Edmonton Minute: Council Returns, Councillors Retiring, and Outdoor Gatherings Permitted Again

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

This Week In Edmonton:

• City Council gets back to work after the break, with a City Council Executive Committee meeting at 9:30 am today. They'll be discussing a status update on the Contaminated Sites program, writing off some uncollectable property taxes, and a report about building project incentives, amongst other things.
  
  
• The Urban Planning Committee will meet at 9:30 am on Tuesday to consider infill compliance and fire protection, while the Community and Public Services Committee will meet at 9:30 am on Wednesday to consider realigning some community league funds, deal with basketball event sponsorship, and receive a verbal report on the immediate financial needs of The Orange Hub, a not-for-profit space on the west side of the city.
  
  
• Good news! Starting today, the Province has deemed that it will no longer be illegal to go on a walk with your neighbour! Outdoor social gatherings of up to 10 people will be allowed, while personal services such as haircuts and pedicures will also be permitted to reopen but only by appointment. Unfortunately, restaurants and gyms are not included in the reopening, and their reopening date has likely been delayed a second time, past the already-revised January 21st date, as Premier Kenney said they would receive one week's notice and there's been no news yet.

Last Week In Edmonton:

• Ward 6 Councillor Scott Mckeen announced that he will not be seeking a third term as Councillor, leaving the door open for a newcomer. He joins Michael Walters (Ward 10) and Ben Henderson (Ward 8) in announcing they will be stepping down at the election.
  
  
• Residents raised concerns that emergency access to the Maple Crest neighbourhood in the east end of the city is insufficient after the fire department was delayed in responding to a call by a train crossing the main route in and out of the neighbourhood. A secondary emergency road is unpaved, which does raise some interesting questions about the roles and responsibilities of developers versus the City.
  
  
• No fewer than six Edmonton Police Service cars were involved in a collision with each other, with the cars all being one behind each other prior to the incident and, somewhat embarrassingly, no other vehicles involved. Two vehicles sustained minor mechanical and body damage, three had minor body damage, and one was undamaged.

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