St. Albert Minute: Issue 84

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

📅 This Week In St. Albert: 📅

• Today, at 6:00 pm, the new Council will hold its inaugural meeting. The meeting is an organizational one, and the agenda includes the proposed 2025-2026 Council Committee Calendar.
  
  
• On Tuesday, at 9:30 am, there will be a Special City Council meeting. Administration will submit its proposed Financial Plan and 2026 Budget to Council for review and deliberation. The budget includes an operating budget of $226.1 million, with an average municipal property tax increase of 3.9%. The capital budget totals $45.7 million, focusing on maintaining and replacing infrastructure and supporting community growth, while the utility operating and capital budgets are $60.0 million and $18.5 million, respectively. Key priorities include developing the Lakeview Business District, enabling mixed housing developments, funding the Housing Accelerator Fund, and implementing transportation and technology improvements. Resident input will be gathered online from November 4th to 14th.
  
  
• St. Albert hired over 300 election workers for the 2025 municipal election, but voters faced long lineups at some locations on election day. The Presiding Returning Officer suggested that wait times may have been influenced by staff experience and the number of workers assigned per location. The City provided extensive training, including online sessions and two weeks of in-person training, particularly for the new manual ballot counting process. At busy times, processing each voter could take an extra minute or two, which added up with over 16,000 voters. Factors like space limitations at polling stations and the previous election experience of workers also affected processing speed. 
  
  
• Outgoing Mayor Cathy Heron, who served on Council since 2010 and as Mayor since 2017, reflected on her 15-year municipal career as orientation for newly elected members begins. She expressed that she already misses the daily engagement with City issues and residents, from infrastructure to community projects. Heron highlighted both regrets, such as her 2017 vote on plebiscite questions and challenges with the Millennium Park project, and proud moments, including the City’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and her personal outreach through “Coffee with Cathy” and informational videos. Looking ahead, she plans to serve as President of the St. Albert Rotary Club, spend time traveling, and take a break from politics, though she remains open to potential provincial or federal roles in the future.
  
  
• Incoming Mayor Scott Olivier has identified downtown revitalization and the Lakeview Business District as his top priorities. He aims to attract more residents and businesses to the downtown core, including ensuring the completion of the 22 St. Thomas Street mixed-use development. Olivieri plans to establish a Lakeview task force to engage stakeholders, identify gaps, and ensure the City remains competitive regionally. He also emphasized budget transparency, promising line-by-line spending information online to boost community engagement. Olivieri hopes enhanced communication, including “What He Heard” reports and more town halls, will better reflect residents’ priorities in City decision-making.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

What will you be looking for in the upcoming budget? How can we help break it down for you? 

Reply and let us know!

🪙 This Week’s Sponsor: 🪙

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