CommonSenseEdmonton

ON THE AGENDA

Stephanie Swensrude

This week, Edmonton city council will discuss rezoning applications in the new neighbourhood of Gorman and the old neighbourhood of Garneau, as well as in the Girard Industrial area for a wellness facility.

There is a public hearing on Aug. 17, a council meeting on Aug. 18 and 19, and a special city council meeting on Aug. 21.

Here are some key items on the agenda this week:

• Council will review broad planning documents for the future Gorman neighbourhood in north Edmonton, which is envisioned as a transit-oriented community built around an LRT stop. The developer proposed amendments to the area structure plan and neighbourhood structure plan to re-designate some areas for higher density than what is currently allowed. Administration said the application is an improvement to the plan because it maintains the NSP’s vision of a transit-oriented community while providing more opportunities for medium- and high-density uses in logical areas served by amenities.
• The Hope Mission has submitted a rezoning application for a lot at 7011 Girard Road NW, to allow for an emergency shelter and wellness facility that would support up to 125 people experiencing homelessness. Some nearby residents said they oppose the facility because they think it would bring crime to the area; they also cited the site’s proximity to Pure Casino Edmonton on Argyll Road as well as liquor and cannabis stores, which could conflict with the path to recovery for occupants.
• Council will review a rezoning application for a property in Garneau that would allow for increased site coverage, an additional 2.5 metres in building height, and a reduced rear setback. Administration said it supports the application because the scale of development is appropriate within the University major node and provides additional housing units near local businesses, open space, school sites, and active transportation. Some Garneau residents said they oppose the rezoning because the proposed development would alter the historic character of the area and preempt the Garneau Community League’s pending proposal to designate part of the neighbourhood as a special character heritage area.

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• City Council holds a public hearing today at 9:30 am, with 19 planning and rezoning bylaws on the agenda. The most contested is a Hope Mission application to rezone 7011 Girard Road NW from medium industrial to business employment so that an existing thrift store building can be converted into a permanent emergency shelter and wellness facility for up to 125 people. Of the 33 responses the City received from the 72 nearby property owners it notified, 32 opposed the rezoning, and none supported it, with the concerns raised most often being public safety and crime, the site's position beside a heavy rail corridor, and the effect on the economic viability of surrounding businesses. Administration supports the application, arguing the business employment zone was designed as a buffer between industrial and non-industrial uses and that the site's industrial capacity would not meaningfully shrink. Also on the agenda are rezonings for small- to medium-scale housing in Garneau, Central McDougall, Fulton Place, and Carlton, a small commercial centre in Tipaskan, and an amendment that shifts responsibility for several arterial road upgrades in the Castle Downs area from the City onto developers. 
• City Council meets tomorrow at 9:30 am, and ten Councillor motions are queued for debate. Ward 3 (tastawiyiniwak) Councillor Karen Principe wants Administration to report on how infill housing affects surrounding property values, a motion she first gave notice of in June and which was laid over from the July meeting. Ward 10 (Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi) Councillor Jon Morgan is asking for an unfunded capital profile for a fare gate pilot at one or more LRT stations to be considered during the 2027-2030 budget deliberations, along with five years of monthly ridership, fare compliance and on-time performance data for the high floor LRT. Ward 6 (Métis) Councillor Ashley Salvador is seeking analysis of new off-site levies to help pay for facilities and infrastructure in the City's future growth area, and a separate memo on enforcement of the Centre City Temporary Parking Program, including how many downtown surface lots are still operating without a valid development permit. Ward 8 (papastew) Councillor Michael Janz wants options for protecting neighbouring properties during construction, including shoring, plus an update on the centralized infill inquiry line run through 311. The meeting is scheduled to carry over to Wednesday at 9:30 am if the agenda is not finished.
• Four borrowing bylaws also come before City Council tomorrow, all flowing from budget adjustments Council approved in June. One would raise the borrowing authority for the downtown Community Revitalization Levy projects by $1.85 million, from $54.28 million to $56.13 million, to cover a net $2.97-million cost increase driven mainly by a new streetscape project at 103A Avenue and 99 Street that carries a total cost of $23.50 million. A second adds the $14.52-million rehabilitation of Fire Station 22 in Wîhkwêntôwin to the City's climate resilient facility upgrades borrowing, funded in part by $2.50 million of tax-supported debt shifted out of another project in the same bylaw, and pushing that group of projects from $118.03 million to $124.41 million. A third reduces borrowing for planning and design work on the same downtown levy program. The fourth would authorize $704,059 in tax-supported debt for the Gariepy neighbourhood and alley renewal, a project now costed at $34.39 million, and it receives first reading only tomorrow before returning to Council on October 27th.
• The City of Edmonton has expanded its order of new high-floor rail cars for the Capital and Metro lines from 32 to 40, at a total cost of $368 million. The cars will be built by the Hyundai Rotem Company, which is also supplying the low-floor trains for the Valley Line, with design and manufacturing to begin later this year and delivery expected by 2030. They will replace the Siemens U2 cars that have been running since the system opened for the 1978 Commonwealth Games, one of which has logged more than two million kilometers. LRT expansion and renewal branch manager Bruce Ferguson said the City increased the order because buying additional vehicles now is cheaper than adding them later if demand turns out to be higher than projected. The new trains are timed to arrive with the first phase of the Capital Line's southern extension, a $1.38-billion project that will run 4.5 kilometers to the Heritage Valley Transit Centre by 2029 and includes an underpass at 23 Avenue and two new bridges.
• Elsewhere on the transit file, City Councillors on the Community and Public Services Committee decided last Monday to explore offering naloxone training to Edmonton transit inspectors, who are not currently among the staff issued the overdose-reversal drug. Ward 10 (Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi) Councillor Jon Morgan, who worked as a transit inspector before his election, put the proposal forward and said he wished he had more tools to respond to overdoses. Administration had prepared a report warning that administering naloxone carries risks for employees, including exposure to opioids and drug paraphernalia, potentially violent reactions from people who receive it, and occupational health and legal implications. Several speakers pushed back on that assessment, including a nurse who told the Committee she has reversed more than 100 opioid poisonings without ever encountering a violent reaction. The report noted that Calgary, Toronto, and Strathcona County take approaches similar to Edmonton's, and that sworn police officers in Calgary and Edmonton are already trained and encouraged to administer the drug

