Reg Rygus

ON THE AGENDA

Stephanie Swensrude

This week, councillors will discuss priorities for infrastructure renewal as well as how capital projects impact future operating costs.

There is a utility committee meeting on June 22, a public hearing on June 23, and an infrastructure committee meeting on June 24.

Here are some key items on the agenda this week:

• Administration has listed sections of roads and bridges that it would like to prioritize for some level of renewal in the 2027-2030 budget cycle. Arterial roads can receive a paving treatment, a paving treatment with concrete or base repairs, or, for the roads in the worst condition, a full reconstruction. Administration said it recommends focusing on paving treatment for the upcoming cycle. This may seem counterintuitive, given the inclination to fix the worst roads first, a report to infrastructure committee acknowledges, but it says this is the best way to manage the network “within a fiscally constrained environment.” Council will debate funding for renewal projects during the 2027-2030 budget deliberations in the fall.
• Infrastructure committee will be asked to approve the creation of a dedicated renewal fund reserve, which aims to address a widening funding gap for the renewal of city-owned infrastructure. The reserve will be funded through a dedicated tax levy of up to 1% annually for the next 20 years, which would fund about 43% of the total ideal renewal needed in 2048. To narrow the gap further, council could choose to increase the renewal tax levy by 0.5%, which would fund about 60% of the total ideal renewal needed in 2048. If committee approves the fund, council will vote on it at a future meeting.
• Administration will include a capital project’s operating impacts — the day-to-day funds required to operate an asset once construction is finished — in the 2027-2030 budget deliberations, says a report that will be presented to infrastructure committee. Improving projections for the operating impacts of capital (OIC) is part of the total cost of ownership (TCO) project — in other words, the cost of building, operating, maintaining, and renewing an asset through the end of its service life, as opposed to just building it. “The enhanced integration of TCO, including OICs, into budgeting processes provides council with a more robust understanding in order to evaluate long-term operating costs before approving capital infrastructure investments,” the report said.

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• The Utility Committee will meet today at 9:30 am, and EPCOR Water Services will present a set of reports on how Edmonton's water and wastewater systems are performing financially and what the utility plans to measure next. EPCOR's progress report for the year ended December 31st, 2025 shows In-City Water earned a 10.96% return on equity, higher than the 10.54% it had forecast, driven largely by stronger than expected revenue and customer growth. Wastewater Treatment came in slightly under forecast at 10.85% and Wastewater Collection landed at 10.26%, roughly in line with its plan. The reports also reveal that projected water capital spending for 2022 to 2026 has reached $719.8 million, which is $209.4 million, or 42%, above the original forecast, with similar overruns in wastewater treatment. EPCOR is also seeking Committee feedback on the performance measures it intends to use in its next rate application covering 2028 to 2031, the framework that ultimately shapes what Edmontonians pay on their water bills. All three reports are listed for information only, meaning the Committee will receive them rather than vote.
• Also on the Utility Committee's agenda today is a report on how the City handles illegal dumping at apartment and condo buildings, prepared after Councillors asked Administration in March for options to address the problem. The report notes that between January 2021 and the end of March 2026, the City received over 600 complaints of illegal dumping on private property, which usually takes the form of abandoned furniture and garbage or waste dumped in another building's bins. Administration points to existing tools such as four Eco Stations, eight annual Big Bin events and free disposal weekends, and says it is studying further measures, including a new large item collection program and tougher fines. The Community Standards Bylaw currently sets a $250 fine for common dumping on private property and a $1,000 fine for large items or construction waste, figures property managers told the City are too low. Any new spending, including a possible large item pickup service to be piloted in 2027, would be brought forward through the 2027 Waste Services rate filing expected before Council in late 2026.
• The Infrastructure Committee will meet on Wednesday at 9:30 am, where one of the items is Administration's draft approach to renewing the City's existing infrastructure in the 2027 to 2030 budget cycle. The report values Edmonton's total infrastructure portfolio of roads, bridges, facilities and transit at $39.8 billion, and signals a deliberate shift toward maintaining and renewing those assets rather than building new ones. It cites an earlier forecast of a renewal investment gap of $2.8 billion over the four years from 2027 to 2030, climbing to $10 billion over the decade to 2036. Administration says renewal projects will be ranked not only on physical condition but also on strategic alignment with Council priorities and service needs, with growth projects funded only when required for safety, mandated by law or eligible for outside funding. The draft priority lists for bridges, roads, facilities, open space and transit are presented as unranked and subject to change once the capital budget is finalized in late 2026.
• In other Council business, members voted 7-6 to build a larger transit garage in southeast Edmonton, taking on an additional $66 million in borrowing to do so. The decision, made during a multiday budget adjustment, reversed an earlier recommendation from City Staff to scale the project down to keep it inside its $367-million budget. The original plan envisioned storage for 430 buses, Administration proposed a smaller facility for 250 to 290, and Council settled on a garage holding 330 to 380 buses, with a federal grant covering part of the cost. Ward 4 (Dene) Councillor Aaron Paquette argued the investment must be made now because construction costs and transit demand will only rise, while Ward 2 (Anirniq) Councillor Erin Rutherford warned the garage could sit half-full and leave less money for projects like the Metro Line extension, saying "we don't have an infinite pool of funding". More than half of Edmonton's bus fleet is rated in poor or very poor condition, and with a standard diesel bus costing roughly $1 million, the City is approaching its debt limit ahead of a four-year budget later this year. Mayor Andrew Knack took a more optimistic view, acknowledging a period of austerity in funding from other governments but saying transit has been chronically underfunded for decades. The garage is expected to be completed in 2032.
• Council also voted unanimously on Wednesday to proceed with a 2SLGBTQIA+ safe spaces action plan aimed at making City facilities and operations more responsive to the community's needs. Council had previously committed $750,000 to the effort last fall, distributed to support groups through grants, and a further $750,000 a year to continue the program will be weighed during the City's four-year budget deliberations. Mayor Andrew Knack tied the plan to provincial policy, noting the City is "being told what kind of flags we can hang in our buildings" and citing provincial legislation affecting transgender youth in sports, medical treatment, and school libraries. The City's report says there are hate crimes targeting sexual and gender expression trending upward, with 50 such incidents recorded in Edmonton in 2024, and to a local survey in which 81% of community members reported negative public interactions. It also says that a disproportionate share of Edmontonians experiencing homelessness identify on the 2SLGBTQIA+ spectrum, just under 12% of the roughly 800 unhoused people who disclosed their orientation. The report estimates more than 40,000 Edmontonians identify as 2SLGBTQIA+, including more than 2,000 who identify as "gender diverse."

