St. Albert Minute: Traffic Calming, Culture Days, and Dutch Elm Disease

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

This Week In St. Albert:

• On Tuesday, at 1:00 pm, there will be a meeting of City Council. The agenda includes a discussion about Council’s 2024-25 Advocacy Priorities, as well as the Sturgeon River Watershed Alliance.
  
  
• St. Albert is set to host 25 diverse activities for Alberta Culture Days 2024 from September 20th to 28th. The event features dance, visual arts, film, and culinary arts, alongside new offerings like sewing, Rwandan dance, and glass painting. The African and African Descendants Club are organizing workshops in culinary arts, hair braiding, and cultural dance. Other highlights include hands-on demonstrations from local guilds, a photography trek, and origami workshops. The event is free, supported by grants from the Alberta government and the City, and the full list of programming is available online.
  
  
• St. Albert residents have until September 20th to provide feedback on four proposed traffic calming projects in Northridge, Mission, Oakmont, and Riverside. The City requires responses from at least 40% of households, with 55% or more in favour, for a project to move forward. The goal is to address complaints about vehicle and pedestrian safety through measures like raised crosswalks and narrowed lanes. If a neighbourhood supports the initiative, the project will advance to the planning stage, which involves further community input and Council approval for funding. You can take the survey online here.

Last Week In St. Albert:

• St. Albert ranked last in a report of the 100 best Canadian cities for renters, largely due to limited rental availability and high costs. The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,450, and there are zero available rental units per 10,000 people. While the city's life satisfaction scores are high, it ranks lower in areas like walkability and greenery. Despite nearly tripling the number of rental units over the last decade, the vacancy rate remains very low at 0.9%, compared to 2.6% in nearby Edmonton. Rentership in St. Albert is also lower than the provincial average.
  
  
• The City of St. Albert has lifted its Fire Advisory due to cooler temperatures and recent rainfall. There are no current fire restrictions, bans, or advisories in place. Residents are reminded to handle propane and natural gas appliances with care and properly dispose of smoking materials. The discharge of unauthorized fireworks remains prohibited year-round. St. Albert Fire Services will continue monitoring fire conditions and provide updates online.
  
  
• Dutch Elm Disease (DED) was discovered in Edmonton, which could potentially affect 11% of St. Albert’s trees. St. Albert arborists are on high alert following the discovery. The disease, caused by a fungus spread by bark beetles, was found in four elm trees in Edmonton, marking the first time DED has been detected in the region. While the disease has not reached St. Albert yet, City crews are closely monitoring local elms and have increased precautions, including traps and inspections. Residents are urged not to transport firewood between regions and to report any signs of DED. Efforts are being made to contain the spread, including a ban on pruning elm trees during beetle activity periods.

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