• The Community and Public Services Committee meets today at 9:30 am, where Ward 8 (papastew) Councillor Michael Janz has asked Administration to report on the long-delayed Rollie Miles Recreation Centre, proposed to replace the Scona Pool that closed in 2022. Design work is complete, but the project remains unfunded, and Administration says construction was estimated at $138 million back in 2023, plus another $13.5 million for related park work, with those figures needing to be revalidated. Finishing the detailed design alone would cost $8 million to $10 million, and the facility's net operating cost is projected at about $2.9 million a year, equal to a roughly 0.11% property tax increase. Even if Council funded the project in the 2027 to 2030 budget, the earliest it could open is 2031. Administration notes the surrounding area is already served by the Kinsmen Sports Centre and Confederation Leisure Centre, and says future decisions will be weighed against the City's broader infrastructure backlog. Community groups, including Friends of Scona Rec, have pressed Council to follow through since the pool's closure.
• The Urban Planning Committee meets tomorrow at 9:30 am, and one of the items on the agenda is a proposal to help pay for infrastructure tied to private development near transit and in the City's priority growth areas. Administration is recommending a new Infill Infrastructure Program that would have the City cover part of the cost of public infrastructure upgrades, such as sewer, stormwater and electrical work triggered by new housing and commercial projects, then recover money from later developers who benefit. The report pegs the average infrastructure cost at $3,200 per unit and suggests a $12-million budget could support up to 3,800 dwelling units over four years, noting that a predecessor fund spent $39 million to help build more than 4,600 units over three years. Administration says it is preparing an unfunded request for the 2027 to 2030 budget. It also acknowledges the program would redirect growth revenue away from general revenue and cannot guarantee that subsidized projects would not have gone ahead anyway. The item is for information only, with no vote scheduled tomorrow.
• Also on the Urban Planning Committee's agenda tomorrow is an update on Edmonton's shared e-scooter and e-bike program, prepared after Councillors asked in May for a move toward mandatory, geofenced parking. The program now handles more than 1.4 million trips a year across a 220-square-kilometer service area, a 190% jump in trips since 2022, with the City setting the rules while private vendors own and operate the fleets. Administration reports that complaints through 311 have stayed relatively flat even as ridership climbed, and that parking and rider behaviour remain the most common concerns. A pilot in the Mill Woods service expansion will test requiring devices to be left only in designated areas, add 21 parking corrals, and future vendor contracts could impose fines on riders who park improperly. E-scooters are capped at 20 kilometers per hour and e-bikes at 32, which the report says is at the lower end of comparable cities.
• Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is publicly criticizing the Edmonton Police Service over a video encouraging residents to report hate, saying police should focus on violent crime, theft, drugs, and vandalism rather than speech. In a post on X, Smith argued that free speech is a foundational Alberta value and that the province does not believe in policing unpopular or religious statements, even controversial ones, warning of a slippery slope she said other countries have gone down. Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis added that the province would contact police agencies to make sure their priorities are on violent crime, and said law enforcement should not be policing opinions or, in his words, "hurt feelings". Ellis said the government does not condone hate speech or violence but is committed to upholding free expression regardless of religious or political belief. The Edmonton Police Service refused to comment.
• Alberta recorded its highest-ever number of opioid-related emergency calls in 2025, and Edmonton accounted for nearly 70% of the province's 10,562 responses. However, overall opioid deaths in Alberta fell to 1,154 in 2025, the lowest since 2019. Addictions physician Dr. Monty Ghosh of the University of Alberta said Edmonton has become the country's worst spot for overdoses, driven by an increasingly toxic and unpredictable drug supply that now includes new opioids far more potent than fentanyl. Carfentanil, which is more than 100 times stronger than fentanyl, was detected in 89% of Edmonton's opioid deaths in 2025, up from 17% the year before. Ghosh warned that the province's closure of supervised consumption sites, including one at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, would push more people into emergency rooms. The province acknowledged that no community is being hit harder by addiction, but noted that it has invested more than $30 million in addiction and mental health supports in Edmonton, including more than 400 treatment and stabilization beds, and that the declining death statistics show it's plan is working.

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ON THE AGENDA

This week, Edmonton’s city council returns from its summer recess to discuss the financial statements from the associations that oversee business improvement areas, potential updates to the City Plan, and the implications of allowing city employees to administer naloxone while working.

There is a community and public services committee meeting on Aug. 10, an urban planning committee meeting on Aug. 11, and an executive committee meeting on Aug. 12.

Here are some key items on the agenda this week:

• An auditor has found that the Chinatown and Area Business Association’s 2025 financial statements did not include sufficient and appropriate audit evidence for the second year in a row, says a report to be presented to executive committee. The auditor also found issues including a lack of segregation of duties, poor organization of source documentation, limited review of financial statements, and no tracking or reconciliation of gift cards. Administration said it will bring forward options later this year that could result in the organization suspending or disestablishing. Administration said it will continue to work with the association to obtain financial updates.
• Administration will begin updating the City Plan, as Edmonton is expected to reach its first population threshold of 1.25 million in 2026. A report to be presented to urban planning committee said that city staff will analyze the progress of the plan’s targets and metrics and make minor administrative corrections. Next, staff will create a plan for the work to follow, which could range from targeted amendments and new implementation projects to a comprehensive renewal of the plan itself. Some metrics can be measured with available data, while others would use data from the 2026 federal census, which won’t be available at a neighbourhood level until 2028.
• Allowing city employees to administer naloxone on shift would require a dedicated program, says a report set to be presented to community and public services committee. Only trained city employees, such as peace officers and firefighters, are allowed to administer the opioid overdose reversal while on shift. Councillors inquired earlier this year about allowing other employees, including transit operators and library staff, to volunteer to use naloxone. The report said the city would be required to train those employees in administering first aid and naloxone, as well as in safety de-escalation and self-defence. The change would also come with legal implications and increased litigation risks and union implications, the report said. In 2025, 770 people died of overdoses in Edmonton, setting a new record and exceeding Calgary’s death rate from drug poisoning.