• Hospital and Surgical Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange announced that eligible Alberta doctors will be able to work in both the public and private systems starting this fall, with an expression of interest process opening June 22nd and formal applications later in the summer. To qualify for dual practice, physicians must also complete a minimum number of public-system hours, which the Government says will be set by specialty and region and will serve as a safeguard, and doctors who fail to keep up those hours will lose their dual-practice status. LaGrange said the model will help shorten wait times, arguing the status quo is not working, and that eligible procedures include non-hospital surgeries such as carpal tunnel release and joint surgery, while cancer and other life-threatening procedures are excluded. Family doctors are excluded unless they hold a subspecialty in anesthesia or surgical skills, and dual-practice physicians must keep separate private records and report to the Government. The provincial government compares the approach to systems in Sweden, the United Kingdom and France, but NDP critic Sharif Haji called it an American-style two-tier system that Smith did not campaign on in 2023, and urged the Government to put it on a ballot.
• On the fiscal front, Premier Danielle Smith announced that Albertans with combined household incomes of $225,000 or less who filed a 2025 tax return are eligible for a one-time, tax-free payment of $100 under the new Alberta Energy Rebate, with applications opening July 1st. The Government estimates about 3.4 million Albertans will receive the money, and Finance Minister Jason Nixon said roughly 70% of residents will qualify. The rebate replaces the fuel tax relief program that paused part of the provincial fuel tax when oil prices were high, and Smith said it directs more dollars to those who need it most, whether or not they drive. The Government's treasury has benefited from high oil prices tied to conflict in the Middle East, with West Texas Intermediate, the benchmark Alberta uses, reaching as high as $104 a barrel on May 19th. Critics called the amount too small to matter. The plan has invited comparison to former premier Ralph Klein's $400 cheques in 2006, though Alberta's finances are weaker now than they were then.
• Smith is also pushing back after a group of Indigenous chiefs accused her of potentially treasonous activity for calling a fall referendum on Alberta's place in Canada. The Assembly of Treaty Chiefs, which represents Treaty 6, Treaty 7 and Treaty 8 First Nations across the province, voted unanimously to ask the RCMP to examine whether the referendum amounts to criminal treason by Smith and her United Conservative Party. The chiefs argue the vote is an intentional violation of the treaty relationship, ignores risks to Canada's sovereignty, and has proceeded despite what they describe as significant risks of foreign interference. Smith called the accusation disgraceful, saying she has had her own differences with the federal government but has never used such language, and that it has no place in a democracy. She said her government and the assembly have a collaborative relationship she wants to continue, and asked the chiefs to respect Alberta's pursuit of a new relationship with Ottawa that respects provincial jurisdiction. Albertans are set to vote on October 19th on whether to remain in Canada or begin the process toward a second, binding referendum on leaving the country.
• Ahead of that vote, the provincial government has commissioned the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy to analyze the cost of Alberta leaving Canada and formed an expert advisory panel to review the work, at a combined cost of up to $1.5 million, according to a spokesperson for Finance Minister Jason Nixon. The panel is led by economist Jack Mintz and includes former Saskatchewan NDP finance minister Janice MacKinnon, former Alberta finance minister Ted Morton, Business Council of Alberta president Adam Legge, and Cenovus Energy board chair Alex Pourbaix. The School of Public Policy's Director, Martha Hall Findlay, said the report will assume separation is legally possible and estimate the cost of Alberta delivering services the federal government now provides, from passports and the RCMP to aviation regulation and the military, with completion expected by the end of summer. Premier Danielle Smith has estimated that quitting Confederation could cost the province $400 billion plus an annual price tag of up to $50 billion, while separatist leaders peg startup costs at no more than $5.7 billion.
• Finally, Premier Danielle Smith says it may be too late to add a question on banning new coal mining to the October 19th provincial vote, despite a petition led by musician Corb Lund that delivered more than 200,000 signatures. If Elections Alberta verifies the required 178,000 signatures, the Government would be forced either to consider a law banning new coal mining or to send the question to a province-wide referendum. Smith said Elections Alberta needed all final questions by June 1st to prepare, and with signature validation still underway, the petition could instead go to a legislature committee. She said that the committee could recommend a province-wide vote in October of 2027, and warned that a bill could get complicated because existing legislation requires compensation when private property rights are taken away. Lund has said he expects the Government to use the petition's exact wording, including project-specific development bans, and does not trust it to do so.

