Edmonton Minute: Zoning Renewal, Debt Limits, and More LRT Cracks

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

This Week In Edmonton:

• There will be a Community and Public Services Committee meeting this morning at 9:30 am. On the agenda is a public report regarding options and implementation plans for Enhanced Vehicle Noise Enforcement. The Committee will also discuss public reports about Refugee and Newcomer Housing, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Action Plan, the potential relaunch of the Africa Centre Facility Project, and community-initiated proposals for off-leash dog parks.
  
  
• On Tuesday, there will be an Agenda Review Committee meeting at 9:00 am, followed by a meeting of the Urban Planning Committee at 9:30 am. The Urban Planning Committee will discuss a Transit Service Equity Analysis and the opaquely named “Zoning Bylaw Renewal Report #5”. This proposed bylaw is intended to reduce the number of standard zones by half, from the current 46 down to 23. Maps, more information, and a public feedback mechanism are available online. We’ll be providing further information on this issue in the coming weeks.
  
  
• On Wednesday, there will be an Executive Committee meeting at 9:30 am, which will consider the “Edmonton Edge Fund” - meant to be a non-repayable grant to corporations looking to make investments in Edmonton. The Committee will also consider designating St. Luke's Anglican Church as a Municipal Historic Resource as well as discuss key projects for “Climate and Resiliency Mitigation.” Finally, on Friday there will be a Utility Committee meeting at 9:30 am to consider the proposed 2023-2026 Waste Services Utility Budget.

Last Week In Edmonton:

• A Shigella outbreak in Edmonton’s inner city resulted in 115 people being hospitalized. In October, faced with rising cases of the disease, Alberta Health Services reached out to the City of Edmonton to develop a coordinated response. A task force meets weekly and includes representatives from inner city shelters, agencies, and partners. Shigella is an infectious disease seen in developing countries or after earthquakes, disasters, or floods, when conditions don’t allow for proper hygiene. With homelessness roughly doubling during the pandemic in Edmonton, more people are susceptible to infection.
  
  
• City Council voted unanimously to increase the City of Edmonton’s debt limit after a Statutory Public Hearing. Administration recommended that the Debt Management Fiscal Policy be updated to establish a new internal debt limit and revised internal debt servicing limits. The change will allow the City to undertake additional borrowing. Hold on to your wallets!
  
  
• A new assessment found that 30 of the 45 concrete pillars supporting elevated sections of the Valley Line LRT are cracked. In August, it was revealed that 18 of the pillars were cracked, and about a month later, that total was up to 21. The project is nearly two years behind schedule and the design of the internal steel reinforcement within the piers has now been found to be inadequate, which resulted in the cracks. No timeline has been provided for the repairs, but at this rate it will be sometime in 2057.

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