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Depending on how you feel about Edmonton’s city council, the first two years of the term have either flown by, or felt like a trip to Bawlf on a broken bicycle.
Much has happened since that transformative election in October 2021, which saw several incumbents lose their seats, the defeat of a conservative slate, a new mayor and the election of eight rookies — along with a record number of women and visible minorities.
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Those results set up certain expectations — for both supporters and opponents — and the halfway point in the mandate is a good milestone from which to evaluate if this fresh-faced group has lived up to them.
From my vantage point in the cheap seats, it’s fair to say much of council’s agenda has been driven by the progressive camp, a contingent that has been a bit haphazard but also very determined — even impatient — to get on with efforts to shift city development, fight climate change and improve equity.
To their credit, this is what they promised during the election, even though such scale and pace of change tends to be polarizing (to the point that some voters may now be experiencing a little buyer’s remorse).
At times, this has led to tension with some of the more veteran councillors, who have urged restraint on dramatic policy shifts until more research is brought to bear. And they have faced outright opposition from the two most conservative councillors, Jennifer Rice and Karen Principe, who have not been on the winning side of many votes, nor particularly effective advocates of their views.
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As for Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, he has generally been aligned with the progressive group but not as consistently as you may think. Collaboration, equity and positivity have characterized his leadership style, though he has yet to establish a clear policy identity or political gravitas that we saw from past mayors. His effort to transform the last city budget was his most effective moment of political management, and he needs to build on it.
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Based on what I hear from readers, the most polarizing of council’s decisions remains the approval of $100 million over four years for new bike lanes.
Many of you won’t agree, but I give council credit for doing something bold here. Bike infrastructure is going to be increasingly necessary as the city densifies and decarbonizes, and we need to remember that the amount is a pittance compared with what the city spends on roads and LRT lines (one of which still isn’t even operational).
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My feelings are similar in regard to council’s other signature policy, the controversial overhaul of the zoning system that was the subject of a very lengthy public hearing last week.
Assuming the new framework is approved, this is a massive, crucial piece of work for reorienting development patterns to contain sprawl, improve housing choices and create a more sustainable city. It will be years before we know how well it works, but I have been gratified at council’s dedication to push through considerable opposition.
(With the possible exception of Blatchford, it may come as a surprise to hear that this has generally been a development-friendly council.)
Initiatives on anti-racism, derelict properties and demolishing the old Coliseum are also among successes worth noting.
On other issues, however, it has not been a smooth ride.
Though the eye test doesn’t show it, council has spent an excruciating amount of time trying to address homelessness and community safety. The list of initiatives includes more transit officers, supportive housing and shelters, public washrooms, crisis diversion, an operations centre in Chinatown, encampment response, enhanced cleaning and efforts at Downtown vibrancy.
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Some of these are helping but, in the grand scheme, the city just doesn’t have the financial or jurisdictional power to really combat problems of this scale and complexity, at least not without help from other orders of government.
On this front, Sohi and council have struggled to get any traction from the legislature, though relations have improved on this file since Danielle Smith took over as UCP leader. While wide ideological differences remain of course, the city recently scored a hard-fought victory by getting the province to finally boost its commitment to shelter spaces. It’s a start anyway.
Unfortunately, the biggest piece of the community safety puzzle, policing, has remained a sore point. Council is not to blame for all of the conflict around the Edmonton Police Service performance and accountability, but the group’s hand-wringing over the police budget has been tough to watch.
Yes, council did finally settle on an EPS funding formula, yet that came about only after a rise in public alarm about crime and social disorder. And the new formula wound up looking an awful lot like the old one, making it hard to see what’s actually been accomplished for those two years of tension.
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This, alas, is not the only degraded relationship on council’s record.
Dealings with neighbouring municipalities remain strained following Edmonton’s decision to withdraw from the regional transit commission.
However, the biggest source of embitterment may still be emerging, in the area of financial management.
Slammed by inflation, council has already committed to four years of tax hikes that will cumulatively amount to more than 20 per cent, and it is going to be difficult to even keep it at that level given that the city has to contend with a major deficit this year.
Meanwhile, the city is also carrying a high level of debt, in part due to overindulgence on infrastructure spending. And the snow-clearing budget is still underfunded.
Councillors have talked a lot about making tough choices, but I haven’t yet seen much resolve. Sources tell me their one major effort at restraint, a directive to find $60 million in savings and redirect another $240 million to priority areas, is not going smoothly.
Like riding a bicycle in disrepair, something is going to have to give in the second half of the term.
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