WEEKLY UPDATE - SEP 16

Welcome back to the Weekly Wrap Up! Last week saw a number of important conversations at City Council.

At Public Hearing, we approved a new historic resource in Wîhkwêntôwin, preserving the Dame Eliza Chenier Residence. I’m really looking forward to seeing this restored and brought back to use. Another rezoning in Wîhkwêntôwin at Jasper House was postponed to Oct 1 - more to come!

At City Council, we received the mid-year budget update. Some of the numbers are concerning, and we are currently trending towards a deficit. Staff are working on addressing the shortfall and avoid adding more pressure to Edmontonians. We’ll be tackling these challenging financial realities when we debate our budget later this fall. I’m committed to staying focused on addressing our current challenges without putting off necessary investments that will only cost us more in the long run.

Council also debated membership for the Edmonton Police Commission. Currently, two Councillors (myself included!) are appointed to the Commission. A suggestion was made that two Edmontonians be appointed instead. It was a great conversation that highlighted the trade-offs of each approach. I see value in having Councillors on Commission. We’re connected to community needs and challenges through our work every day, which provides us with insights we can bring forward to Commission.

On the other hand, empowering individual Edmontonians to take direct part in the decision making process at the Commission is another way that we can elevate community voices. I’m glad we’ve maintained the flexibility to take either approach as both have merit.

And speaking of Commission membership, we’re currently recruiting! Applications are open now until this Sunday. If you are passionate about community safety, please consider applying!

https://recruitment.edmonton.ca/job/50277/Edmonton-Police-Commission-Member

Thanks as always for tuning in, have a great week ahead!