St. Albert Minute: Issue 128

St. Albert Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of St. Albert politics

📅 This Week In St. Albert: 📅

• The City of St. Albert has signed a 2.5-year extension to its ground ambulance contract with the Government of Alberta's Emergency Health Services, keeping the service in place from now through 2029 at current funding levels. The extension, signed September 3rd, renews a contract that had been set to expire at the end of September. The City says the move means residents will not see a 1.2% municipal property tax increase in 2027 that had been announced in May as a consequence of the earlier arrangement. St. Albert Fire Services and other providers will continue to deliver ambulance care under the extension. The City is also taking part in a third-party review of its emergency medical services being conducted by Ernst & Young for the Province, and expects to discuss a longer-term contract for 2029 onward.
  
  
• St. Albert businesses are bracing for a fresh round of tariffs, with Canada's counter-tariffs on about $27.6 billion of US imports set to take effect on Tuesday. The federal government announced the measures on August 25th in response to new US tariffs on goods such as plywood, honey, and sports equipment, part of the ongoing Canada-US trade war. Local business owners say the impact varies widely: the owner of a St. Albert wellness and medical spa said she faced tariffs of up to 50% on many beauty supplies, while the owner of a weightlifting equipment business said American customers could face hundreds of dollars in surprise fees. A downtown antiques and jewelry dealer said shifting tariff rules were causing costly delays for coins shipped across the border. Others, including a local sporting goods store, said they expected little effect because most of their stock comes from overseas.
  
  
• St. Albert Mayor Scott Olivieri has criticized comments by an Edmonton City Councillor who suggested Edmonton should stop approving new social services until other municipalities in the region do more to host emergency shelters. Councillor Michael Janz made the remarks during an August 25th public hearing on a year-round emergency shelter in Edmonton, citing a memo showing no permanent public emergency shelter beds exist outside that city. Olivieri called the comments "short-sighted" and said they did not reflect regional discussions among municipal leaders. He said St. Albert follows provincial guidelines through its Family and Community Support Services program, which along with outside agency grants received $1.3 million in 2026, up $100,000 from the year before. St. Albert has two dedicated day spaces for people in need, at the St. Albert Food Bank and Community Village.
  
  
• St. Albert Public Schools will receive three new classroom complexity teams to support junior and senior high students during the 2026–27 school year. The teams are part of Alberta’s $100-million investment in classroom supports, which includes 223 teams across the province. In St. Albert, the teams will provide support for students with complex behavioural needs and high school students at risk of disengaging or struggling with their transition after graduation. Specialists such as behaviour experts and social workers will work alongside school staff to develop strategies that improve student safety, participation and independence. The division will also use funding for educational assistant training, specialized staff and supports for neurodivergent students. The Province plans to collect updated classroom data in fall 2026 to assess ongoing needs.
  
  
• Over at City Hall, the Standing Committee of the Whole meets tomorrow at 9:30 am, and one of the items on the agenda is an update on a request from the St. Albert Soccer Association for $8.3 million in City funding. The Association, which leases land in Riel Recreation Park, is seeking the money toward an $8.6-million project to build an indoor training facility and a full-sized outdoor artificial turf field next to its existing fields. Administration notes the project was not identified as a priority in the City's 2022 Recreation Needs Assessment, though the City and the Association agree it addresses a need those community-focused reviews did not consider. Tuesday's update is for information only, and a full report weighing the Association's business case, capital plan, and financial impact on the City is due back to Council on October 13th. The Association has operated in St. Albert since 1955 and reports about 5,000 members.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

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