Edmonton Minute: Building Costs, Public Sandboxes, and Budget Talks Begin

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

This Week In Edmonton:

• Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, a day to support causes that make a difference. If you appreciate the work we do and want to help us continue advocating for common sense at City Hall, we’d be grateful for your support. We don’t usually make an explicit ask in these emails, but given that we’re a non-profit and don’t take a dime of government funding, we rely on your support to keep us going. Every donation, big or small, makes a difference. If you’d like to contribute, you can do so by clicking here. Thank you!
  
  
• There will be a meeting of City Council this morning at 9:30 am, continuing on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at the same time, if required. The purpose of the meeting(s) is to debate the budget. Recall that the City has proposed an 8.1% hike! Business groups, including the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce and BOMA Edmonton, are urging Council to find cost savings during budget adjustments to alleviate the tax hike. They presented recommendations focused on cutting non-essential services and investing in downtown development, which they claim could generate significant economic returns.
  
  
• Mayor Amarjeet Sohi is proposing a budget plan that aims to reduce the tax increase from 8.1% to below 6%. His plan focuses on maintaining core public services, enhancing City cleanliness, supporting low-income transit programs, and fostering industrial growth. To fund these initiatives, the proposal includes reallocating utility revenues, cutting the neighbourhood renewal program by $15 million, and replenishing the City's Financial Stabilization Reserve. Sohi is also advocating for a return to branch-level budget reviews and a streamlined approach to decision-making and policy development. He is calling on the provincial government to restore grants for property taxes on provincial buildings.

Last Week In Edmonton:

• In response to the City of Edmonton reducing the number of public sandboxes, several community leagues have decided to manage their own sandboxes this winter. The City's plan to centralize the program, cutting over 600 locations, has led leagues in neighbourhoods like Elmwood Park, Sherbrooke, and others to take action. These leagues are either maintaining their own sandboxes or arranging for sand delivery, often at their own expense. The City’s decision followed a 2021 audit and aims to reduce costs, though some residents and community leaders argued that the cuts could pose a safety risk. Volunteers from the leagues have been making frequent trips to refill the boxes.
  
  
• A new report revealed that building fire halls and recreation centres in Edmonton is more expensive and time-consuming compared to nearby communities. The study, commissioned by the City, highlighted various cost drivers, including extensive policies and the City's commitment to green construction. For example, Edmonton’s Fire Station No. 31, built to net-zero standards, cost nearly three times as much and took five years longer to complete than a similar station in Leduc County. The report also compares the costs of pool rehabilitation projects, with Edmonton’s Hemingway Pool expected to cost significantly more per square metre than St. Albert’s Fountain Park Pool.
  
  
• The City has proposed a new policy to better support its growing migrant community. The policy, which has been developed over three years, aims to improve access to municipal services for migrants and foster partnerships to address their needs. As of 2021, immigrants make up 32.5% of Edmonton's population, with immigration being a key factor in the city's projected growth. Migrants have expressed concerns about challenges in accessing services, employment, and cultural integration, and the proposed policy seeks to address these barriers.

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