St. Albert Minute: Issue 88

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

📅 This Week In St. Albert: 📅

• On Monday, at 9:30 am, the Committee of the Whole will continue to debate the budget. Then, on Tuesday, at 9:30 am, there will be a City Council meeting. The agenda includes a Policing Committee update, the revised 2025-2026 Council Committee calendar, and a provincial electoral boundaries review. Council will also discuss the Capital Charter for the Performing Arts Centre.
  
  
• St. Albert has appointed 20-year RCMP veteran Staff Sgt. Aaron White as the new officer in charge of the local detachment starting in January 2026. White, who previously worked in St. Albert as a community peace officer, brings experience from postings in Nunavut, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, including leading the Norway House detachment. He says his priorities will include improving traffic safety and tackling property crime, which he identifies as key factors driving the city’s Crime Severity Index. White also hopes to strengthen coordination with the Edmonton Police Service to better track prolific offenders moving between the two communities. City officials praised his leadership background, noting his experience overseeing about 70 staff across two Manitoba detachments. St. Albert currently has 62 officers in place out of 75 approved positions, with several on leave. Officials say they are eager for White’s arrival as the city works to maintain its reputation as one of Canada’s safest communities.
  
  
• St. Albert is proposing a 7.9% increase to utility rates for 2026. The hike is largely driven by higher costs from Arrow Utilities and increased rates and water volume purchased from EPCOR. Water rates are set to rise to $56.43 per month, wastewater rates to $72.71, while stormwater rates will slightly decrease to $18.03, and solid waste rates will increase to $29.32. Officials note that around 4% of water is lost due to leaks, fires, or inaccurate meters, but the City is still billed for this volume. Arrow Utilities recently raised rates due to inflation, a reorganization, and an infrastructure review. Some Council members questioned whether St. Albert could eventually build its own wastewater treatment facility, but City leadership said the cost makes it unfeasible. 
  
  
• St. Albert Council approved a case study to explore a new approach for presenting full-time employee (FTE) requests during the budget process. Currently, Council reviews individual business cases for each FTE, but the study would examine presenting grouped initiatives with associated costs, rather than itemized positions. The motion passed 5-2, with some Councillors expressing concern about losing transparency for specific positions. Chief Administrative Officer Bill Fletcher noted the study would require about a week of staff work and would not disrupt other priorities. Additionally, Council approved centralizing recruitment for non-permanent staff under the City’s HR department, allowing HR to handle interviews, reference checks, and other hiring duties. Some Councillors were surpised at HR’s current limited involvement in non-permanent recruitment. The study will provide examples from other municipalities and recommendations for potential process improvements.
  
  
• St. Albert is transitioning to a Next Generation 911 (NG911) system in early 2026, improving location tracking for emergency dispatchers. Unlike the old system that relied on cell tower triangulation, NG911 uses the cellphone’s own location, allowing responders to pinpoint callers even if they are moving or unable to communicate. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission requires all Canadian 911 systems to adopt NG911 by March 2027. The system upgrade will initially serve St. Albert Fire Services, with future features including real-time texting, photo, and video messaging. The City will pay the RCMP approximately $150,000 for implementation, plus $10,000 monthly for maintenance, which is significantly less than an internal system would cost. Dispatchers will undergo training to adapt to the digital platform, but the upgrade is not expected to increase their workload.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

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