St. Albert Minute: Issue 69

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

📅 This Week In St. Albert: 📅

• City Council unanimously supported a motion to explore allowing green burials at the St. Albert Municipal Cemetery. The move would amend the Cemetery Bylaw to permit green burials without requiring certification from the Green Burial Society of Canada. While the City won’t seek certification immediately, officials will still review the Society’s ethical guidelines. Green burials involve placing unembalmed bodies in biodegradable materials without cement liners, offering a more environmentally friendly option than traditional burial or cremation. Councillor Natalie Joly, who introduced the motion, emphasized the need for residents to have this choice within their own community. The potential site for green burials is roughly 775 square metres. Public feedback was supportive, including messages from Métis residents and community leaders who value practices that honour the land.
  
  
• Council also unanimously approved a motion from Councillor Wes Broadhead to improve access to mobility services for residents with disabilities. The decision follows reports of residents being denied Handibus service due to physical barriers at their residences, such as height restrictions or lack of ramp space. Only three people were denied service in 2024, but the issue highlighted a gap in the current system. The motion directs City Administration to develop a pilot program in partnership with a third-party service provider to address these accessibility challenges. A business case is expected by the end of Q3 2025, just ahead of the municipal election. Some Councillors raised concerns about the tight timeline, but Administration confirmed it can meet the deadline. Councillor Natalie Joly praised the initiative but expressed frustration over how long it’s taken to address transportation barriers. 
  
  
• A proposed redistricting to allow for a new high school site in St. Albert's northeast is being called premature by City Administration due to several outstanding issues. A City report recommends defeating the redistricting bylaw, citing a lack of servicing, absence of a required Neighbourhood Plan, and a potential $74.1 million in upfront infrastructure costs. Additionally, overdedication of Municipal Reserve land would force the City to purchase extra land at market value, possibly costing millions. While developer Landrex has offered a temporary servicing solution, the report warns that available capacity would be nearly maxed out by the school alone. The school board maintains that a high school in the northeast is essential due to growing population pressure and sees the location as central to its capital plan. A public hearing on the matter has been postponed until September.
  
  
• St. Albert has significantly increased its municipal election budget for 2025, rising from $261,200 in 2021 to $930,700. The bulk of the increase - $669,500 - is due to provincial changes introduced in Bill 20, which require a permanent electors register and prohibit the use of electronic tabulators. As a result, the City must hire hundreds of additional election workers for manual ballot counting, with $280,000 allocated for counting staff and $175,000 for the new voter registry. Election officials began planning early to ensure compliance with the new rules and are working to keep costs as low as possible. The City is also hiring security, budgeted at $37,000, since vote counting will take more than one day. Officials estimate around 400 workers will be needed, and job postings are currently open. A comparison with other municipalities showed that St. Albert’s budget increase is among the highest, in part due to its population size and use of an at-large voting system.
  
  
• A recent City of St. Albert survey shows strong optimism among local business owners, with over half expecting higher revenues in the coming year - the highest confidence level recorded since the survey began in 2020. Conducted by Deloitte Canada, the study involved 412 businesses and found that most had seen steady or rising revenues over the past 12 months. Despite ongoing concerns like the Canada/US trade tensions, business owners were more focused on operating costs and commercial space availability. Many cited strong local support post-COVID and a rise in demand for skilled trades as positive trends. About 91% of respondents said they were satisfied with St. Albert as a place to do business, praising the city's child care options and high-speed internet. City staff have begun working with 150 businesses to help them grow, and plan to run the survey again next year.
  
  
• Homeland Housing has secured $14.5 million in provincial and federal funding to build an affordable housing project at 22 St. Thomas Street. The 118-unit mixed-use building will include a range of below-market rental options, with nearly a third of units priced at less than 60% of market rent. Originally initiated in 2021 with a City land sale, the project had been delayed until funding was finalized. Mayor Cathy Heron welcomed the news, calling it a major step toward revitalizing downtown St. Albert and addressing the city's housing shortage. Homeland Housing CEO Raymond Cormie said the development is essential but noted that St. Albert still lacks over 2,000 affordable units. The City is also exploring additional initiatives, including youth transitional housing and partnerships with Habitat for Humanity. A construction timeline has not yet been confirmed as final agreements are still being completed.

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