THIS WEEK IN EDMONTON

This week, council will get its first look at the fall budget adjustment and will continue with orientation.

There is an orientation meeting scheduled for the mornings of Nov. 24, 25, and 26, and a city council meeting scheduled for the afternoons of Nov. 24, 25, and 26.

Council will review the fall budget adjustment at the afternoon meetings. Administration has proposed a 6.4% tax increase for 2026, which is in line with what the previous council approved in the spring.

Administration has identified a $52.3-million gap in the city’s operating budget. City staff moved money around internally to address $13.4 million of the gap, and the remaining $38.8 million will “be addressed through specific action plans, which include fee increases, program reviews, and adjustments to service levels,” the budget report said. Administration has proposed reducing the budget of the city’s anti-racism office by $430,000. Other proposed service reductions will be discussed in private.

Council will debate budget service packages that are currently not funded, including $1.9 million to staff transit stations with safety attendants during periods of lower ridership, $95,000 to support expanding the derelict residential tax subclass beyond mature neighbourhoods, $2.7 million to make a temporary enhanced transit cleaning program permanent, $9.9 million to improve snow clearing and sidewalk repair, $555,000 to reinstate the infill liaison team, and a $2.9-million funding increase to improve service levels with DATS.

Meanwhile, three capital projects require more than what was already approved in the four-year budget cycle. The estimated cost for the 137 Avenue and Anthony Henday Ramps project has more than doubled, from $6.6 million to $14.3 million. Construction of the Athlone Fire Station is now expected to cost $28 million, or $10 million more than its original allocation. Construction of the Walker Fire Station has increased, too, from $19.9 million to $32.8 million.

Council will debate purchasing 25 new buses, for $25.22 million, to transition three On Demand Transit zones to scheduled service. This change would result in a $420,000 operating budget increase in 2026, and about $7.4 million annually starting in 2027, the year the buses are expected to be put into service.

The budget report also includes an update on the Old Strathcona Public Realm Strategy. Council had asked administration to establish a reserve fund so that parking revenues from the ePark lot across Gateway Boulevard from the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market would be used to support the upgrades identified in the strategy, including design and construction of upgrades to End of Steel Park. Administration forecasts that the parking revenues will be able to fund the design of the park, but not the construction or any other upgrades in the strategy.

The carbon budget report said the proposed adjustments aren’t expected to significantly change the city’s emissions. The city is still forecast to deplete its community carbon budget in 2036 and its corporate carbon budget in 2032. Its stated goal is to be carbon-neutral by 2050.

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• Today, at 8:30 am, there will be special meetings of the Community and Public Services Committee, the Executive Committee, and the Urban Planning Committee. The Committees will each elect a Chair and Vice-Chair, but there is little else on the agenda. At 9:30 am, City Council Orientation continues, and Councillors will receive presentations from Administration on Supporting Financial Sustainability. Tuesday’s orientation session will focus on Economic Development, on Wednesday Council will hear about Service Delivery and Advancing Safety and Security.
• Council budget meetings will also begin today, at 1:30 pm, and continue on Tuesday at 1:30 pm and Wednesday at 1:30 pm, as well as December 1st to 4th beginning at 9:30 am each day. Edmontonians are facing a 6.4% property tax increase, which Administration says is needed to address the City’s growing fiscal pressures from inflation, population growth, declining provincial grants, and debt limits. Many planned capital projects, including new buses and road expansions, have been left unfunded, though $6.5 million is allocated for the Rossdale Power Plant roof. Officials warn that any reductions to offset the tax hike would likely come at the expense of service levels. The budget marks the final year of the current four-year cycle, with the new Council expected to draft a fresh budget in 2026.
• Edmonton is facing a rise in traffic fatalities, with 30 deaths so far this year, up from 26 in 2024 and 24 in 2023. Nearly half of these collisions involved speeding, and excessive speed violations over 50 km/h above the limit are up 19%. Street racing and reckless driving are also reportedly contributing to the problem. Police stress that automated enforcement could reduce dangerous driving, but high-risk intersections remain a concern. Most fatal crashes occur on arterial roads and during darkness, with speed being the key factor. The City is targeting priority areas, such as 118 Avenue near Highlands School, using measures like flashing beacons, which have cut average speeds by 14%. Despite these efforts, officials warn that speeding and traffic fatalities continue to pose a serious threat to public safety.
• Edmonton Ward Dene Councillor Aaron Paquette is proposing to turn the City’s ED Tel Endowment Fund into a sovereign wealth fund to reduce reliance on property taxes and attract more development. The fund, currently worth $1 billion, generates about $48 million annually for property tax relief, but Paquette aims to grow it to $6 billion over 10-15 years to fully offset tax increases. He argues the City has already squeezed all efficiencies from its budget and needs alternative revenue streams. Concerns have also been raised that businesses are moving just outside Edmonton to avoid high taxes, leaving the City to shoulder rising costs. Paquette suggests the City offer incentives and better infrastructure support to attract developers while including safeguards to protect taxpayers.
• Former Mayoral candidate Tim Cartmell has announced he is leaving the Better Edmonton Party, which he co-founded during last year’s municipal election. Cartmell said he decided to step back after a period of reflection but praised the remaining team for continuing to push core issues and potentially prepare for the next election. The party saw three Councillors elected in October, though two of them recently left the party as well. Cartmell expressed pride in the campaign’s accomplishments and in his eight years of service on City Council, calling it an enriching experience despite the recent departures.