On The Agenda

• Councillors are set to learn more about how the City of Edmonton would respond to an emergency situation at an emergency advisory committee meeting on Dec. 12. The committee will be asked to approve the municipal emergency plan, which has been comprehensively updated for the first time since 2021. The new plan includes a preliminary evacuation plan, which is the first step toward a full evacuation plan that’s required due to changes in the provincial Emergency Management Act. It also includes changes that expedite agreements between Edmonton and other municipalities for large-scale evacuations, like those that occurred during the wildfire seasons of 2023 and 2024.
• Councillors have requested $55,500 to attend conferences and other meetings in 2026, according to a report set to be presented to council services committee on Dec. 12. Travel and registration fees are funded by a budget the 12 councillors share, which is $73,000 in 2026. Coun. Keren Tang and Coun. Mike Elliott has each requested to attend the Calgary Stampede in June at a cost of $2,000 and $3,000, respectively. Coun. Jon Morgan has requested to attend three Canadian Urban Transit Association events at a total cost of $13,000. There is $17,500 set aside for all the councillors to attend the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in Edmonton in June.
• Councillors have requested a total of $11,578 for new office furniture, according to a report set to be presented to council services committee on Dec. 12. Office furnishings like workstations and chairs are funded by a budget the 12 councillors share, which is set at the first council services committee meeting of the year. The requests would result in a negative balance of $300, but the report said some requests would be able to be billed to the 2025 fiscal year.
• Administration is scheduled to present the external auditor’s 2025 report to council’s audit committee at a meeting on Dec. 10. The report details KPMG’s plan to audit the consolidated financial statements of the City of Edmonton for 2025.
• Administration will present the proposed boards of directors and budgets for the city’s business improvement areas for 2026 at a council meeting on Dec. 8.
• Council is scheduled to receive a private update on an unspecified event and on a confidential negotiation at a council meeting on Dec. 8.
• Councillors are set to learn more about how the City of Edmonton would respond to an emergency situation at an emergency advisory committee meeting on Dec. 12. The committee will be asked to approve the municipal emergency plan, which has been comprehensively updated for the first time since 2021. The new plan includes a preliminary evacuation plan, which is the first step toward a full evacuation plan that’s required due to changes in the provincial Emergency Management Act. It also includes changes that expedite agreements between Edmonton and other municipalities for large-scale evacuations, like those that occurred during the wildfire seasons of 2023 and 2024.
• Councillors have requested $55,500 to attend conferences and other meetings in 2026, according to a report set to be presented to council services committee on Dec. 12. Travel and registration fees are funded by a budget the 12 councillors share, which is $73,000 in 2026. Coun. Keren Tang and Coun. Mike Elliott has each requested to attend the Calgary Stampede in June at a cost of $2,000 and $3,000, respectively. Coun. Jon Morgan has requested to attend three Canadian Urban Transit Association events at a total cost of $13,000. There is $17,500 set aside for all the councillors to attend the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in Edmonton in June.
• Councillors have requested a total of $11,578 for new office furniture, according to a report set to be presented to council services committee on Dec. 12. Office furnishings like workstations and chairs are funded by a budget the 12 councillors share, which is set at the first council services committee meeting of the year. The requests would result in a negative balance of $300, but the report said some requests would be able to be billed to the 2025 fiscal year.
• Administration is scheduled to present the external auditor’s 2025 report to council’s audit committee at a meeting on Dec. 10. The report details KPMG’s plan to audit the consolidated financial statements of the City of Edmonton for 2025.
• Administration will present the proposed boards of directors and budgets for the city’s business improvement areas for 2026 at a council meeting on Dec. 8.
• Council is scheduled to receive a private update on an unspecified event and on a confidential negotiation at a council meeting on Dec.8.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• Edmonton City Council has approved a 6.9% property tax increase for 2026 following four days of budget deliberations. The budget passed with an 11-2 vote - Councillors Mike Elliott and Karen Principe were opposed. This is higher than the 6.4% increase initially proposed and includes funding for tourism marketing, transit cleaning, new buses, and additional peace officers for traffic safety. Council also approved $7.3 million for road upgrades in west Edmonton in partnership with the provincial government and Enoch Cree Nation, as well as expanded use of the derelict residential tax subclass to encourage property revitalization. The City says the tax increase addresses structural budget variances caused by high costs, rapid population growth, and changing service needs. Tax assessments will be released in January, with notices mailed in May.
• During budget debates, Councillor Aaron Paquette proposed a plan to restore $64.5 million to the City’s financial stabilization reserve, which would have pushed taxes above 9% this year but lowered increases in future years - his motion was defeated 12-1. Funding for Explore Edmonton was approved 8-5, with Councillors Reed Clarke, Thu Parmar, Karen Principe, Michael Elliott, and Mayor Andrew Knack voting against. Councillor Karen Principe also proposed several motions to cut spending and reduce taxes, including reallocating funds from contractual items, vandalism control, and the EPCOR dividend, but all were defeated.
• The Emergency Advisory committee meets on Friday this week to review the City’s updated 2026 Municipal Emergency Plan, a major revision that adds new evacuation planning requirements, updated emergency social services standards, and streamlined procedures aligned with recent provincial legislation. The meeting includes a full briefing on how Edmonton manages prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery efforts during disasters such as wildfires, floods, hazardous materials incidents, and large-scale evacuations. A key spending item is the requested budget increase for the Emergency Management Program, including six additional full-time staff positions costing $927,074 annually to meet new provincial requirements and support emergency readiness. Council members will also receive mandatory training updates required under Alberta’s emergency management regulations.
• The Edmonton Police Service has become the first police agency in the world to test Axon’s new body-worn cameras equipped with facial recognition. Up to 50 officers will use the cameras in a month-long trial to evaluate whether the technology can accurately match faces captured on video with EPS’s existing database, including individuals flagged for safety concerns or with serious outstanding warrants. The system runs in “silent mode,” meaning officers will not receive real-time alerts. Instead, specialized staff will review footage afterward to assess accuracy and operational impact. EPS says all facial-recognition still images will be deleted after testing, with video retained under standard rules. Officials describe the trial as an exploration of whether the technology can enhance public and officer safety, while stressing it will not replace human judgment. Results will be reviewed by the Edmonton Police Commission in 2026, and a Privacy Impact Assessment has been submitted to the provincial commissioner.
• The Alberta government has entered negotiations with the top-ranked bidder to redevelop the former Royal Alberta Museum site in Edmonton’s Glenora neighbourhood. The move follows a shift from last year’s plan to demolish the vacant 1967 building and convert the area into park space. Six proposals were submitted, three met provincial criteria, and one has now advanced to early negotiations. The building currently costs about $700,000 annually to maintain and carries an estimated $225 million in deferred maintenance and renovation needs. Community groups and local MLAs have long urged preservation of the structure, pointing to strong public support in earlier surveys. The Province says more details will be released if negotiations succeed, with the option of approaching the next-ranked proponent if required.