Council increases transit commission loan guarantee by $600,000
St. Albert will boost its existing loan guarantee for the Edmonton Metropolitan Transit Services Commission (EMTSC) from $1.7 million to a maximum of $2.37 million, council heard June 7.
The commission aims to regionalize transit service for eight municipalities within the Edmonton metropolitan region by the start of 2023. Council heard in April more funding would be needed for the commission’s implementation plan due to pandemic-related service changes. After opening a petition period following the motion first coming before council on April 19, city council passed second and third readings of the guarantee bylaw.
Trevor Duley, St. Albert’s manager of government relations, told council’s community growth and infrastructure standing committee on April 11 that the transit commission predicts its previous line of credit — $5 million — will be fully drawn by the end of June 2022, leading to an overall additional request of $2 million.
The remainder of the $1.33 million in funding will come from the City of Edmonton, a decision Edmonton city council approved on May 24.
Coun. Sheena Hughes spoke June 7 in opposition to extending the loan, saying the commission has failed to give updates on progress that would justify St. Albert taking on additional risk.
“We’re putting our feet into the cement further and further,” Hughes said. “I’ve had enough of this.”
Coun. Wes Brodhead, who serves as EMTSC board chair, said all municipal members of the commission — not just Edmonton and St. Albert — will be required to retire the debt.
“This is not just a burden on St. Albert and Edmonton alone,” Brodhead said. “It is a matter of convenience, more than anything.”
The second reading of the borrowing bylaw passed 5-2, with Hughes and Coun. Shelley Biermanski opposed. The third reading passed 6-1 with only Biermanski opposed.
Regional economic development initiative to receive $450,000 grant
The provincial government has approved a $450,000 grant to the City of St. Albert to support regional economic collaboration, council heard June 7.
The city will use the funding to create a framework for 13 municipalities in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region belonging to the Collaborative Economic Development (CED) initiative. The framework will outline how these partners plan to bring non-residential investment to the region, and will include a model detailing how monetary benefits arising from investment would be shared.
In April 2021, mayors of 13 municipalities in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, (including St. Albert, Edmonton, Beaumont, Fort Saskatchewan, Morinville, Sturgeon County, Devon, Leduc, Parkland County, Stony Plain, Leduc County, Spruce Grove, and Strathcona County) agreed to sign on to CED through a memorandum of understanding.
City of St. Albert administration took the lead to submit the grant application on behalf of the 13 CED municipal partners, a report to council included alongside the motion said. Ric McIver, municipal affairs minister, sent a letter to Mayor Cathy Heron informing her of the grant approval on March 30.
City council voted on consent to authorize the chief administrative officer (CAO) to execute the grant agreement for $450,000, meaning there was no discussion at council.
According to the report, council approval is typically granted before grant applications are submitted. In this instance, however, the ministry asked for the application after the grant intake deadline, administration said in the report.