What's on in Edmonton this weekend? Stop by Latitude 53 as it turns into a bustling local craft market for the L53 Summer Market, celebrate storytelling through artist showcases and workshops at the 2026 Thousand Faces Festival, explore free art exhibits and installations at The Works Art & Design Festival, catch incredible live performances and shop art from local artists at the Make Music Edmonton with 124 Street Art Walk, enjoy an evening of drag, music, singing, and multidisciplinary arts in an all two-spirit and Indigi-Queer showcase at the inaugural Indigi-Pride Gala, commemorate National Indigenous Peoples Day for a special screening of nanekawâsis at the Royal Alberta Museum, and so much more!

SEE ALL UPCOMING EVENTS

Summer may be late in coming but the latest issue of MILL WOODS MOSAIC is right on schedule.

ON THE AGENDA

Stephanie Swensrude

This week, council is set to make some adjustments to the final year of the 2023-2026 capital budget, examine options for building the southeast transit garage to its original scope, and hear an update on the state of community league facilities.

There is a public hearing scheduled on June 15 and a council meeting scheduled on June 16 and 17.

Here are some key items on the agenda this week:

• Administration recommends several adjustments to the final year of the 2023-2026 capital budget, including new projects totalling $45 million, scope changes totalling $44 million, and recosting adjustments totalling $4.8 million. A report to be presented to council says most new projects are related to projects previously approved that are moving to a new stage and require funding. However, one new funding request is for $600,000 to demolish the Koermann Block, one of the few buildings along The Armature, which the city had listed for sale for affordable housing. The report said the building needs to be demolished immediately due to critical structural failures, safety hazards, and ongoing liability risks. The interior of the building is collapsed, there are large holes in the roof, and the basement is flooded, posing a risk to unauthorized occupants, the city said. The building is listed on the inventory of historic resources, meaning it is deemed to have historic value, but it doesn’t have full legal protection from alteration or demolition. The building is historically significant for its connection to the local German community prior to the First World War. Council will also discuss changes to the capital budgets for waste services and renewable energy systems.
• Administration has laid out four options for building the southeast transit garage to accommodate more buses. In April, councillors learned that plans for the garage had been scaled down from a capacity for 430 buses to between 255 and 290. Emily Stremel, chair of Edmonton Transit Riders, told Taproot that garage capacity is key to expanding transit service in future years. Councillors asked administration to return with options to build the facility out to its original capacity, which are laid out in a private attachment.
• A review found that community league facilities face significant challenges, including aging infrastructure, an unfunded capital liability, and inconsistent service levels across the city. Community leagues need $100 million in the next decade for infrastructure renewal, and about $19 million has been deemed critical for safety, said a report that will be presented to council. The city and the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues are designing a new framework to establish a long-term roadmap to address infrastructure deficits as the city’s population grows.

