Edmonton Minute: Board Positions, Schools Back, and COVID Restrictions Extended

Edmonton Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Edmonton politics

This Week In Edmonton:

• City Council's break continues, with no Council meetings and only one Committee meeting - an Agenda Review Committee on Tuesday - scheduled for this week. Having said that, an unscheduled meeting can always be called, as happened with a hastily-arranged Special Council Meeting last week to deal with a candidate nomination issue and a vacancy on a City board.
  
  
• Speaking of City boards, the City is recruiting members for its advisory boards and commissions, including the Public Library Board, the Design Committee, GEF Seniors Housing, the Combat Sports Board, and more. These are volunteer positions, but are a real chance to influence at least one area of City policy. The deadline to apply is January 17th. If you do apply, let us know!
  
  
• Despite continued COVID restrictions (see below), schools are set to return for in-person classes today. A government spokesperson said that the delayed return was meant to reduce the impact of any exposures over the holidays, that the ministry is following the advice of Dr. Deena Hinshaw, and that they are ready to make changes to the re-entry plan if needed.

Last Week In Edmonton:

• Adam Laughlin, Interim City Manager, delivered a COVID-19 update which covered vaccination progress, who should be next in line for vaccinations, and whether or not City festivals such as Folk Festival will be able to go ahead this year - no decision has been made either way on the last point.
  
  
• The City announced its plans for modernizing Edmonton's garbage collection program. Green waste and regular garbage carts will be rolled out to single-detached and some multi-housing units, starting in March. Residents can get a standard bin as default or opt for a smaller bin. Some uncertainties remain though, as the closure of the City’s composting facility has left it with a lack of capacity to deal with organic waste.
  
  
• The provincial government, many fresh off their beach trips to Hawaii, announced that for the rest of us, the current COVID restrictions will continue for another two weeks. "I know this is particularly frustrating to hear all of this right now when you’ve seen news stories about politicians and political staff travelling abroad," said Premier Kenney. Frustrating indeed!

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