St. Albert Minute: Issue 75

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

📅 This Week In St. Albert: 📅

• This is our 75th edition of St. Albert Minute, marking 75 weeks of tracking City Council meetings and summarizing key details for residents! This newsletter was created to make local politics accessible, cutting through lengthy reports, jargon, and marathon meetings so more residents can stay informed and hold leaders accountable. We have covered debates on spending, taxes, and City priorities, highlighted good and bad decisions, exposed waste, and shown when core services are neglected. Funded entirely by readers, Common Sense St. Albert relies on donations to continue its work, so if you appreciate our work to improve City Hall accountability and ensure citizens stay informed, please consider making a donation to keep this newsletter and our other important municipal work going!
  
  
• Councillor Killick will bring forward a Notice of Motion to propose renaming St. Anne Promenade to Veterans Way by November 11th, 2025, in recognition of Canadian Armed Forces veterans. The motion requests up to $15,000 in funding from the City’s capital reserve, though Administration suggests the renaming can be completed within existing operational budgets. The promenade, constructed in 2016, currently has no directly addressed properties, allowing the change to proceed through a readdressing process rather than a full renaming procedure.
  
  
• Councillor MacKay has proposed a review of policing services in the city to assess community needs, policing models, regional collaboration opportunities, and readiness for future service delivery options. If approved, Administration would prepare a business case outlining the review’s scope, required resources, and funding for consideration during the 2026 budget. The City currently contracts RCMP services and employs over 51 municipal staff supporting policing operations. A new provincial option, the Alberta Sheriffs Police Service, could offer an alternative. The review may require consulting support, estimated at $150,000 to $250,000. Administration notes that while the study poses minimal immediate risk, it could affect staff morale and that transitioning to a new policing model would require careful planning.
  
  
• St. Albert resident and longtime community volunteer Rick Dory has announced his candidacy for Mayor in the October 20th municipal election. Dory, who has lived in the city since 1994 and returned permanently in 2002, has a background in construction and infrastructure, working on major projects like the University of Alberta LRT and the St. Albert Trail bridge widening. He has also been active in community volunteering, including coaching youth hockey, serving on the St. Albert Merchants Board, and leading the Rock’n August charity event. Dory’s campaign focuses on increasing accountability, improving community engagement, and involving residents more directly in City decision-making. He also emphasizes sustainable infrastructure planning, fiscal responsibility, and protecting St. Albert’s parks, trails, and natural spaces. Dory believes fresh ideas and a change in Council are needed to guide the city’s growth effectively. 
  
  
• Incumbent Ward 1 Trustee René Tremblay is seeking a fourth term on the Greater St. Albert Catholic Regional Division Board. Tremblay, who first joined the Board in a 2015 by-election, emphasizes a commitment to promoting publicly funded Catholic education and ensuring all students have access to faith-based learning. During his tenure, he has supported initiatives to strengthen faith education, improve school enrollment and utilization, and establish a French Immersion campus. A Francophone from Morinville, Tremblay advocates for French-language education, highlighting its value in preparing students for global opportunities. He is also a long-time resident of St. Albert, a volunteer with the Knights of Columbus, and an active member of his parish. If re-elected, he plans to continue focusing on faith formation, academics, the arts, and maintaining safe and caring schools. As of late August, Tremblay is one of four declared candidates for Ward 1, with voters set to elect five trustees this fall.

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