St. Albert Minute: Issue 93

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

📅 This Week In St. Albert: 📅

• Happy New Year! As 2026 gets underway, Common Sense St. Albert is ready to make this the year that common sense takes center stage in our city. Your support and engagement make it possible for us to push for smarter decisions, lower taxes, and greater accountability at City Hall. This year, we’ll continue speaking up for practical solutions that benefit all residents and ensure our city’s leaders are focused on the priorities that matter most. Wishing you and your family a happy, healthy, and successful year ahead
  
  
• There are no Council or Committee meetings this week due to the holidays. The next meeting is scheduled for January 13th at 9:30 am.
  
  
• St. Albert Fire Services saw a 1.7% increase in calls in 2025, responding to 9,582 emergencies, including 6,052 ambulance and 3,529 fire-related incidents. The department focused on expanding staffing, adding nine new positions, including firefighter-paramedics, paramedics, and a fire prevention officer. Equipment upgrades improved response capacity and reduced reliance on neighbouring municipalities. A new collective agreement was ratified as well. Planning continued for a fourth fire hall, with construction expected to start in spring 2026, and recruitment already underway for the facility. City Council approved six additional fire staff in the 2026 budget, with hiring also addressing recent retirements. Remaining equipment purchases will complete the fire apparatus replacement plan as the city grows. The Acting Fire Chief described 2025 as a productive year with several operational improvements.
  
  
• Council approved just over $1.3 million in funding for social services and outside agency grants in 2026, including a $100,000 increase to the Family & Community Support Services (FCSS) program. The FCSS program supports a range of social services, helping organizations respond to more complex cases with additional resources. Key recipients include the Family Resource Centre, Transitions Rehabilitation Association, and the Newcomers Centre, which rely on the funding for programs supporting child development, newcomer integration, and services for people with developmental disabilities. Several other organizations, including the Food Bank, Seniors Association, and Stop Abuse in Families Society, also received grants for ongoing programs and services. Leaders from recipient organizations emphasized the critical role of the funding, noting it often covers a significant portion of program budgets and allows service expansion. 
  
  
• St. Albert Public Schools Trustees debated a motion by Trustee Natalie Joly to make recordings of public board meetings permanently accessible online. Joly argued the change would improve accessibility for parents, teachers, and families who cannot attend meetings live, noting recordings are already created to meet provincial requirements. Some Trustees, including Board Chair John Allen, expressed concerns about cost, technological feasibility, and potential risks, suggesting Administration first study these factors. Trustee Kim Armstrong raised worries that public archives could affect the division’s collaborative culture, while Trustee Stanley Haroun emphasized transparency and pointed to other local school divisions and the City of St. Albert that already post recordings. The motion was ultimately defeated. Allen proposed directing Administration to research feasibility, costs, risks, and benefits and report back by February, leaving the possibility for the issue to return.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

🪙 This Week’s Sponsor: 🪙

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