The Pulse
Sept. 19, 2024

The new executive director for the Infill Development in Edmonton Association (IDEA) says he already sees a city policy that could be changed to get more housing built — and it's a waste bylaw.

"The new waste bylaw is making it really complicated for infill developers because it's requiring pretty considerable portions of the lot to be used reserved for bins," Sean Sedgwick, who took over at IDEA in August, told Taproot. "In the past, eight-unit row houses, for example, used to be able to share (waste) carts. That's not going to be allowed anymore. It's going to mean that developers who might have had a garage, or might have had parking, or might have had another bedroom — basically a part of the lot that was leasable area — are now going to have to reserve that for waste."

Sedgwick said the waste services bylaw, enacted in 2023, creates barriers for new multifamily buildings. He said it has forced developers to redesign projects that the city would have approved in the past, and that some developments have lost their financial viability.

Sedgwick is the sole employee at IDEA, a developer-supported organization founded in 2017 that advocates for high-quality infill development. He replaces Mariah Samji, who left the post for an opportunity to move to London, U.K. IDEA was founded by Tegan Martin-Drysdale, who recently launched the Homestead Investment Cooperative and discussed Edmonton's need to promote itself. Today, IDEA has 190 members and 40 volunteers, and has hosted more than 20 in-person events.

Sedgwick said IDEA's advocacy to the city has paid off in the past. The organization successfully lobbied for lot splitting and removing parking minimums, among other things.

"Now when you're building a new building in Edmonton, you don't have to have a (minimum) number of parking spots, which amazingly is something that is the case in most cities — even if whoever doesn't want to build parking, they have to as part of the zoning bylaw," he said.

Sedgwick said he plans to draw on his experience in urban development and psychology at IDEA. He received his master's degree in science (urban and regional planning) from the University of Alberta in 2023, after receiving a bachelor's degree in psychology. He said the two disciplines are not as disparate as they may seem when thinking of housing.

"I think that my psychology background has made me way better at understanding people's behaviour when it comes to planning," he said. For example, he said that he has an idea why people who live in mature neighbourhoods don't always welcome infill development. "The idea of loss aversion (illustrates) how people don't behave rationally in the way that, in an economic model, you might expect. One of the biggest things with loss aversion is that they've found pretty reliably that people are more afraid of losing something they have and understand than they are (open to considering) what they might gain."

• More than 500 affordable rental units in the Griesbach neighbourhood in north Edmonton are set to be demolished by the Canada Lands Company, a federal Crown company that has plans to build in the area as part of its Village at Griesbach development. In March, Canada Lands evicted 174 families, and about 2,000 people will have to leave over the next five years. The situation has raised questions about gentrification and the federal government's response to the housing crisis, Postmedia reported.
• A suspicious fire in the Desrochers neighbourhood in southwest Edmonton destroyed a multi-unit housing project and several townhomes, displacing more than 100 residents. Edmonton Fire Rescue Services responded to the fire just before 4:30am on Sept. 18, bringing it under control about seven hours later. The Edmonton Police Service is investigating and has asked area residents to keep dash or home security footage from that day.
• The City of Edmonton, in an effort to streamline business licence processing, is allowing applicants to attach their development and building permits to their applications. This will reduce processing time by up to 30%, the City said.
• The province has released more details in its $8.6-billion plan to build schools across Alberta, which Premier Danielle Smith first announced in a pre-recorded televised address. The funding will support construction on 30 public schools, modernize five older schools, and either build, renovate, or expand five charter schools annually for three years, the province says.
• Alberta Energy Minister Brian Jean's suggestion to use public money to clean up thousands of abandoned oil wells while lowering tax burdens on companies drew criticism that the plan favours energy companies. "This narrative that (reducing) municipal taxes is what's going to save the industry is a completely ridiculous notion," said Rural Municipalities of Alberta president Paul McLauchlin. He said 94% of companies pay taxes without issue, and that municipal taxes are low on a well owner's list of expenses.
• The Edmonton Oilers started training camp on Sept. 18, beginning their campaign as a favourite to win the season. Players spent the summer dwelling on their one-goal loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final, The Canadian Press reported. Meanwhile, forward Evander Kane will undergo surgery, which will sideline him into the start of the season. The Oilers have also hired retired NHL player Zack Kassian, who was with the Oilers from 2015 to 2022, as a pro scout.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Marketing Analytics: Learn Why It's Important starting at 11am online
• Campus Art Walk at the University of Alberta
• Wellness Lunch and Learns: Balance starting at 12:30pm online
• EBA Does A Table Top Trade Show starting at 5pm at the Wyndham Edmonton Hotel and Conference Centre
• Bridging Art and Leadership starting at 5pm at the Art Gallery of Alberta
• Artist Talk and Reception: Glad You Closer Home / New White Whisker Mary starting at 5pm at Allard Hall
• Edmonton's Station Lands Tour & Fall Mixer starting at 5pm at Station Lands
• eHUB Spark Pitch Night starting at 5:30pm at the Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science
• Eats on 118 starting at 6pm
• What Goes Where? Household Waste in Edmonton starting at 6:30pm at the Ritchie Community League
• Hurtig Lecture on the Future of Canada: Canada's Role in Shaping Our AI Future starting at 7pm at the Timms Centre for the Arts

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Oct. 5: Glenn Miller Reimagined at MacEwan University
• Oct. 9: Dream Big: Chrysalis Edmonton Annual Gala Fundraiser at the Italian Cultural Centre
• Oct. 10: Great Kitchen Party at the Edmonton Convention Centre

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