WEEKLY UPDATE - NOV 7
Welcome back to the Weekly Wrap Up. Last week was committee meetings at Edmonton City Council.
Community and Public Services was a heavy one as we reflected on the significant toll the drug poisoning crisis is having in Edmonton. We heard the names of all 118 Edmontonians known to Boyle Street Community Services that have died in the past three months alone.
The drug poisoning crisis continues in Edmonton, on the streets and in homes. Though we aren't a health authority, the City continues to work to support our community. This includes convening partners and developing an action and advocacy plan. We also heard about the work underway to empower Indigenous Nations and organisations to deliver new service models to address unsheltered homelessness. I'm encouraged by the progress to date and look forward to seeing these innovative approaches coming forward.
At Urban Planning, we focused on residential development in the downtown, including office conversions. With changes in workplace trends, focusing on bringing more residents downtown is a key part of future development. We are investigating ways we can support that transition. We asked that development permit requirements for office conversions be removed, and accelerated timelines for building permits. We're also going to be exploring different incentive options early in the new year, along with advocacy for support from other orders of government.
Executive Committee was also discussing housing, with updates on the Indigenous-led supportive housing initiatives in Edmonton. There is great work being done with partners and I'm excited for more to come with a focused Indigenous Housing Liaison.
We also saw the 5 projects that are receiving $16.7m in affordable housing grants. This will lead to the construction of an additional 276 units, including 90 in the heart of O-day'min at Williams Hall. I got a sneak peak of the space and can't wait to see what comes next!
There was also an update on Edmonton’s climate strategies, including one of the new features of reports to City Council, including environmental impacts as standard practice. It's wonderful to see this continue to be a key focus of work.
