Edmonton Minute: Budget Debate, Public Input, and a Draft Waste Plan

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

This Week In Edmonton:

• Today, as we mentioned in our email yesterday, 9:30 am through to 5:30 pm, there will be a Non-Statutory Public Hearing about the City budget where ordinary citizens will be able to tell the City Council what they think about the City’s proposed 2022 budget. With the operational budget somewhere north of $3 billion for this year, we think it’s time to find some savings and urge our supporters to show up and make their voice for fiscal restraint heard! If you’re interested in going, see our blog post, where we explain how to sign up to present!
  
  
• Tuesday there will be an Agenda Review Committee from 9:00 am to 9:30, followed by a Council Meeting from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm which should deal with a number of in-camera (in secret) items and begin the budget deliberations on the Fall Capital and Operations budget adjustments. If this meeting doesn’t conclude then (and it most likely won’t), it will continue on Wednesday from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm and next week too.
  
  
• Finally, on Friday, there will be an Audit Committee Meeting from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm to discuss some housekeeping items as well as presenting the following audits: Electrical Services Contracts Management, Historic Resources Management Program, and Reserve Funds Governance and Management. Once we read the audits, we will be sure to let you know of any juicy details we find.

Last Week In Edmonton:

• The City published a draft waste plan that would eliminate many single-use items, such as plastic bags, styrofoam containers, and straws. The City is also considering charging a fee for disposable cups. This draft plan is part of Edmonton’s strategy to divert about 90% of solid waste from landfills over the next 25 years and will come before the Utility Committee for more debate early next spring.
  
  
• The Edmonton Public School Board said it will allow parents to enroll children in online learning for the rest of the school year, if they so choose. Originally, the plan had been to allow online learning in the first half of the school year, but the ongoing COVID issues prompted the Board to revisit the decision.
  
  
• More than 21,000 appointments were booked for 5 to 11 year-old children to receive the COVID vaccine in Edmonton in the first week it was available. The provincial government has said that (for now, at least) children in this age group won't be subject to the vaccine passport and won't be required to show proof of vaccination to enter "non-essential" businesses.

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