• Today's edition of Edmonton Minute is a special one: it is our 300th issue. Every week, we read the agendas, reports, and local news coming out of City Hall so that you can stay on top of the decisions that affect your neighbourhood and your wallet in just a few minutes. We want to thank you, our readers, for opening, sharing, and replying to our emails over all these years - your support is what keeps it going. Edmonton Minute is published by Common Sense Edmonton, and our work is funded solely by readers who chip in what they can, so if you find Edmonton Minute valuable, please consider making a donation to help us keep it coming every Monday for the next 300 issues!
• It is a quiet week at City Hall, with just one meeting on the calendar: the Agenda Review Committee will meet on Tuesday at 8:30 am, and both of the items on the agenda will be discussed in camera (in secret). Council's regular committee lineup resumes next week, with the Community and Public Services Committee meeting on August 10th, the Urban Planning Committee on August 11th, and the Executive Committee on August 12th, each at 9:30 am.
• A new lobby group calling itself the Infill Action Committee is campaigning for the provincial government to step into municipal policy on infill and zoning in Edmonton. More than 150 people gathered at a northside seniors centre on July 28th to hear about the campaign and sign letters to cabinet ministers, and the group plans to send between 300 and 400 letters per week to the province until October. Organizers say the letters will focus on issues they attribute to the City's blanket zoning policy, which allows dense infill multiplexes of six or eight units in residential neighbourhoods where lots are big enough, pointing to impacts on infrastructure, transportation, public safety, and affordable housing. Co-founder Jesse Watson, who ran for Council last fall in Ward 2 (Anirniq), says thousands of residents are scrutinizing the quality and impact of multiplexes built in mature neighbourhoods since the new zoning bylaw took effect in 2024, and calls infill "an election issue". Mayor Andrew Knack argues provincial involvement would be unnecessary and unhelpful, saying local zoning rules should be set by local governments and noting that no government MLAs represent Edmonton constituencies. He also points to changes Council has already made, including lowering the maximum height allowance in residential neighbourhoods from 10.5 meters to 9.5 meters as of August 1st.
• Meanwhile, Ward 5 (O-day'min) Councillor Anne Stevenson is calling for a formal business-friendly construction policy to reduce the impact of City infrastructure projects on local businesses. Last month, Council voted to direct Administration to explore a policy that would formalize the requirement for proactive mitigation strategies, clear communication, and safe, accessible site management in project planning. The report is due back in 2027, with the aim of having a policy in place for next year's construction season. Stevenson suggests options like closing a single block and renewing the sidewalks, curbs, and road all at once, and says a modestly higher cost to finish projects faster, such as 10%, could be a net gain in the long run. Edmonton Chamber of Commerce president Doug Griffiths welcomed the motion but said he would have liked to see it sooner, urging better notification of upcoming projects so businesses can adjust. Downtown Revitalization Coalition chairwoman Cheryll Watson argues that maintaining access must become the City's top priority, with nearly every route into downtown currently affected by construction.
• New crime data shows Edmonton's overall crime severity index fell 6.5% in 2025, hitting its lowest level since 2021, though the details are mixed. The index weights crime by seriousness, and while non-violent crime severity dropped 11%, the violent crime severity index rose 3.2%, meaning the violent offences that did occur were on average more serious. The total number of crimes per 100,000 people also rose, by 3.2%, and property crime jumped 10.1%, driven by increases in shoplifting, mischief, and theft from vehicles. Edmonton Police Service Inspector Bryce Gibbon says the city has also seen increases in robberies, assaults against peace officers, uttering threats, and child luring files, with overall calls for service up 4.3%. Police say a crime-reduction strategy launched this year, called Safer Edmonton, which uses crime mapping and data analysis to target enforcement, is showing promising results, with crime and violent crime rates down as of June. Ward 4 (Dene) Councillor Aaron Paquette says the statistics point to broader social issues that cities cannot address on their own without provincial support.

• The Government of Alberta has announced a $30-million expansion of addiction services in the Edmonton area, the centrepiece of which is a new secure facility inside Edmonton police headquarters where officers will be able to detain intoxicated people for up to 24 hours. Under the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Act, police will be able to hold people they believe are high on drugs or alcohol and pose a risk to themselves or the public, in an 18-bed Integrated Stabilization Centre scheduled to open later this summer. The province describes the centre as a secure but non-criminal space, and Edmonton Police Deputy Chief Derek McIntyre says the aim is to divert people away from the justice system and connect them to voluntary treatment once they have been stabilized. The funding also adds more than 400 treatment, housing and stabilization beds across the region, including 25 new beds at the Lakeview Recovery Community in Gunn and new recovery communities at Enoch Cree Nation and the Métis Nation. The province is separately building compassionate intervention facilities in Edmonton and Calgary for involuntary addiction treatment, which are expected to open in about 18 months. Mayor Andrew Knack said he might not have supported the stabilization centre on its own, describing it as one of a host of tools in the announcement.
• A coalition of downtown business advocates is calling on Edmonton City Council to treat downtown economic stabilization as an immediate priority after more than half a dozen restaurants announced permanent closures this summer. The Downtown Revitalization Coalition, chaired by Cheryll Watson, has put forward a Downtown Economic Stabilization Plan and wants Council to direct the City Manager to act rather than let the issue wait until the fall. Watson argues that construction is necessary but that the way it is being managed is placing an unsustainable burden on businesses already dealing with public safety concerns, reduced foot traffic and rising costs. Heather Thomson, vice-president of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, says the downtown is currently seeing two businesses close for every one that opens, and that many of the closures have been close to the large LRT construction sites. Mayor Andrew Knack acknowledged that more construction is under way this year but pointed to a motion he brought forward last year that he claims sped up some intersection work, and he said he expects further discussion of downtown funding when the next four-year budget is debated in December.
• Meanwhile, Edmonton City Council has approved changes to the way it regulates lodging houses, tightening rules meant to stop them from being run as short-term rentals like Airbnbs and adjusting the zoning bylaw to limit them in most residential areas. Under the change, approved at Council's July 7th meeting, lodging houses would generally be restricted to row housing, multi-plexes and garage or basement suites. Ward 5 (O-day'min) Councillor Anne Stevenson has questioned the approach, warning that it would remove the option of student and lodging housing in many newly built row houses and cut off important lower-cost options where they are most needed. The University of Alberta Students' Union says affordability is its members' central concern, pointing to students taking on part-time work and graduating with more debt alongside the need to keep housing safe from exploitative rent schemes. A public hearing will be scheduled before the changes take effect.
• Alberta's municipalities have been told they cannot campaign for or against separation in the province's October referendum, even as individual Mayors and Councillors continue to take sides. Elections Alberta has issued a bulletin clarifying that under the Elections Finances and Contributions Act, municipalities are treated as prohibited corporations and cannot register as third-party advertisers or spend to support either outcome. The restriction follows a motion Edmonton City Council passed earlier this month, backed by Mayor Andrew Knack, declaring that Alberta should remain part of a united Canada. Knack argues the referendum question is a distraction and says he has had to reassure investors and employers worried about the uncertainty. Political scientist Brendan Boyd notes that elected officials can still voice opinions and pass motions, but that municipalities themselves have to be careful about how far they go. 
• Finally, the Telus World of Science Edmonton will remain closed until at least November after severe flooding during a recent storm forced it to evacuate and shut its doors. Chief Executive Constance Scarlett said the science centre has temporarily laid off 147 employees, about 68% of its staff, because it relies on admissions for roughly 80% of its budget and cannot sustain its usual staffing without visitors. Current assessments suggest restoration could take months, with flooring, cabinets and drywall needing replacement in many areas, though the centre says it is exploring a partial reopening earlier in the fall. Refunds for camps, tickets and events scheduled up to the end of September are being processed automatically. The nearby Peter Hemingway Aquatic Centre was also closed by flooding and a power outage, but the neighbouring Coronation Park Sports and Recreation Centre remains open apart from its running track.