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• City Council will meet on Tuesday at 9:30 am, and several items on the agenda propose adjustments to the City's capital budgets. The main package, the Spring 2026 Supplemental Capital Budget Adjustment, would increase the 2023-2026 capital budget for tax-supported operations by a net $75.6 million, including $45.1 million in new capital profiles, such as $22.2 million to rehabilitate the northbound Low Level Bridge and $15.9 million for the 178 Street bridge over Whitemud Drive. It also includes $44.2 million in scope changes, among them $15 million in new tax-supported debt for the Southeast Transit Garage. A separate Waste Services adjustment recommends $5.65 million in recosting, including raising the budget for the Coronation Eco Station expansion from $16.3 million to $17.9 million after a construction tender came in about 10% over budget, plus pre-approval of $7.84 million in 2027 utility funding so 17 waste collection vehicles can be ordered in 2026. A third report asks for a $7.6-million increase to the budget for the Blatchford Renewable Energy Utility's distribution piping system, raising it from $15.5 million to $23.1 million.
• Visitors to Fort Edmonton Park, the Valley Zoo and the Muttart Conservatory may have to pay for parking next year under a pilot project planned for 2027, part of a package of parking changes presented to City Council's Urban Planning Committee that could boost revenue by $5.4 million. Ward 8 (papastew) Councillor Michael Janz, who requested the report in December, said the choice is "either user fees or property taxes" as the City tries to mitigate property tax increases driven by rising costs. Janz is also asking the City to look into a Calgary-style system where parking fines increase the longer a ticket goes unpaid, with a report due back later in the year. Separately, the City is looking to expand automated parking enforcement, which Administration claims could bring in at least $14 million in revenue when fully implemented, and to sign a $1-million contract to put more enforcement officers on the ground after a 42% increase in calls requesting more parking enforcement. Administration says 30% of Edmonton's road users come from outside the city, with the City's safe mobility director arguing that Edmontonians are subsidizing parking for people who do not live in Edmonton. The Committee also voted 4-0 against a proposal to end the 15-minute free parking program, which had already been cut back from 30 minutes in the last budget.
• City Council's Community and Public Services Committee unanimously passed a motion from Mayor Andrew Knack last week to explore either a year-round day shelter program or a full community hub program for people experiencing homelessness. The $6.5-million plan will be discussed as part of the next four-year budget deliberations. Knack said the number of people dying on Edmonton's streets has risen from the 30s each year to over 300 and called for a "war-time effort" to make progress on the crisis. Support came from across the board, including the Edmonton Downtown Business Association, which says that with limited daytime options available, libraries, transit stations, parks, pedways and business storefronts become the default places where people spend their days. The Association funds its own core patrol, which conducted more than 1,900 wellness checks between January and May, and argued that more day shelters would take pressure off Downtown businesses currently spending heavily on security and support services. Council also received a letter from the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce pushing for community service hubs, while Ward 10 (Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi) Councillor Jon Morgan argued the City and ratepayers are already paying for the crisis through first responders, maintenance costs in public spaces, and encampment clean-ups.
• The Community and Public Services Committee also voted 3-1 last week to send a stormwater billing report back to Administration and return to the decades-old centralized payment system, sparing Edmonton's more than 160 community leagues from directly processing monthly EPCOR stormwater charges, despite both EPCOR and Administration calling for the leagues to be billed directly. Ward 10 (Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi) Councillor Jon Morgan made the motion after hearing from community league volunteers. An updated report is expected back on September 25th. Before April 1st, 2025, EPCOR billed the City directly, and the City paid the utility fees on behalf of the leagues, recovering part of the cost through an annual $116,798 tax levy charged to the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues, even though Administration says the actual cost runs between $152,000 and $284,000. EPCOR flagged the discrepancy in an audit, which also found that other properties were likely receiving stormwater services without being charged, and work to identify those properties is expected to be complete by 2027. Council allocated $995,648 through the community league operating grant to help pay the new bills from April 1st to December 31st, 2025, but the funding did not line up with expenses and many leagues found themselves in a cash crunch. The Federation urged the Committee to maintain a centralized model, arguing that volunteer-run leagues are not equipped to handle tracking and budgeting for monthly stormwater bills.
• City Manager Eddie Robar announced last Tuesday that the Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) will take over operation of the Valley Line LRT over the next two years, ending the City's 30-year public-private partnership with TransEd Partners, the consortium that built the line, 25 years ahead of schedule. The decision was made during an in-camera session on May 19th, and officials will not say how much the City is paying TransEd as a termination payment, though the original contract was worth $1.8 billion. Because a different contractor is building the Valley Line West extension, TransEd was never contracted to operate it, and officials claim that moving everything to ETS was the cheapest of three options, the others being expanding TransEd's contract or finding a new operator. The City predicts the change will mean better coordination between buses and the LRT when a train has to be taken out of service, reducing wait times for replacement buses. Ward 8 (papastew) Councillor Michael Janz called the move a "great opportunity", saying ETS is motivated by quality service rather than profit. Construction of the Valley Line West is on schedule to be finished by 2028, after which the system will be extensively tested before regular passengers are allowed on board.

• The provincial government has filed its appeal of the court ruling that quashed the petition seeking a vote on Alberta leaving Canada, arguing that the judge made 14 errors in her decision. Court of King's Bench Justice Shaina Leonard found that the petition should not have been issued under provincial law and that the government neglected its duty to consult First Nations, after a group of First Nations challenged the petition. The campaign's leaders have said almost 302,000 Albertans signed the petition before it was thrown out. In the appeal, filed Wednesday in Edmonton court, the Province argues that issuing the petition did not trigger the duty to consult and that the judge failed to give weight to the democratic purpose of the petition process, though it will not be applying to have the appeal expedited. Stay Free Alberta, the group behind the petition, filed its own appeal last month, making many of the same legal arguments. Premier Danielle Smith, who called the original ruling "anti-democratic", has since announced a separate referendum on October 19th asking whether Albertans want to remain in Canada or start the process toward a second, binding referendum on separation.
• Speaking of the referendum, Elections Alberta has launched the largest recruitment campaign for electoral workers in Alberta's history, saying a minimum of 60,000 workers will be needed for the October 19th vote. The agency says that with 10 questions on the ballot, that workforce is required to meet the 48-hour deadline for completing the unofficial count. It will print 45 million ballots, far more than the 1.8 million ballots cast in Alberta's 2023 provincial election and the 19.8 million cast in the 2025 federal election. By comparison, the 2023 provincial election used 13,095 workers and cost approximately $37 million, while Elections Alberta normally operates with 48 permanent staff. The agency told Postmedia there is currently no budget for the referendum and there will not be one until the fall, with several variables still affecting costs. Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure called the referendum "a colossal undertaking", and the agency noted that the 1995 Quebec referendum required 57,000 electoral workers to assist 4.8 million voters.
• Restaurants, bars, clubs and other businesses with a liquor licence can now serve alcohol starting at 6:00 am under new rules introduced Tuesday by Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis. Previously, the earliest alcohol could be served was 9:00 am, and serving outside the set hours required an application with two weeks' notice spelling out the specific days and hours requested. The government cited a reduction in bureaucracy as a reason for the change, with Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Dale Nally saying it "cuts red tape and makes life easier for Alberta businesses". Restaurants and bars have been receiving permission to serve alcohol during special events for more than 10 years, with few compliance issues. The Alberta Hospitality Association said the change will save businesses time and possibly boost sales, calling the timing helpful ahead of the World Cup and the Calgary Stampede.
• A bipartisan committee of MLAs is exploring whether politicians and caucus staff should be able to claim reimbursement for work-related e-scooter and e-bike rides, adding them to a list that already includes taxi rides, car rentals and some airfares. The Committee unanimously passed a motion Tuesday to see whether corporate agreements are an option with one or more providers, such as Lime, Bird Canada and Neuron Mobility. A report from the Legislative Assembly Office advised against the move, noting that micro-mobility companies generally require riders to assume all risks, which could leave politicians and staff without insurance coverage if injured. The office also said it appears no other province clearly permits politicians and caucus staff to expense e-scooter and e-bike rides. UCP committee member Nolan Dyck, who tabled the motion, said e-scooters and e-bikes are quick and cheap, and that they are showing up across Alberta while the rules have not always kept pace. Legislative Assembly staff have until Friday to report back on whether corporate agreements would be feasible, including whether the companies would waive or modify their standard liability rules.
• Hospitals Minister Adriana LaGrange has ordered an immediate halt to the rebranding of Emergency Health Services Alberta as ALTA Paramedic Health, directing the agency to return to its previous name and logo until further engagement is done. Acute Care Alberta announced the name change on May 15th, with the rebrand set to put new logos on ambulances across the province and new uniforms on paramedics. The government claimed at the time that the change signalled a renewed commitment to high-quality care and accountability. Critics, including the Health Sciences Association of Alberta, the union representing about 3,500 paramedics across the province, called the rebrand a waste of resources that should instead go toward addressing working conditions and staff shortages. LaGrange said she has heard from Albertans and front-line workers about the rebranding and shares their concerns. Union president Leanne Alfaro said paramedics are proud of their identity as first responders and have consistently emphasized putting resources toward strengthening emergency care and retaining the professionals who deliver it. [Editors Note: 0118 999 881 999 119 725... 3]

