The Pulse
March 17, 2023

The City of Edmonton says it will plant two million new trees by 2030, at a cost of about $114 million.

The original goal set out in the City Plan was to add two million net trees by 2050. But the city also has a goal to reach total canopy coverage of 20% by 2071, as outlined in the Urban Forest Asset Management Plan.

"Based on modeling done to date, the canopy coverage target will be greatly supported by accelerating the planting of two million net new trees by 2030," the City of Edmonton said in an email to Taproot. "This will allow time for those trees' canopy to grow, and combined with continued tree planting past 2030, sets us on our way towards the 20% canopy coverage target."

The $114 million will be a mix of city and federal dollars, the city said. Of that, $66 million is held in abeyance, and about $48 million is expected from grants offered through Canada's 2 Billion Trees program. The funds held in abeyance will be released upon the successful disbursement of the federal funds, indicates the capital profile report in the 2023-2026 budget.

This does not come with additional expenditure beyond what was decided in the city's current four-year budget. "Because the cost of establishment is built into this capital project, no additional operating dollars are required from 2023-2026 for this work," the city said. "Through the City's budget process, operating impacts of capital are calculated and will be applied in future budget cycles."

The cost of planting trees came up in December during capital budget deliberations when Coun. Jennifer Rice moved to reduce funding for tree-planting. Her motion was defeated, but the debate raised questions about how much it is going to cost to meet the City Plan's tree-planting goals.

The price per tree tends to vary between $23 and $1,700, depending on the type and age of a tree, where it's planted, and whether it is planted by city staff, volunteers, or contractors. Trees planted in "hardscape" areas like sidewalks and parking lots can cost $17,000 or more, due to design and construction expenditures for underground structures and navigation around utility systems.

The ecosystem benefits of Edmonton's current urban forest are valued at $176 million, says the capital profile report, and the two-million-trees project is expected to increase those benefits by about 15% as the trees mature. Increasing the size of Edmonton's urban forest is also integral to meeting the goals of the Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Strategy and the Community Energy Transition Strategy, among other plans.

• Const. Travis Jordan and Const. Brett Ryan of the Edmonton Police Service were shot and killed while responding to a family dispute call at an apartment complex in the Inglewood area at around 12:47am on March 16. Police said a "young male" who shot the officers is dead, and a woman was taken to hospital with serious injuries. Postmedia, citing an unnamed source, said the shooter was a 16-year-old boy and the female victim his mother. A visibly emotional Chief Dale McFee described the event as "unthinkable and a horrific tragedy" while speaking at police headquarters in front of more than 100 EPS officers, staff, and media. McFee did not take questions but said more information would be released later.
• Consolation and sympathy came from across Canada and flags were lowered to half-mast following the killing of two Edmonton Police Service officers. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi issued a statement on behalf of council and administration calling March 16 a "very difficult and sad day." Premier Danielle Smith and Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis extended sympathies to the family, friends, and colleagues of the officers, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also sent his condolences to their loved ones and colleagues.
• In the history of Edmonton, 10 police officers have died while on duty, including Const. Travis Jordan and Const. Brett Ryan. In 2015, Const. Daniel Woodall was killed while executing a warrant for a hate crimes charge. In 1990, Const. Ezio Faraone was killed while attempting to arrest armed robbery suspects and later memorialized in the naming of Ezio Faraone Park at the north end of the High Level Bridge. Two officers were killed more than 100 years ago, and four died in other types of tragedies. Since September 2022, eight police officers have been killed while on duty across Canada.
• Some Edmontonians felt rumbling the morning of March 16 that was the result of a 4.6-magnitude earthquake in the Peace River area. Earthquakes Canada said the quake struck near the hamlet of Reno, which is about 461 kilometres northwest of Edmonton. The same area was the site of 5.8-magnitude earthquake in November 2022, which broke the record for the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Alberta.
• Council voted to ratify the city's collective agreement with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1007. Union members voted to ratify the terms on March 6. The three-year agreement includes a 1% general wage adjustment for 2022, 2% for 2023, and 2% for 2024.
• Leigh Ann de Ruiter, the wife of self-proclaimed spiritual leader and Oasis Group founder John de Ruiter, was granted bail by a provincial court with several conditions including no longer arranging sex for her husband. The de Ruiters are co-accused in three counts of sexual assault. Meanwhile, some residents of Woodlands County attended an unofficial town hall to express concerns about the arrival of dozens of Oasis Group members into their community northwest of Edmonton, including John de Ruiter.

This weekend offers dance with live video projections, an Alberta take on a pirate tale, a music festival inspired by the Grateful Dead, virtual reality art, the sounds of Ukraine, and poetry-infused choral music.

• March 16-18: Go Where Light Is at Mile Zero Dance
• March 17-18: The Pirates of Penzance with the University of Alberta Opera Theatre
• March 17-18: Dead Ends Live at the McDougall United Church
• Until March 18: Know Thyself as a Virtual Reality at the FAB Gallery
• March 19, 1:30pm: Ukrainian Jam at the ACUA Gallery
• March 19, 3pm: Bevan and the Bards, presented by the Edmonton Metropolitan Chorus

Find even more things to do in the Arts Roundup.

Photo: The Edmonton Metropolitan Chorus will present choral masterworks inspired by great poets at First Presbyterian Church. (Jeannie Lundgard)