St. Albert Minute: Issue 77

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

📅 This Week In St. Albert: 📅

• This afternoon, at 1:00 pm, there will be a Special City Council meeting for the purpose of a public hearing. Council will gather feedback on redistricting approximately 8.5 hectares in Northeast St. Albert to accommodate a potential high school site. The hearing, originally scheduled for July 15th, was adjourned to allow review of new information from the proponent, Landrex, including a smaller 16-acre redistricting proposal. The School Board emphasizes the need for a high school in the area due to growing student numbers. Approval of the site is also tied to the Province’s School Construction Accelerator Program, which provides funding for new schools. City Administration had raised concerns about premature redistricting, citing servicing and planning issues, as well as potential costs. The revised 16-acre proposal aims to reduce these pressures while allowing Landrex to donate the remaining four acres in the future if needed.
  
  
• On Tuesday, there will be a regular City Council meeting at 1:00 pm. Councillor Hughes will bring forward a Notice of Motion regarding construction waste standards. If approved, the Community Standards Bylaw would be amended to include rules on debris management at construction sites. Administration would also evaluate additional policies and programs to limit construction debris, with a report back to Council by April 15th, 2026. The intent is to ensure clearer standards and improved oversight of construction site cleanliness.
  
  
• The City will ask Council to authorize an additional $360,000 in 2025 for the Oakmont Trail Phase 2 Development project, bringing the total budget to $2,959,400. This funding will cover unanticipated bridge design costs, poor soil conditions, and wildlife management along the multi-use trail connecting Boudreau Road to the Oakmont Pedestrian Bridge. The project includes a bridge, a wooden staircase, and 140m of trail on private property secured through a Utility Right of Way. Construction is scheduled through 2026.
  
  
• Council has decided to pause plans to expropriate the remaining Kingswood municipal reserve land, opting instead to have Administration develop a project charter for consideration in the 2028 budget. The 4.95-hectare parcel would be studied for various development options, including school and municipal reserve uses, alignment with the Municipal Development Plan, and potential updates to the Pineview II/Kingswood Area Structure Plan. Councillor Natalie Joly emphasized the importance of evaluating the best use of the land for today’s community, while noting that future Councils could still pursue expropriation. Administration cited concerns about cost, site suitability, existing park infrastructure, and constraints like a gas line as reasons to delay immediate expropriation. Some Council members preferred a straightforward expropriation to secure the land first and assess its use later. 
  
  
• Council has decided to maintain photo enforcement in school, playground, and construction zones following provincial restrictions that limit where automated traffic enforcement can operate. The City lost 78 photo enforcement sites and 6 intersection safety devices due to the changes, and the current service contract with Global Traffic Services expires on October 31st. Administration recommended keeping the status quo, which passed unanimously. In 2024, automated traffic enforcement issued just over 12,500 tickets, down from around 14,000 in 2023, with net revenue dropping to $321,000. A proposed hybrid model that would expand enforcement with additional officers and vehicles was considered but not recommended due to high costs and uncertainty over its effectiveness. Councillors emphasized that photo radar in sensitive areas is focused on safety rather than revenue. 

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