THIS WEEK IN EDMONTON

ON THE AGENDA

Stephanie Swensrude

Council is scheduled to review how administration reports on its municipal funding agreements, its handling of the city’s digital assets, and the district energy sharing system in Blatchford.

There is a utility committee meeting on Sept. 2, an audit committee meeting on Sept. 3, a city manager and city auditor performance evaluation committee meeting on Sept. 4, and a non-regular city council meeting on Sept. 5.

Here are key items on this week’s agenda:

• The city disbursed $236.4 million to nearly 2,500 community partners in 2024, according to a report that will be presented to council on Sept. 5. The report is the city’s first formal corporate-wide annual reporting of municipal funding. The funding was provided through grants, subsidies, rebates, sponsorships, or operating support and was designed to align with one or more of the city’s strategic goals. The city provided $17 million to business programs, $50 million to community programs, $30 million to housing programs, $7 million to specific and targeted community needs, and $132 million to agencies, boards, and commissions. City administration updated the municipal funding arrangements policy in November to establish monitoring procedures that ensure requirements in the funding agreements are being met. Administration will begin reporting on the outcome of the funds annually, the report said.
• The city’s governance of its investments in digital technology assets like hardware, software, data, and cybersecurity is ineffective at achieving its strategies, according to a report from the city auditor. The audit found that while the city has a corporate business technology investment framework, no one is assigned to be accountable for its results or ensure compliance with its processes, and there is not consistent reporting on the framework. The auditor recommended that the city provide training to the executive leadership team and the technology investment advisory group to improve their understanding of the foundation for making technology decisions and that the city regularly evaluate the technology investment framework.
• Administration plans to prepare amendments that will limit developers from opting out of connecting their homes to Blatchford’s district energy sharing system. Builders can currently choose not to connect to the city-owned system if they prove that the housing they are building is net zero. But the exemption process has generated operational and financial challenges for the utility, said a report that will be presented to council’s utility committee on Sept. 2. Administration will prepare an amendment that limits any further exemptions, and council will vote on the amendment in the fall.
• Council will receive a private update from a consultant at a meeting on Sept. 4.

Meetings stream live on YouTube on the Chamber channel and River Valley Room channel.

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• The Council Services Committee will meet on Friday at 9:30 am. The Committee will review a report on renovating the Councillors’ Wing on the second floor of City Hall to address noise and privacy concerns in the existing open office layout. The project involves enclosing 12 administrative areas with architectural wall systems, including full glass doors and lower solid panels with upper glass sections, which is intended to improve acoustic performance by 20 - 25% and provide visual privacy below desk height. Work will also include modifications to the HVAC system, removal and reinstallation of workspace components, and project management and design fees. Construction is scheduled for the December 2025 Council recess, with follow-up HVAC adjustments completed either during the recess or outside office hours in January 2026. The total project cost is estimated at $300,000, funded through one-time Office of the City Clerk resources.
• On Friday, at 1:30 pm, there will be a Non-Regular Meeting of City Council. The agenda features the first formal, corporate-wide annual outcome report for municipal funding arrangements, summarizing 2024 activities and financials. In total, the City has provided $236.4 million to 2,494 partners, including $132.7 million to Agencies, Boards, and Commissions (ABCs) like the Edmonton Arts Council and Edmonton Public Library, and $103.7 million to other organizations. Funding types include grants, subsidies, rebates, sponsorships, Council-directed funding, and below-market leases for non-profits, all designed to advance the City’s strategic goals, especially Healthy City and Regional Prosperity. Programs included business initiatives ($17 million), community programs ($49.9 million), and housing programs ($29.5 million).
• Council has approved changes to how roadway upgrades in the Lewis Farms area will be funded and delivered, aiming to address growing traffic pressures in west Edmonton while avoiding costly delays. The amendment to a 2006 bylaw shifts certain projects, including adding lanes on 215 Street NW, Whitemud Drive, and Webber Greens Drive, from City-funded to developer-funded, though overall financial obligations remain the same. Council members emphasized timing and planning, recalling past missed opportunities that led to higher costs. Administration noted the changes address immediate “pinch points” and safety concerns, but full widening of 215 Street NW will require additional design and planning. Some Councillors debated whether the planning should proceed outside the City’s four-year budget, but ultimately, a motion to align the work with the four-year budget was defeated, allowing early planning to move forward.
• City Council has also approved a master agreement for the development of a new public event park and the Village at Ice District, alongside the demolition of the Coliseum. The project, a partnership between the City, the Province, and the Oilers Entertainment Group (OEG), involves more than $300 million in combined funding. Council debated the deal but had limited ability to negotiate due to a September 1st provincial deadline, leading some Councillors to raise concerns about the fast timeline and lack of amendments. Supporters emphasized that the agreement protects the City financially while enabling transformative infrastructure projects in downtown Edmonton. OEG hailed the project as a model of public-private partnership and highlighted its potential to strengthen the city’s core. The approval followed an earlier extension of the community revitalization levy (CRL), which will help fund the City’s portion. Opposition focused on procedural concerns rather than the merits of the project, with four Councillors voting against the agreement. The next steps include finalizing grant agreements with the Alberta government by November 30th, aiming for construction to begin in 2026.
• A recent poll suggests that a majority of Edmontonians feel the city is heading in the wrong direction, with 58% expressing this view and only 33% saying the city is on the right track. The sentiment is strongest among residents over 55, while younger voters aged 18-34 are more optimistic. With just over six weeks until the municipal election, the mayoral race is crowded and competitive, with Councillor Andrew Knack slightly leading at 12%, followed by Councillor Tim Cartmell at 10%, Michael Walters at 7%, and Rahim Jaffer at 5%. Nearly half of voters remain undecided. Key voter priorities include lowering taxes, reducing poverty, cutting spending, increasing access to social housing, and improving basic services like snow clearing and garbage collection. Candidates are highlighting issues such as affordability, safety, and growth management, and several stress the need for new leadership to address these challenges. Voter engagement appears moderate, with 49% saying they will definitely vote and another 18% very likely to vote.
• Alberta’s Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen met with Edmonton residents upset about planned bike lanes in the Delton and Alberta Avenue neighbourhoods, highlighting concerns over inadequate local consultation. The bike lanes, part of the City’s $100-million Active Transportation Network Expansion Program, would convert driving lanes into cycling infrastructure, which some residents say reduces road capacity and duplicates existing bike lanes. Dreeshen criticized the City for moving ahead on contracted projects despite his request for a pause and said the Province is considering legislative changes to require traffic impact assessments when bike lanes replace vehicle lanes. Residents argued that only a small portion of the community was consulted in 2019 and feel their opposition has been ignored.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

Many Edmonton businesses are raising concerns about the City’s new mobile-only parking system, citing customer confusion, limited signage, and accessibility issues such as language barriers in the app.

The City maintains the change was driven by cost savings, estimating $6 million would have been needed to upgrade traditional parking machines.

Have you tried the new system? What do you think? Let us know!