It’s amazing how, looking back on some of the Gazettes of decades gone by, some of the issues St. Albert is wrestling with today were the same as they were 50 years ago. Take, for example, the editorial on the front page of the Sept. 5, 1963 Gazette, where the main issue of the day was industrial development in the burgeoning town. In this case though, the delays were coming from the provincial level, as Industry and Development Minister A.R. Patrick was blamed for holding up the construction of a $2-million wallboard plant in St. Albert, proposed by Edmonton businessman Tom O’Dwyer.
“Most of St. Albert’s citizens are directly or indirectly very much interested in getting industrial development in our town,” reads the editorial, which still rings true today. “Good industry will not only help us to keep our taxes as low as possible, but it will also increase the local employment situation.”
Later that month, St. Albert town council, led by Mayor Bill Veness, grappled with what to do with a $22,000 recreation grant from the Alberta government, and serious concerns were raised by communities surrounding Edmonton about the “complete lack of co-operation by the City of Edmonton in providing decent access roads into the City.” The story called the condition of St. Albert Trail at the time “deplorable.”
The editorial on the front page of the Sept. 28, 1963, asks a very provocative question: “Do we need elections?” In the text, the writer laments the lack of advertising leading up to nomination day for town council and school board elections both in that year and the year prior, calling it “more than insufficient. Only a few posters were placed on poles and in stores, which means that 90% of our residents knew nothing of this.”
September 1964 saw some major changes in the way St. Albert town council was run. The changes first showed up in the Sept. 5, 1964, Gazette under the headline “Drastic recommendations.” Those recommendations came from Mayor Bill Veness, who stated at a council meeting that “there was no doubt that the day of the town’s doing its own construction work was over,” which would eliminate the positions of the senior administration officer and the town engineer, among others.
Some councillors felt these changes meant that a full-time mayor would be required on a salaried basis. After lengthy discussions over duties and positions, it was decided to give the mayor a salary of $6,000 per year. The mayor and three councillors voted in favour, while two councillors were opposed.
Relations with Edmonton were another hot topic in September of 1967, as the issue of St. Albert amalgamating with Edmonton was once again brought up. In the Sept. 13, 1967 Gazette, it was noted that the chamber of commerce brought up the topic at its regular meeting, and “no decision was made but the pros and cons were fully studied.” A public meeting would later be called for early October.
Later that month, the town council of the day reviewed its capital estimates for the year of 1967. In total, the figures added up to $318,165, including $8,000 for the purchase of land. Also, a plan to expand the plans for the yet-to-be-built local hospital to 300 beds was scaled back by the provincial government, who mandated that a facility of just 100 beds be built. The local planning board expressed their displeasure with the decision, but agreed to move ahead so as to not create further delays.
On Sept. 11, 1968, the front page story dealt with an anti-noise bylaw that failed to pass third reading at St. Albert town council. Public input on the proposed law saw some disagree with it on the whole, while others supported it, mainly due to the noise of horns honking at the St. Albert Drive-In Theatre. Others hoped council would reconsider restrictions on snow clearing machines. However, council defeated the bylaw mainly because it was felt that it could not be properly enforced. Coun. Richard Wheatley commented that “we seem to have a great difficulty in this town to get the local police to enforce our by-laws. He said in most cases the police just pay “lip service.”
In September 1969, St. Albert town council approved a new $8-million row housing project on 50 acres of land in West Grandin Park, but the approval didn’t sit too well with the developer. In approving the project, council increased the minimum assessment per unit from $5,300 to $5,500, which Irvine Kipnes — a representative of Delcon Management Corp., the company behind the project — said could raise the price per unit from $17,500 to $18,000. Called the “largest such undertaking ever in St. Albert,” the complex was slated to have two-, three- and four-bedroom self-owned townhouses averaging 1,150 sq. ft. Two hundred people would turn out for a public meeting on the project the following week. A vote on rezoning the land a couple of weeks later narrowly passed at town council by a vote of 4-3.
Fire prevention took a big step forward in September 1969, when town council decided to add three new full-time employees to the local fire department and man the station 24 hours a day, seven days a week starting in January 1970. Each of the full-time firemen would receive a salary of $6,000 a year. Meanwhile, councillors defeated a motion to give themselves a pay raise, from $15 to $25 per meeting, after a 3-3 tie vote.
Also in September 1969, the first steps were taken toward re-establishing a teen centre in St. Albert. It was hoped at the time the centre could be re-opened at its Mission Avenue location. “We’ve got good teens in this town,” Mayor Ray Gibbon said. “We’ve got some bad apples, but on the whole they’re a good bunch. They want the teen centre to reopen and this time know they need help to make it go. It’s up to you to provide this help. Because if this one closes, it will never open again.”