• Ward 1 (Nakota Isga) Councillor Reed Clarke is pushing a proposal to offer businesses a tax credit for expanding within Edmonton rather than relocating to neighbouring counties, an idea he has developed with Administration and hopes to bring forward as a motion. Clarke argues Edmonton is steadily losing industrial and commercial activity to places like Acheson in Parkland County and Nisku in Leduc County, where industrial tax rates can be as low as one-third of the City's. Edmonton's tax base sat at nearly an 80-20 split between residential and non-residential property in 2024, compared with roughly 60-40 in the surrounding counties, shifting more of the burden onto homeowners. The City issued 224 permits for industrial and commercial repair or construction in 2024, its lowest total in a decade and down from 389 in 2021. Mayor Andrew Knack has made keeping businesses in the city a priority. Some in the industry are skeptical, with commercial real-estate broker Bronwyn Scrivens calling the incentive a Band-Aid and arguing the City is trying to spend its way out of a problem caused by overspending, while York Realty president Matt Woolsey said Council needs to address its own spending before businesses will stay.
• The Government of Alberta has launched an online portal for residents to file complaints about bike lanes, part of a provincial push that Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen says will inform legislation this fall giving the Province power to review or remove bike lanes in municipalities. The form asks residents to select concerns such as reduced parking, cost to taxpayers, low usage, or added congestion. The move escalates a dispute that began at City Council this month, when Edmonton redesigned a planned bike lane on 50th Street to preserve 30 street parking stalls at an added cost of $2.5 million. Dreeshen travelled to Edmonton's Capilano neighbourhood on Thursday to meet residents opposed to that project. Ward 10 (Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi) Councillor Jon Morgan, who opposed the redesign, said the concession will fall on taxpayers, noting the extra cost comes when many residents want the City to keep taxes low. Premier Danielle Smith defended the portal, saying some bike lanes are well used while others are barely used and create disruption, while supporters such as Bike Edmonton argue the Province is intervening in a local matter.
• Ward 8 (papastew) Councillor Michael Janz is at the centre of a controversy over social media posts about the war in Gaza, with the Jewish Federation of Edmonton calling on Mayor Andrew Knack to intervene. The Federation says posts Janz shared, including one claiming a newborn anywhere in the world is now more likely to be killed by Israel than to die any other way, demonize Israel and the local Jewish community and create a security risk. Federation CEO Stacey Leavitt-Wright said she wants Janz to stop, arguing the issue falls outside a City Councillor's role. Janz has doubled down, defending his posts as criticism of the Israeli government rather than antisemitism and suggesting the Israel pavilion be removed from the Heritage Festival in August. Mayor Knack said Councillors are free to speak on any issue but must share information that is accurate and factually verified, adding that elected officials should hold themselves to a high standard. Ward 9 (pihêsiwin) Councillor Michael Elliott and provincial Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams both criticized the posts, with Elliott arguing that international conflicts fall outside Council's jurisdiction and risk dividing the community.
• Emergency calls for overdoses at Edmonton transit locations more than doubled last year, according to Alberta Health Services data obtained through a freedom of information request. Edmonton recorded 368 such calls in 2025, up from 154 the year before and about 2.5 times the 146 calls logged in Calgary. Churchill station drew the most calls in the city, with 48 last year and 211 since 2018, while Central and Coliseum stations were the only others to top 100 over that period. The figures track only opioid-related calls. The press secretary for Mental Health and Addiction Minister Rick Wilson acknowledged Edmonton remains an outlier, citing high rates of opioid-related deaths involving carfentanil, even as provincial drug poisoning deaths fell to 1,423 in 2025 from a peak of 2,141 in 2023.
• After a weekend storm flooded Edmonton roads, sidewalks and recreation facilities, the City and utility provider EPCOR are pointing to a long-term plan they say will reduce the damage from future downpours. The two are in the sixth year of a $1.6-billion Stormwater Integrated Resource Plan, a 20-year strategy to slow and redirect storm water away from high-risk areas through measures such as dry ponds, upgraded sewers and water-absorbing features in older neighbourhoods. Ward 6 (Métis) Councillor Ashley Salvador said extreme weather events are becoming more common and that the City needs to be proactive with the infrastructure it builds. EPCOR also offers residents a stormwater rebate, free flood-prevention home inspections and a backwater valve subsidy to improve flood resilience. University of Alberta engineering professor Alireza Bayat said underground pipe and sewer systems across all jurisdictions need more frequent maintenance, but cautioned that replacing them takes time and that heavy rainfall can overwhelm even new infrastructure. The City said it responded to a record volume of fire and rescue calls during the storms and cannot yet estimate the cost of cleanup and repairs.

