgrades, and Event Park. Extending the CRL allows us to invest in these necessary projects and new opportunities with the benefit of roughly $150m from the Province.
I know some are skeptical. I supported a motion for an independent analysis of these projects to be part of the Public Hearing process in June. This will allow Council and Edmontonians to see how the value of each project weighs out. I look forward to everyone's input and a robust conversation!
That’s all for this week, hope you are enjoying the start of spring!