What's on in Edmonton this weekend? Celebrate Pride with Fruit Loop’s Pride Dance Party in support of Rainbow Refuge, observe a paper-making performance at Latitude 53 with artist Amy Leigh, enjoy an unforgettable evening of Caribbean energy at the Calypso Cultural Showcase, catch the final performance of Tiff Hall’s Very Lit Music Show for a night of improv, live music, and burlesque, join textile artist Naomi Pahl at The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse for a hands-on workshop upcycling recycled sweaters into your very own mushroom plushie, and so much more!

SEE ALL UPCOMING EVENTS

• The Community and Public Services Committee meets today at 9:30 am. One of the items on its agenda asks the Committee to recommend that Council rescind a motion that Council itself passed at its December 2025 budget meeting. That motion directed Administration to amend the agreements governing community leagues so the City would directly pay all stormwater charges that EPCOR levies against the leagues, ensuring the leagues are never billed for those fees. After reviewing the billing process, Administration now recommends that community leagues keep being billed directly by EPCOR, arguing the agreements already make leagues responsible for their own utility costs and that Council has already approved $995,648 in annual funding that fully offsets the charges. Reverting to City-paid billing would mean removing that roughly $1 million from the community league budget, shifting it to the City's utility budget, and amending every individual league agreement.
• Also on today's agenda, the Committee will receive a report evaluating future spending on day spaces, which are daytime facilities offering respite and basic services for people experiencing homelessness. Council put $1 million into extending hours at four existing sites between December 2025 and March 2026, during which 6,634 unique individuals visited 37,663 times, a 51% increase in clients and a 169% increase in visits over the previous winter. Administration says there is currently no sustainable ongoing funding for day spaces and lays out four options, ranging from no new investment, to a seasonal winter respite model, to a year-round model, to a comprehensive community service hub, which is the costliest and the one sector partners preferred. Should Council direct an investment, Administration would bring an unfunded service package through the 2027-2030 budget.
• The Executive Committee meets on Wednesday at 9:30 am. On the agenda is a discussion about whether to approve a below-market-value sale of a City-owned property on 118 Avenue in Alberta Avenue for a community arts development. The City reacquired the former arts site for a nominal value in May 2025, then listed it for six months with requirements that any buyer deliver an arts project including a black box theatre, gallery, studio and maker spaces, and housing. Despite emailing more than 8,300 subscribers on its property sales list, the City received only two proposals. Council has set aside $3,304,823 from a reserve to fund the arts components of the site, and both bidders are seeking to draw on that money. Because the sale is below fair market value, Committee approval is required before Administration can begin negotiating with its preferred proponent.
• Also before Executive Committee on Wednesday are two linked information reports on the City's economic development work. The first is a refreshed ten-year strategy, called Edmonton Advantage, which aims to reverse what Administration describes as a "business-unfriendly perception" and a tax base in which residential growth outpaces business and industrial growth, and which Administration says will need roughly $70 million over 2027-2030. The second is a review of the four City-funded agencies that receive taxpayer funding: Explore Edmonton at $22.7 million annually, Edmonton Unlimited at $5.3 million, Edmonton Global at $3.3 million, and Edmonton Screen at $1.2 million. An independent consultant found the agencies' mandates clear and recommended adding mid-stage business support, but Administration does not recommend mandate changes or a new agency. The review also notes Edmonton Global's membership has fallen from 14 municipalities to 9, with 3 more giving notice they will leave.
• Mayor Andrew Knack joined the Big Cities Mayors' Caucus of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities on Thursday in asking the federal government to commit billions of dollars to downtown revitalization ahead of Ottawa's fall budget. The caucus wants the federal government to follow its Parliamentary Budget Officer's recommendation to invest $3.5 billion annually to cut chronic homelessness by at least 50% by 2030, to raise the Canada Public Transit Fund from $25 billion to $30 billion over ten years, and to at least double the Build Communities Strong Fund. Knack argued the homelessness and safety crisis cannot be solved by any one order of government acting alone and called for a coordinated federal-provincial-municipal response. The push follows an April report from the Downtown Revitalization Coalition flagging visible drug use and disorder, and a CBC investigation that found transit-related crime in Edmonton more than doubled over nine years.