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HEADLINES by Mariam Ibrahim

• The City of Edmonton said that westbound Yellowhead Trail between 97 Street and St. Albert Trail has reopened after crews completed emergency repairs for flood damage caused during recent heavy rains. The City thanked contractors, municipal crews and EPCOR for their help in completing the necessary work. The recent storms caused about $230 million in insured damage in May and June, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
• The City of Edmonton was set to lift its extreme heat response at 9am on July 19 as conditions were expected to improve. Potable water stations will remain open through Sept. 30. Free bottled water and N95 masks are also available at city facilities.
• A meeting between Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen and Capilano-area residents opposing a planned 50 Street bike lane was interrupted by a pro-bike-lane rally as the province gathered input for fall legislation. Meanwhile, the government launched a bike lane concerns portal, which received mixed reviews, CBC reported.
• Trisha Estabrooks said she will seek the Alberta NDP nomination in Edmonton-Strathcona after Naheed Nenshi announced he will run in Calgary in the next election.
• The City of Edmonton is investigating a Grovenor infill property that was being used as an Airbnb rental, Postmedia reported, despite receiving Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation financing for affordable rental housing. Mayor Andrew Knack said properties built under affordable housing agreements must comply with funding rules, while critics called for stronger oversight of short-term rentals.
• The former Italian Bakery site on 97 Street in Edmonton’s Chinatown has been put up for auction with a minimum opening bid of $990,000, less than half its previous $2.3-million listing price. The landmark property, which housed the bakery for more than 60 years before the downtown location closed in early 2025, includes retail, office and residential space. The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce hopes new ownership will help spur redevelopment and revitalize the surrounding area.
• Registered third-party advertisers supporting Alberta separation have raised more than $458,000 ahead of the Oct. 19 referendum, outpacing federalist groups by more than $365,000, according to the latest Elections Alberta figures. Separatist organization Let Alberta Decide is leading fundraising with about $257,000, while Alberta’s Voice is the top-raising federalist group at slightly more than $51,000. Under Alberta’s referendum rules, registered advertisers may spend up to $607,000 on advertising, while individual, corporate and union contributions are capped at a combined $5,000 annually.
• The Alberta government spent about $309,300 on an external agency to develop its official 2026 referendum website, according to documents obtained by Postmedia through an access to information request. The site, which launched in April and later added the question on Alberta separation from Canada, provides information, videos and FAQs on the province’s 10 referendum questions ahead of the Oct. 19 vote. The government said the contract was awarded through a competitive procurement process and that more than 40,000 people have visited the website.
• The Edmonton Elks drew 20,020 fans to Commonwealth Stadium on July 17 for a 19-17 win over the B.C. Lions, a turnout the team framed as a sign attendance is rebounding. “This was the best crowd we’ve seen outside of Labour Day. Full credit to the fans for showing up,” head coach Mark Kilam said.

• City Council has approved a new reserve fund to chip away at Edmonton's $10-billion infrastructure maintenance deficit, and Edmontonians will pay for it through property tax increases built into future budgets. Money in the fund can only be spent on maintaining existing City infrastructure. Residents will see a property tax increase of 0.5% for the first three years, rising to 0.75% for the following three years, and then 1% every year from 2033 onward, on top of regular budget increases. Ward 6 (Métis) Councillor Ashley Salvador, who championed the fund, said residents want assurance the City is taking care of what it already owns. Administration estimates the reserve will cover nearly $1 billion in maintenance costs per year by 2050, though that would still account for only about a third of Edmonton's total renewal needs.
• Council also voted on Tuesday to change the plan for new protected bike lanes on 50th Street between 102nd Avenue and 109A Avenue, choosing a more expensive design in order to keep street parking. Administration's original plan would have removed curbside parking to install the lanes at a cost of $2.4 million, but a motion from Ward 6 (Métis) Councillor Ashley Salvador directed the City toward a $4.9-million alternative that reallocates part of the 10-metre-wide centre median to retain about half the existing parking. A City memo noted that roughly 30 vehicles currently park along that stretch, most of them served by rear alleys and garages. Councillors Erin Rutherford, Jo-Anne Wright and Jon Morgan voted against the alternative on cost grounds, with Ward 10 (Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi) Councillor Jon Morgan questioning spending an extra $2.5 million for 30 stalls given the City's limited funds. Mayor Andrew Knack described the outcome as a "win-win" that avoids picking one mode of transportation over another. City Manager Eddie Robar said he is hearing growing concerns from councillors about bike lane plans across the city, and that adjustments come at a cost to designs already completed.
• Mayor Andrew Knack put forward a motion at City Council declaring the City's support for Alberta remaining in Canada, ahead of the October vote in which Albertans will decide whether the province should begin the legal process toward a separation referendum. Knack said he wished the motion did not have to happen and that it felt odd to be having the conversation, but argued Council should provide clear direction that national unity matters to the City. He told reporters that any conversation about Alberta separating from Canada is harmful and warned against complacency, saying the City needs to send a clear message to the business community and residents. The motion comes as Elections Alberta officials begin verifying signatures on a pro-independence petition.
• The City says its problem properties initiative has saved millions of dollars while cleaning up derelict sites across Edmonton, three-and-a-half years after the fire-department-led team began proactively targeting properties that pose a risk to their communities. Since 2023, the team has inspected more than 2,300 properties, issued 1,800 tickets, removed nearly 2.5 million pounds of debris and garbage, and secured more than 700 vacant properties considered a fire risk. Ward 6 (Métis) Councillor Ashley Salvador, who has driven the effort since she was first elected five years ago, said owners can be required to board up, fence off, and in some cases pay for 24/7 on-site security, with those costs charged back to the property owner. The City also claims to have influenced nearly 500 demolitions by owners, with many of those lots now redeveloped. Officials say the savings come from collected fines and from fewer calls to bylaw and emergency crews, and that problem properties can be reported through 311.
• Blake Desjarlais is leaving his role as Mayor Andrew Knack's chief of staff just three months after taking the position in April. In a statement shared by a City spokesperson, Desjarlais said the decision to step down followed careful reflection and discussion with the Mayor, calling the move mutual but not specifying a reason or his next steps. Desjarlais served as the Member of Parliament for Edmonton Griesbach between 2021 and 2025 before joining the Mayor's Office. Knack said he was proud of Desjarlais's service and had no doubt he would continue to serve Edmontonians. The City did not indicate who would take over the role.

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Edmonton is recovering after a severe thunderstorm caused power outages and flooding. More than 13,000 customers lost electricity, but power has since been restored to most. EPCOR crews continued clearing debris and repairing damage. Major roads including Yellowhead Trail and 97th Street were temporarily closed but have since mostly reopened. Several recreational facilities, including the TELUS World of Science - Edmonton and Peter Hemingway Aquatic Centre, remain closed due to flood damage. The sudden storm sent organizers of several summer festivals, including the Whyte Avenue Art Walk, scrambling.

