The Pulse
Sept. 16, 2024

This week, councillors are set to attend committee meetings and discuss fare gates at select transit stations, grants for affordable housing, and the city's tax forgiveness policy.

There is a community and public services committee meeting scheduled for Sept. 16, an urban planning committee meeting scheduled for Sept. 17, and an executive committee meeting scheduled for Sept. 18.

Here are key items on this week's agenda:

• City staff have designed a two-year pilot program to test fare gates at the Churchill and Belvedere LRT stations. The pilot is aimed to address fare evasion, safety, and security concerns. The cost to install the fare gates — 30 per station — plus CCTV cameras is estimated at $4.2 million. The operating costs for the pilot are estimated to be $3 million. Administration said fare gates would require a staff member to be present during the 20 hours a day the LRT runs. The staff member would help riders navigate the gates, and let through riders who don't use an Arc card, such as children under 12 and riders with paper transfers. Administration said determining if the fare gates increase revenue will be difficult because those evading fares could use nearby stations. Anecdotal evidence from other cities with fare gates suggests they increase riders' perception of safety and fairness, administration said. Fare gates, especially if combined with simple and convenient payment options, can reduce fare evasion, but administration noted people can still climb over fare gates or "tailgate" behind other riders. If council wants to proceed with the pilot program, it will need to identify a funding source, as the pilot would cost more than it would generate in additional revenue, city staff said. Council had asked administration to recommend a way forward when requesting the pilot program, but administration didn't provide one in the report. The pilot is scheduled to be presented to council's urban planning committee on Sept. 17.
• Administration is asking council's executive committee to approve $19 million to fund seven projects that would lead to 275 new units of either affordable, supportive, or transitional housing, and 22 rehabilitated units. The units would be offered at various rental rates, ranging from rent-geared-to-income to 80% of market rents. The proposed developments, which are outlined in a report scheduled to be presented to council's executive committee on Sept. 18, are in Heritage Valley Town Centre, McCauley, Wîhkwêntôwin, downtown, Woodcroft, Parkdale, and Athlone. If the committee approves the funding, council will debate it at a future meeting.
• City staff recommends tightening its tax forgiveness policy so that fewer properties are eligible as part of the OP12 cost-saving exercise. Some properties, such as religious organizations, cancer treatment centres, private schools, arts organizations, and non-profit groups, are exempt from property taxes but the city still requires taxes while the building is under construction. Those organizations can apply to have those taxes forgiven, as the building will become tax-exempt upon completion. The city has forgiven $184,000 of taxes in such cases since 2020. Properties that will be tax-exempt after construction can have up to three years of their taxes forgiven, but administration suggests restricting that time period to one year. This change would have avoided about $73,000 in tax forgiveness per year since 2020. Administration also recommends restricting tax forgiveness to the principal amount, and not to any associated fines for nonpayment. This policy would have avoided about $15,000 in tax forgiveness since 2020, the city said. City staff suggest restricting what types of properties are eligible for tax forgiveness and capping the amount of taxes that can be forgiven. The options are scheduled to be presented at an executive committee meeting on Sept. 18.

• Edmonton city councillors' financial disclosures will be released publicly each year after council unanimously approved a new bylaw last week. The new rules, which take effect on Jan. 1, will require the city manager to publish details such as council members' business affiliations and shareholdings by the last business day of February each year. The move aligns Edmonton with practices in other cities, including Calgary, where councillors' disclosures have been public for at least a decade.
• The City of Edmonton announced the opening of the 50 Street overpass, which will help eliminate delays caused by train crossings. The northbound lanes of the $181-million overpass project opened on Sept. 13, while the southbound lanes are expected to open on Sept. 16. The City called the opening a significant milestone in the 50 Street Widening and Railway Grade Separation project, which is expected to be complete by the end of 2026.
• Beljan Development plans to redevelop the historic St. Anthony School property in Edmonton's Old Strathcona neighbourhood into a mixed-use site with new commercial retail tenants and a residential complex. The company says it will try to preserve the exterior and historical integrity of the 118-year-old building, which was the site of Edmonton's first Catholic school south of the river. Construction on the project could begin by the end of 2025 if city council approves the rezoning application.
• The Alberta Ecotrust Foundation has awarded $925,000 in Climate Innovation Grants to ten organizations in Edmonton and Calgary, including the University of Alberta, NAIT, and the Community Energy Association. The funding is intended to support projects aimed at addressing climate change and aligning with local climate plans. Projects include initiatives such as electric school buses, low-carbon housing designs, and expanding electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
• Edmonton has a significant shortage of ice sheets for hockey and other ice sports, leading to inconvenient practice times and logistical challenges for families. Many facilities identified for replacement in 2009 are still in use, and new arena projects remain unfunded. Some clubs have had to travel to surrounding communities to find available ice, said Jeremy Haluschak of Hockey Edmonton.
• An Edmonton Police Service program that registers bike serial numbers and other details online has so far helped recover about $1 million in stolen bicycles, police said in a news release. The Bike Index program has registered more than 146,000 bikes in the Edmonton area since its launch in 2019. Police will hold the final registration event for the summer season on Sept. 21 at the Old Strathcona Farmers' Market.
• At the Canadian Country Music Association Awards, held in Edmonton for the first time in a decade, Josh Ross took home multiple honours, including entertainer of the year and single of the year. Alberta's MacKenzie Porter was named female artist of the year, and k.d. lang reunited with The Reclines for a performance celebrating her induction into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.
• The Kaleido Family Arts Festival in Alberta Avenue marked its 19th year over the weekend as it faces a funding shortfall of $50,000. The festival has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help support its operations.
• St. Albert ranked last among the 100 best Canadian cities for renters due to high rent costs, limited rental options, and low renter rates. The city has a very low vacancy rate of 0.9%, compared to Edmonton's 2.6%, indicating high demand for rental units, said Lory Scott with the City of St. Albert.
• The provincial government is creating the Alberta Police Review Commission to handle code of conduct complaints against municipal police officers. The commission, which will operate independently of police services and include the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, is set to begin its work in December 2025. The move will shift disciplinary responsibilities from police chiefs to a civilian-led body. A spokesperson for the Edmonton Police Service said it welcomes the new commission.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Haul for Hope starting at 9am at the Edmonton International Airport
• Gotta Minute Film Festival (until Sept. 22)
• Library Lunchtime Concerts starting at 12:15 at the Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
• Flashback starting at 6:45pm at Metro Cinema
• Avril Lavigne starting at 7pm at Rogers Place
• Stroll of Poets Haven Reading Series Season Launch - Escape starting at 7pm at Upper Crust Cafe

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Sept. 28: Mural Unveiling: Azure Dragon of the East & Chinatown After Dark at 9643 101A Avenue NW
• Oct. 2: Centre for Healthy Communities Innovation Forum online
• Oct. 5-6: Harvest Book Fair at the CKUA Performance Space

Visit the beta version of the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.