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This week, Edmonton city councillors will discuss day spaces for vulnerable Edmontonians, a review of economic development agencies, and potential changes to city-owned parking.

There is a community and public services committee meeting on June 8, an urban planning committee meeting on June 9, and an executive committee meeting on June 10.

Here are some key items on the agenda this week:

• There are no sustainable municipal funding options for day shelter spaces, says a report set to be presented to community and public services committee. Mayor Andrew Knack’s first motion of this term directed administration to allocate $1 million to expand access to day shelter spaces, and for administration to report back with an evaluation of the options to build out the service. The report said the funding allowed hours at four sites to increase from 99 per week to 252; the sites were visited nearly 38,000 times by more than 6,600 people. Administration laid out investment options for winter respite day spaces, year-round day spaces, and a community service hub with clinical healthcare and holistic supports. More options for supporting vulnerable people will be included in a report coming later this month that is meant to outline a way to transition the city out of providing services to people experiencing homelessness, which administration called a provincial responsibility.
• Administration has refreshed its economic development strategy, titled Edmonton Advantage, to adapt to current and anticipated market realities. The strategy outlines three primary issues: Edmonton is perceived as unfriendly to business, there is a lack of awareness around the city’s business proposition, and residential growth is outpacing business and industry growth, resulting in a tax imbalance. The strategy’s pillars aim to enable a strong business environment, market the Edmonton advantage, and drive investment. A cross-referenced report about four of the city’s economic development agencies — Explore Edmonton, Edmonton Global, Edmonton Screen, and Edmonton Unlimited — said a review found that the organizations have clear and complementary mandates with no significant duplication, and that the agencies are delivering measurable economic outcomes. While the ecosystem supports growth, there is a gap in mid-stage business retention and expansion support, which could limit firms transitioning from startup to growth and expansion, the report said. The consultant who examined the agencies recommended setting up a new economic agency to add scale-up supports for local businesses, but administration did not endorse that idea.
• Administration is considering changes to city-owned parking, including increased rates, the elimination of the free 15-minute period, and a pilot project for paid parking at facilities such as the Muttart Conservatory, the Edmonton Valley Zoo, and Fort Edmonton Park. A report to be presented to urban planning committee says demand for parking has increased as Edmonton grows, and curbside space is supporting a broader range of uses than parking, including deliveries, transit access, festivals, patios, activations, and micromobility devices such as e-scooters. The proposed changes are expected to manage demand and improve turnover while increasing revenue. A cross-referenced report outlines options for parking benefit districts, a system where parking revenue would be invested into the area it is collected from. While administration doesn’t recommend implementing parking benefit districts at this time, it said it will bring forward options in 2027 once the overall parking system is more financially stable and effective.

• Albertans will begin receiving new all-in-one identification cards on July 2nd, as promised last year with the passage of Bill 10. The new cards will combine existing driver's license or ID cards with Alberta health cards and proof of citizenship. Alberta is the last province in Canada still using paper health-care cards, despite countless governments promising to phase them out over many years. Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally said there is no political or Big Brother motivation behind the citizenship marker, noting that more than 60 jurisdictions worldwide integrate citizenship information on licences and that proof of status is already required to apply for programs such as student aid and income supports. Nally said there are hundreds of thousands more health-care cards in circulation than there are Albertans, pointing to what he called rampant fraud that the new secure cards are meant to curb. He said the discrepancy may partly reflect people who have died but remain in the system, or those who move away and leave their paper cards behind. The redesigned cards also add enhanced security features.
• The Alberta Prosperity Project is publicly disputing Premier Danielle Smith's estimate of what independence would cost, after Smith said Monday that separation would carry almost $400 billion in transitional costs plus $25 billion to $50 billion in annual costs to stand up a new national government. Smith cited expenses such as assuming Alberta's share of the national debt and the Canada Pension Plan, regulating banks, railways and telecoms, running border control and post offices, meeting NATO commitments, and renegotiating trade deals. Jeffrey Rath, general counsel for the group, called Smith's numbers completely false, arguing many of those systems already exist and would simply be taken over, and pointed to the group's own costed plan projecting a fiscal surplus of $29.4 billion to $48.3 billion. University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe has called that plan a fiscal fantasy, noting that scrapping income and sales taxes would cut nearly $80 billion from revenues, more than half of what the group assumes the new country would collect. The group also believes Canada owes Alberta around $334 billion in pension costs but expects an actual transfer of about $167 billion. Smith says the Province will release its own costing document to Albertans before August.
• The provincial government announced a new patient-focused funding model that ties hospital funding to the volume of care delivered rather than a fixed budget. A dozen hospitals are operating under the first phrase, 9 run by Alberta Health Services and 3 by Covenant Health. The model applies to hip replacements, knee replacements, cataract surgery, and shoulder rotator cuff repair, covering 26,000 procedures in 2026-27. Per-surgery funding varies by classification, with hip replacements ranging from $8,900 to $33,440, knee replacements from $8,530 to $24,790, cataract surgery from $880 to $1,600, and rotator cuff repairs set at $6,800. Premier Danielle Smith said the model will drive surgery costs down as chartered surgical facility operators bid to perform blocks of procedures at lower prices. Officials described the first year as a learning year and said they will monitor quality using patient experience scores, 30-day unplanned readmission rates, and average length of stay.
• Alberta public service managers quietly received a double-digit pay increase late last year. Executive Director salary ranges rose from $136,631 to $179,559 last October to between $153,903 and $202,256, a 12.6% increase at both the minimum and the maximum. An internal document circulated to staff said the timing was driven largely by collective bargaining results, so that some frontline managers would not end up paid less than the staff they supervise. A statement from the office of Finance Minister Jason Nixon said the increase for senior officials was adjusted down from the 3% negotiated for bargaining-unit employees, producing an estimated $4.8 million in savings for taxpayers. The changes also reclassified some Chiefs of Staff positions as Executive Director roles. They come as 8 government MLAs serving as parliamentary secretaries began receiving a newly approved $6,000 annual allowance on Monday.
• A special committee of MLAs overseeing changes to Alberta's electoral boundaries has named former justice Brian O'Ferrall as chair of the independent advisory panel. The appointment passed on Tuesday despite Opposition concerns about a lack of applicants and the transparency of the process, with the acting chief justice, the Canadian Bar Association, and the law society all declining to participate. The NDP said O'Ferrall donated just under $2,800 to the UCP between 2022 and 2025 and $6,850 to the federal Conservative Party between 2023 and 2024, raising questions about the panel's independence. UCP MLA Garth Rowswell, who moved the motion, said retired judges are permitted to donate to parties and that the contributions, made in compliance with the law, do not affect O'Ferrall's ability to act impartially. Several NDP motions, including one to rescind the appointment and another to interview both candidates, were defeated