The Edmonton Police Service sought an injunction to prevent the screening of a documentary about Mathios Arkangelo’s 2024 shooting, fearing it could identify officers under a publication ban, Postmedia reported. The John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights (JHC) premiered the film on June 28 but re-edited it to blur faces after police concerns. “While some in the community view this rapid legal maneuver as an attempt by police to suppress the film, JHC chose to approach this friction with direct dialogue and immediate accountability,” Renee Vaugeois, the centre’s executive director, told Postmedia. “Chief Driechel reached out to personally clarify that the action was intended to ensure officer safety amid active threats, rather than to censor the documentary.”

North-south vehicle access across 102 Avenue in downtown Edmonton will shift as part of Phase 2 of Valley Line West LRT construction. Starting about July 15, access on 105 Street will close, while 104 Street access will open. Access along 104 Street will be closed on Saturdays for the Downtown Farmers’ Market. The construction is expected to continue until the end of 2026, with north-south access remaining open on 109 Street and 101 Street.

Emergency calls regarding overdoses at Edmonton transit locations more than doubled in 2025 compared to the previous year, amounting to 368 calls, significantly surpassing Calgary’s 146 calls. Churchill LRT Station had the highest number of calls in Edmonton since 2018, with 211 incidents. Despite a dip in 2024, the increase reflects ongoing challenges in the city, especially with carfentanil-related deaths.

The City of Edmonton is inspecting residential waste carts to ensure proper sorting, focusing on compliance with its green bin program. City officials are doing daily checks and are leaving tags on bins to provide feedback on sorting practices. The effort is intended to improve waste management efficiency and educate residents about appropriate disposal methods.

The Edmonton International Street Performers Festival concluded with attendance reaching pre-COVID levels, organizers said, noting it has been “a slow build” to reach these numbers. The 10-day festival featured 38 performers from eight countries.

As concerns mount over Meta’s $13-billion data centre in Sturgeon County, Premier Danielle Smith defended the project and assured Albertans it will not hike utility bills or deplete water resources. She said the centre’s water use will match that of a typical golf course through a closed-loop system. The centre will draw energy from Alberta’s grid, with plans to later use power from the forthcoming Greenlight Electricity Centre.

Alberta has experienced a significant rise in tornado activity, with 23 tornadoes already recorded this year, compared to 15 in 2025. Environment Canada meteorologist Brian Proctor highlighted that the tornado season remains active, with six weeks left. The most recent struck Dillberry Lake Provincial Park, injuring three people. David Sills of the Northern Tornadoes Project said that this could be the most active tornado season on the Prairies since the 1980s. Researchers suggest that consistent atmospheric conditions and the interplay of heavy rainfall and fire weather patterns are contributing to the increase.

The Edmonton Oilers have signed St. Albert native Colton Dach to a two-year contract extension worth $1.2 million annually. Dach was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline last season. The 6-foot-4 forward appeared in eight games for Edmonton after his March debut and played in five playoff games.

ON THE AGENDA

Mariam Ibrahim

This week, council will debate rezoning applications and a design change for active transportation during its last week before going on summer recess.

There is a public hearing scheduled for July 6 and a council meeting scheduled for July 7 and 8.

Here are some key items on the agenda this week:

• Westrich Pacific has applied to rezone two properties in Wîhkwêntôwin. The developer has proposed rezoning a lot at 10004 112 Street from a direct control zone that allows for a 35-storey building to the mixed use zone, which allows for a 12-storey building. Westrich has also applied to rezone three lots at the corner of 100 Avenue and 111 Street from a direct control zone that allows for an 18-storey building to the medium-scale residential zone, which allows for an eight-storey building.
• Yorkton Equity Group has applied to rezone the Pacific Mall site and an adjacent parking lot in Chinatown to allow for an 18-storey building and a six-storey building, respectively. The current zoning allows for buildings up to 38 storeys high. Administration said it supports the application because the proposed buildings would align with Chinatown’s economic development plans.
• Coun. Ashley Salvador will move to direct administration to pause the current plans for active transportation infrastructure along 50 Street NW through Capilano, Gold Bar, and Fulton Place. The design would remove street parking to make way for a protected bike lane. Salvador said there is an alternative design that would maintain parking.
• Edmonton city council’s infrastructure committee has approved the creation of a Dedicated Renewal Fund to help ensure long-term infrastructure repair work can happen. Mayor Andrew Knack said the city needs to ensure consistent funding instead of relying on fluctuating external sources. The fund will be financed by raising the property tax levy from 0.5% to 1% by 2033. It is intended to address Edmonton’s $2.7 billion annual infrastructure renewal needs by 2046.
• The Edmonton Valley Zoo has reopened its Nocturnal Wing after extensive habitat enhancements for its Jamaican fruit bats. Director Gary Dewar highlighted new features such as a rock wall and specialized lighting that improve bat well-being and visitor experience. “We hope the experience encourages people to learn more about bats and the conservation challenges they face,” Dewar said.
• More than a year after the disappearance of 14-year-old Samuel Bird in west Edmonton, his mother, Alanna, is channeling her grief into a film project to honour his life and shed light on Indigenous youths’ experiences in Canada. Samuel’s mother has partnered with Indigenous filmmaker Corben Bowen on Every Day Gets Closer to Winter, which is still in development and seeking funding. Bryan Farrell is charged with second-degree murder in connection with Samuel’s death, with court proceedings adjourned to November.
• A $4.6-billion power station has received approval to supply energy to a planned data centre near Edmonton, potentially achieving Alberta’s data centre investment goal. The facility is slated for completion by mid-2030. The station will be built in an industrial area owned by Pembina, which is funding the project along with Morgan Stanley and Kineticor. Scott Burrows of Pembina said the project has received all necessary regulatory approvals and that construction will begin soon.
• St. Albert officials are urging residents to avoid the Sturgeon River after high water levels submerged sidewalks, signs, and park areas, after a record 255 millimetres of rain in June. St. Albert has closed several trails, including the Ray Gibbon Drive and Boudreau Road underpasses, and implemented flood mitigation measures.
• Elections Alberta rejected Corb Lund’s ‘Water Not Coal’ petition, which is aimed at banning new coal mining in the Eastern Slopes. Although the petition initially gathered more than 196,000 signatures, only 172,088 were verified, which is below the required 177,732.
• The Edmonton Oilers have extended contracts for defencemen Shakir Mukhamadullin and Spencer Stastney. Mukhamadullin, acquired from San Jose, signed a two-year extension with an average annual value of $1.75 million. Stastney secured a one-year deal with an average annual value of $1.525 million after joining from Nashville.

