WEEKLY UPDATES - FEB 13

Welcome back to another weekly roundup!

Last week at Public Hearing a new 6-storey apartment was approved in Oliver. It’s always great to see more of the missing middle being built in the core!

Community and Public Services Committee had a full agenda. As I talked about last week, we had with Dr. Sikora from Alberta Health Services on the public health care impacts of homelessness. It was a great reminder of the need for housing and supports for all Edmontonians.

I was excited to see the five outstanding initiatives that received anti-racism grant funding. This included a women and gender based violence prevention by the Africa Centre YEG, and empowerment for undocumented Edmontonians by Alberta Workers Association for Research and Education, support for BIPOC experiences of mental health by CMHA Edmonton, the Rainbow Home for LGBTQS+ newcomers by Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, and facilitating intercultural connections by the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues. These projects will help build wellbeing in our communities and make Edmonton a place for everyone!

We heard a report from the Edmonton Police Commission requesting bylaw changes that would help address the unlawful selling and use of bear spray in our community, something I'm supportive of.

In another report, I also asked about the opportunity to incorporate restorative justice processes for Peace Officer conduct reviews. This will be considered as part of a broader review taking place and I look forward to exploring these opportunities further.

At Urban Planning Committee, we talked about the Boulevard Gardening pilot program. I was delighted to see the great success of this first year with over 200 Edmontonians signing up across the city, but I noticed that there wasn't much uptake in our higher density areas. It turns out folks currently have to go through their condo board or property manager to apply for gardening space. I advocated for apartment and condo dwellers to be able to apply directly - I'm hopeful this will lead to more gardens springing up in the heart of #yeg this season. I look forward to further iterations to make this program even more streamlined in the future. A huge thank you to the @CityofEdmonton staff that made this program possible. Check out more about boulevard gardening on the City of Edmonton website.