Hello KEP Neighbour,

Here’s what’s happening around the community this June! Inside you’ll find updates from the King Edward Park Community League - upcoming events and programs, City news, road and construction updates, local resources, and more.

Know something happening in the neighbourhood or have an idea for the newsletter? Let us know — we’d love to hear what you’d like to see featured here!

King Edward Park’s 25th Annual Reuse Fair

The 25th Annual Reuse Fair!

Bring your gently used household items and help give them a second life while supporting local community groups and charities.

Event Highlights

📚 Book Exchange — take some or leave some!

🪴 Plant Sale — hosted by the Edmonton Horticultural Society

♻️ Free Table — give useful items a new home

🗑️ Large bin available for non-toxic household waste

(Please note: no mattresses, fridges, or freezers.)

This event is made possible by caring community volunteers. Volunteers are needed for setup, unloading vehicles, sorting donations, and cleanup. If you can spare a few hours, please contact Renée at 780-462-7001.

Come meet your neighbours, support local organizations, and help make a positive impact on the environment. We look forward to seeing you there!

🚴‍♀️ 2026 BIKE Month Challenge

Dust off your bikes and join the challenge!

This June, Community Leagues across the city are teaming up for a month of riding, exploring, and friendly competition.

✨ Ride with friends

✨ Track your kilometres

✨ Discover new routes

✨ Win prizes

✨ Enjoy the outdoors

HOW IT WORKS:

1️⃣ Download the Stava app & join the KEP club

2️⃣ No Strava? Then email your monthly KM to grants@kingedwardpark.org every Saturday

3️⃣ Ride throughout June

4️⃣ Help your League top the leaderboard

🏆 Categories include:

• Total Participants

• Total Team Kilometres

• Scavenger Hunt Challenge

City of Edmonton Program

🌿 Green Shack is Back at KEP This Summer!

The City of Edmonton’s Green Shack Program is back this summer in King Edward Park! Join the fun at the playground behind the Large Hall, where City program leaders host free games, crafts, challenges, and activities to keep kids active and having fun all summer long.

📍 Location: Playground behind the Large Hall - 7708 85 Street

📅 Dates: June 29 – August 21, 2026

🕙 Hours: Monday–Friday, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

The Green Shack program is a free, drop-in program designed for children ages 6–12, though all ages are welcome. Please note that this is not a childcare service — children are free to come and go throughout the program, and parents/guardians should determine whether their child can attend independently. Children under 6 are welcome with a parent or guardian.

Weekly activities and special events will be posted at the Green Shack throughout the summer.

For full program details, locations, policies, and updates, visit the City of Edmonton Green Shack webpage.

Casino Volunteers Needed

Help support KEP — No Experience Needed!

July 14 & 15

Community league casinos are one of our biggest fundraisers, helping support neighbourhood events, programs, rink maintenance, hall improvements, and more.

As a volunteer, you’ll help with simple behind-the-scenes roles like cash counting, chip running, or record keeping. Don’t worry — training is provided, and experienced volunteers will be there to help.

Sign up Here

What to expect:

• Easy-to-learn volunteer roles
• Half-day or full-day shifts (depending on the role)
• Meals, snacks, coffee, and drinks provided
• A fun way to meet neighbours and support your community

What to bring:

• Government-issued photo ID
• Comfortable clothing (business casual recommended)
• Reading glasses, if needed

Every volunteer helps make a difference — we couldn’t do it without you

What's on in Edmonton this weekend? Check out a reading of new stories and scripts at the Citadel Theatre’s Collider Festival, discover local artists and live performances in the heart of Stony Plain Road at the Jasper Place Arts Festival, celebrate Pride Month at Fruit Loop’s Pride Block Party, treat yourself to a sound experience featuring the Cosmopolitan Music Society’s concert bands, jazz bands, handbells, and chorus at Prism — Music of the Community, and so much more!