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• There will be a City Council Public Hearing today at 9:30 am, with eight planning and rezoning bylaws on the agenda. One proposal would rezone a vacant lot at 10004 - 112 Street in Wîhkwêntôwin for mixed use development up to 40 meters, or roughly 11 storeys, with the City hearing concerns during public notification that the proposed height is too tall for an area that already has enough high rises. Other items would allow medium scale housing on 111 Street in Wîhkwêntôwin and in the Prince Rupert neighbourhood, medium and large scale mixed use development in McCauley, and light industrial and small commercial businesses in Pembina. Council will also take up three related Rossdale items postponed from the June 23rd hearing, which would amend the Rossdale Area Redevelopment Plan, add a new River Crossing Special Area to the City's zoning rules, and rezone a set of riverside properties near 102 Street and 96 Avenue for medium and large scale development. Administration supports all eight bylaws, and each could receive final approval at the same meeting.
• City Council will meet tomorrow at 9:30 am, and two of the items on the agenda deal with how the City will pay to fix its aging infrastructure. Council will decide whether to formally create a Dedicated Renewal Fund Reserve, a step the Infrastructure Committee recommended at its June 24th meeting in response to a renewal funding shortfall projected at $2.8 billion over the 2027-2030 budget cycle and $10 billion over the next decade. Even if all available unconstrained funding went to renewal, Administration projects only 30% of the ideal investment in the City's $39.8-billion infrastructure portfolio would be funded over the next ten years. The report also details a proposed "enhancement" that would add a 0.5% tax increase every year from 2029 to 2036 dedicated to renewal - and even then, dedicated tax levies would cover only 60.7% of the projected renewal need in 2048. A companion report lays out Administration's draft priorities for renewing arterial roads, bridges, facilities, open spaces, and transit assets, with renewal of existing infrastructure prioritized over new growth projects in the next budget cycle. The 2027-2030 budget itself will be deliberated by Council in December.
• Ward 2 (Anirniq) Councillor Erin Rutherford is targeting amplified noise in Edmonton's public spaces, with the Community and Public Services Committee passing her motion on June 29th to draft amendments to the City's public spaces bylaw aimed at reducing unnecessary noise from amplification. Committee chair Ward 12 (Sspomitapi) Councillor Jo-Anne Wright said the push stems partly from concerns voiced by downtown businesses, including about an individual who regularly uses a megaphone and amplifier near Churchill Square at lunch time to spread his religious views. City solicitor Michael Gunther cautioned that any such bylaw must be carefully prepared to avoid violating the Charter of Rights and Freedoms' guarantee of free expression, though he noted municipalities may legally regulate amplification to prevent noise pollution. Administration had recommended tailoring noise limits to the distance from a doorway, but the Committee set that idea aside following a private session. Other options under consideration include requiring a permit to use amplification in public, designating specific "speakers corners", and defining disruptive noise in the bylaw itself. Calgary, Vancouver, and Toronto already have rules on where and when amplification is allowed, and the proposed changes will come back for review on September 25th before any public hearing.
• The same June 29th Committee meeting also took up fireworks, where John Adria, the owner of Uncle John's Fireworks, told City Council's Community and Public Services Committee that putting restrictions on fireworks has created far more problems than it has solved. Adria argued there were no issues before the regulations changed in 2019, and that permit conditions are now so tough that community groups have no legal path to holding the displays they safely ran for decades. He pointed to Saskatoon, which allows fireworks use by all adults without restrictions on several days each year, and suggested Edmonton's red tape is contributing to racism against southeast Asian communities, who he says get blamed whenever fireworks are used illegally. Chief bylaw enforcement officer David Jones told the Committee that fireworks complaints to 311 have increased 1,400% since 2020. After a home burned down during Diwali last year, the City is trying to chart a path that allows fireworks during the November holiday while ensuring fire safety, with Administration proposing to contribute $20,000 from the City's anti-racism fund toward one or more community-based celebrations. A representative of the Edmonton Diwali celebration steering committee urged members to proceed with a celebration at Mill Woods Park, which they declined to do, and Committee chair Ward 12 (Sspomitapi) Councillor Jo-Anne Wright said she was disappointed there was no bylaw review - though the Committee will review the City's fireworks rules in September.
• The City of Edmonton has opened a new impound lot near 122nd Street and 124th Avenue to help clear a backlog of hundreds of abandoned vehicles left on streets, alleys, and parking lots. The City and Edmonton police stopped towing cars earlier this year after the main impound lot filled up, and an overflow parcel is unavailable until December because construction crews are using it as a staging area for the Yellowhead Trail freeway conversion. The new lot can handle about 150 vehicles, but almost 400 are on the list to be towed. Ward 2 (Anirniq) Councillor Erin Rutherford says requests for parking enforcement have risen 45% in the last two years, and she doubts the new lot will solve the problem in the long term. As of June 26th, 362 abandoned vehicles were in the towing queue, down from 693 a month earlier, with crews moving 10 to 15 vehicles a day. Rutherford wrote to the Edmonton Police Commission in April urging it to relocate the tow lot to a larger site as a capital project in the next four-year budget, but the Commission says the current lot provides "suitable functionality" for the foreseeable future.

