Edmonton Minute: Police Reimbursement, Tree Inventory, and a Housing Task Force

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

This Week In Edmonton:

• This morning, at 9:30 am, there will be a Public Hearing. On the agenda are a number of zoning amendments and changes to Neighbourhood Structure Plans. A proposal to permanently implement a Clean Energy Improvement Program is also up for discussion. In March 2022, the City launched the program as a pilot, and it was fully subscribed shortly after. An estimated $20 million from 2024 to 2027 is needed for the permanent program, supporting approximately 300 residential and 16 non-residential projects.
  
  
• On Tuesday, at 9:30 am, there will be a meeting of City Council. On the agenda are several reports, including the 2023 Edmonton Police Service Annual report, the 2023 Annual Report and 2024 Work Plan of the Edmonton Salutes Committee, and the Waste Services Spring 2024 Supplemental Capital Budget Adjustment, among others. Council will discuss Fort Edmonton Management Company’s loan request of $1.5 million to offset the amount that the Company was required to pay back to the Canada Revenue Agency after they were deemed ineligible for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidies during the pandemic. There are also a number of private reports on the agenda, including a collective bargaining update and a Councillors Budget Review Task Force Recommendation Follow Up. Should this meeting not finish on time, it will continue on Wednesday at 9:30 am.
  
  
• Mayor Amarjeet Sohi is reaffirming the City's commitment to their single-use plastic bylaw despite the recent victory by our friends at Common Sense Calgary in getting theirs repealed. Sohi said it doesn’t make sense to repeal it at this point. We disagree. If you’re with us, be sure to sign the petition calling on Council to Stop The Plastic Ban!

Last Week In Edmonton:

• Mayor Amarjeet Sohi unveiled a new task force aimed at housing and homelessness issues during his annual State of the City Address. The 16-member task force, named the "Community Mobilization Task Force On Housing And Homelessness," includes Councillor Erin Rutherford, housing developers, and representatives from social agencies and the University of Alberta, and aims to implement actionable solutions rather than studying the issues. No one from the Province was included. The task force has a $3.5 million budget in “seed funding” to identify and implement solutions to the housing emergency declared by Council in January. Sohi emphasized the importance of community involvement and noted that the task force will focus on unlocking that community knowledge.
  
  
• The federal government said it will reimburse the Edmonton Police Service for more than $785,000 in costs incurred during Pope Francis' 2022 visit. While designated as a "major international event" with RCMP leading security, EPS contributed to joint intelligence and operational security planning during the Pope's stay, with personnel expenses comprising over 90% of the total costs. Public Safety Canada is expected to make an initial payment of $667,386 to Edmonton, with the remainder pending an expense audit by a third party.
  
  
• It was reported that, in the spring of 2020, the combined worth of Edmonton's trees amounted to nearly $2.7 billion. The City keeps a detailed registry of approximately 380,000 trees located on public spaces such as boulevards, roads, and parks, a fraction of the total 12.8 million trees estimated to be in Edmonton. This tree inventory is updated regularly by City staff, who assess half of the City's tree population each year for health and growth metrics. The valuation of each tree is calculated using an industry-standard formula that factors in replacement costs along with the tree's size and health condition. The most valuable individual tree is a laurel leaf willow on Mackenzie Drive NW, appraised at $109,552.39. More information about the tree inventory is available online. Imagine if Council could be so studious and detailed regarding potholes!

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