SEE ALL UPCOMING EVENTS

• Ward 4 (Dene) Councillor Aaron Paquette is bringing a motion to City Council asking Administration to research how Edmonton could protect itself from economic fallout if Alberta separates from Canada - including exploring whether the city could remain part of Canada independently of a separating province. The motion directs Administration to examine a range of options: new provincial-municipal partnership frameworks, collective action with other municipalities, leveraging Edmonton's location within Treaty 6 territory and its relationship with Enoch Cree Nation, and the constitutional possibility of Edmonton seeking territorial or special federal status. Paquette cited the experience of Montreal and Quebec City during Quebec's separation debates, warning that investment flight and head office departures during that period are effects "they're still recovering from." He also noted that the federal government owns significant assets in Edmonton - including military properties - that could anchor a case for the city remaining Canadian. Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt described the question of Edmonton separating from a separating Alberta as "interesting," noting that if Alberta can secede from Canada, the same logic raises questions about Indigenous reserves and national parks. Experts note, however, that provinces are constitutional entities, while municipalities are not, meaning that the Supreme Court's reference case on secession applies to provinces, but not municipalities.
• Mayor Andrew Knack told the Infrastructure and Environment Committee that the replacement for the 113-year-old High Level Bridge will need to be what he described as a "mega bridge," accommodating vehicle lanes, dedicated bus rapid transit lanes, multi-use paths, a streetcar connection, and potentially high-speed rail if the province builds its planned Edmonton-to-airport rail link. The High Level Bridge and the Low Level Bridge will both be decommissioned and replaced rather than rehabilitated. Updated structural testing found that maintaining the High Level Bridge over the next 75 years would cost more than $1 billion, making rehabilitation no longer cost-effective. Ward 2 (Anirniq) Councillor Erin Rutherford raised concerns about whether the City can bear those costs without provincial or federal support. City planners noted that major infrastructure projects of this scale typically attract higher-order government funding. Heritage advocates argued the City should preserve the High Level Bridge rather than demolish it, pointing to pedestrian promenades built from adapted historic bridges in New York, Paris, and Seoul - though City planners said the foundation, not just the deck, needs replacement, making adaptation nearly as costly as full replacement. The northbound span of the Low Level Bridge, which is in better structural shape, might be able to be repurposed as a pedestrian bridge. Design and planning for the High Level Bridge replacement is scheduled to begin in 2031, with full replacement targeted by 2042.
• About 300 residents of Grovenor, a west-end neighbourhood, have signed a petition handed to Ward 1 (Nakota Isga) Councillor Reed Clarke, calling for a rethink on the City's planned active transportation network expansion in their area. The proposed bike lanes would run along 148 Street from Stony Plain Road to 104 Avenue, along 104 Avenue from 142 to 149 Street, and along 144 Street from Stony Plain Road to 107 Avenue. Clarke toured the route and counted six disabled parking spots that would be displaced by the installation. One petitioner, midwife Carly Beaulieu, said she spent $35,000 in legal fees over two years to rezone her home for an attached birthing centre, and is now reconsidering that investment if street parking is removed, given her clientele is pregnant women who need easy front-door access. Community league president Marissa Loewen said residents support cycling infrastructure but not at the expense of disabled access. A further complication is provincial: Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen has announced legislation that would give the province oversight over municipal bike lane plans and possibly require municipalities to remove existing active transportation corridors. Clarke said this leaves Edmonton "in a bind" - whether to proceed with the plans or pause while provincial rules take shape. Mayor Knack said he is confident the province would not require the tearup of existing lanes, noting that Dreeshen indicated the new rules would apply prospectively.
• The Edmonton Police Commission presented the results of a public opinion survey to its monthly meeting, drawing on 1,025 panel respondents and 560 online respondents. Reducing crime and ensuring officer accountability were the top priorities - each rated as somewhat or very important by 92% of panel respondents - followed by building community trust at 88%. The biggest safety concerns among panel respondents were addictions and drug use at 44%, repeat offenders not facing enough consequences at 36%, and homelessness at 36%; violent crime ranked lower at 31%. Online respondents ranked repeat offenders higher at 51% and homelessness lower at 25%. On the question of police funding, 37% of panel respondents said the Edmonton Police Service is underfunded, compared with 17% who said it has too much funding. Almost 50% of panel respondents said the City needs to spend more on social programs to address disorder. Police Chief Warren Driechel said the results were "something to pay attention to," noting that Edmonton is one of the fastest-growing cities in North America and that police capacity is not keeping pace. Commission chairman Ben Henderson claimed there is a perception gap, meaning that people are statistically safer than they feel. The survey results will inform future Edmonton Police Service budget proposals.
• The Edmonton International Airport is raising its airport improvement fee from $35 to $40 per departing passenger, effective July 1st - a $5 increase tied to a five-year terminal revitalization initiative. The immediate trigger for the fee hike is a two-year redevelopment of the airport's north tower, which first opened in 1963 and housed air traffic control and corporate offices until the Central Tower opened in 2013. The 63,000-square-foot north tower will receive safety upgrades, building envelope improvements, elevator modernization, interior refreshes, and new infrastructure for potential future tenants. The construction will have a significant near-term impact on departures traffic: three lanes in the departures drop-off area will be narrowed to one lane for approximately one year.