• The Community and Public Services Committee meets today at 9:30 am, and one of the items on the agenda is a review of how Edmonton regulates domesticated pigeons. Administration concluded that existing business and zoning rules are sufficient and that no bylaw amendments are needed, after finding that all 94 licensed pigeon owners inspected in 2025 were in compliance and that pigeon complaints made up just 0.15% of all animal-related complaints, 16 out of 11,031. A survey of adjacent property owners found that 91% had no concerns about licensed pigeons, with the small number of complaints citing droppings, cleanliness and pests. Current rules cap pigeons at 75 per residence and require birds to be kept in a loft or aviary acceptable to the City. Administration will add two new licence conditions effective January 2027, requiring owners to join a recognized pigeon association and to fit all birds with official identification leg bands. Association membership runs roughly $30 to $80 a year, which the report acknowledges could weigh on lower-income owners, though no change to the licence fee is recommended beyond a previously approved increase of one dollar per year for three years.
• Also before the Committee today is Administration's plan for fireworks communications and a 2026 Diwali celebration, the first of two reports responding to a Council motion. Administration will reallocate $25,000 a year from existing budgets for an enhanced, multilingual fireworks safety campaign, of which $17,000 would be an ongoing cost, stressing that setting off fireworks without a permit is illegal and unsafe. For 2026, the City will continue hosting its own celebratory Diwali event at City Hall, funded by $20,000 from the existing Anti-Racism budget, while adding a one-time $10,000 to help community groups build toward a larger event in 2027. The community's preferred option, a centralized fireworks show at Mill Woods Park, carries a $110,000 price tag under a cost-sharing model with $90,000 from community partners and $20,000 from the City, but the report notes most of that community funding has not yet been secured. Administration points to a permitted display on a Laurel-area school field that it says cut illegal street-level fireworks complaints by 70%. A separate report on regulatory options to address the unsafe purchase and discharge of fireworks is expected back at Committee in the fall.
• The Committee will also review a report on the legacy outcomes of major sport and cultural events the City helps attract, prepared at Council's request. Administration reports that Edmonton hosted 23 attracted events in 2024 and 2025, with a collective economic impact of $148.2 million in 2024 and $145 million in 2025, and that 12 events are scheduled for 2026 with an estimated combined impact of $222.4 million. Rather than apply Council's $3-million economic-impact threshold for requiring formal legacy plans in funding agreements, Administration recommends raising it to $6 million, arguing larger events are better placed to deliver lasting benefits. Examples of planned 2026 legacies include the CPKC Women's Open's goal of raising more than $3.9 million for the Stollery Children's Hospital and food-rescue efforts tied to the World Juniors. Administration says it will finalize a legacy measurement framework by the end of 2026 and begin implementing it in 2027, funded by reallocating money from an existing events budget rather than new spending. Oversight would be shared among the City, Explore Edmonton, Sport Edmonton and event rights holders.
• City Council voted at a public hearing on Tuesday to reduce the on-site parking required for new neighbourhood daycares, with the change taking effect immediately. Under the old rules, daycares needed two spaces for the first 10 children and one for each additional 10, but providers now need only one space for every 10 children, halved again in areas with unrestricted street parking. The City says that means a 40-child daycare that once needed five parking spaces could now need just two. Administration argued the change removes a regulatory barrier for small operators, pointing to a fall 2024 traffic study that found 17% of daycare trips are made on foot or by bike and that parking demand ran about 20% below the old requirements. Mayor Andrew Knack said the goal is to make daycare drop-offs less car-reliant by letting families walk or bike, while Ward 8 (papastew) Councillor Michael Janz, a longtime supporter, said he would like to go further and allow daycares on mid-block lots. Ward 7 (sipiwiyiniwak) Councillor Thu Parmar and Ward 3 (tastawiyiniwak) Councillor Karen Principe were the only members to vote against. One Cavanagh resident appealing a daycare permit next to her home warned the City must balance adding daycares in residential areas against protecting existing residents' quality of life.
• City Council is wrestling with how to keep up service levels as Edmonton's infrastructure repair backlog widens, with aging swimming pools used to illustrate the scale of the problem. The Infrastructure Committee released previously in-camera projections showing it would cost roughly $1 billion to maintain current aquatic service levels, with eight pools already more than 50 years old and four expected to be in poor condition by 2037. City officials told the Committee that 10.2% of Edmonton's total assets are in poor or very poor condition and that about 60% of city alleys need renewal. Overall, the City projects a $2.8-billion renewal gap between 2027 and 2030, ballooning to $10 billion by 2036, and says it can currently cover only 30.7% of its renewal needs, excluding bridges. Administration is weighing cost-saving measures such as repaving rather than reconstructing roads, deferring some downtown projects, and using boardwalks instead of new concrete sidewalks. Mayor Andrew Knack said the figures reinforce why a dedicated renewal fund is critical, while Deputy City Manager Stacey Padbury cautioned the problem cannot be solved in four years.

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ON THE AGENDA

Stephanie Swensrude

This week, council will discuss its policy for engaging Indigenous groups regarding river valley development, review regulations for megaphones in public spaces, and discuss Diwali celebrations and the use of fireworks.

There is a community and public services committee meeting on June 29, an audit selection committee meeting on June 29, an executive committee meeting on June 30, and an urban planning committee meeting on July 2.

Here are some key items on the agenda this week:

• Urban planning committee will discuss a report on Indigenous engagement regarding redevelopment on River Valley lands, on the heels of a contentious public hearing on June 23 regarding a zoning decision in Rossdale. Council postponed its decision about new zoning regulations for Rossdale in anticipation of future development, citing concerns that Indigenous groups had not been consulted adequately. Mayor Andrew Knack encouraged those concerned about the development to attend the July 2 committee meeting, as well as a July 9 public hearing. The report to committee says municipalities do not have a legal duty to consult Indigenous groups under section 35 of the Canadian Constitution, but Edmonton has established its own framework for Indigenous engagement, and administration said it is endeavouring to follow it, as well as the city’s memoranda of understanding with the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, Otipemisiwak Métis Government, and Enoch Cree Nation.
• Administration has laid out ways that council can regulate amplification in public spaces. A report that will be presented to community and public services committee said that while noise pollution is a legitimate concern, regulating it is complicated because limiting the use of megaphones or speakers could potentially impact Charter rights. Some Edmontonians said they were against amplification in public spaces, while others said it can be important for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Administration said it could develop a time, duration, place, or volume (TDPV) regulation, which puts a restriction on when, how long, where, or how loud a disruptive sound may occur. It could also prohibit sound amplification unless someone has a permit.
• Administration plans to host an invite-only Diwali celebration at City Hall in 2026, with the possibility of a larger event in 2027, says a report that will be presented to community and public services committee. The report said community members would prefer a large event at Mill Woods Park in 2026, but the city has not confirmed about $90,000 of the event’s funding. The city will also improve communications about the use and sale of fireworks with signage as well as online and print communications in multiple languages. Diwali fireworks were blamed for property damage in 2025.

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."

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 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.

• 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.