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Edmonton transit vote casts doubt on future collaboration: Heron

Mayor Cathy Heron says she felt like she was "kicked in the gut" after Edmonton city council voted not to move forward with regional transit on Dec. 14.
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St. Albert's mayor Cathy Heron says Edmonton's vote not to continue with regional transit has hurt the relationship between the two municipalities. KEVIN MA/St. Albert Gazette

Edmonton city council's decision not to fund Edmonton’s $10.3 million share has put regional transit on life support.

Without a funding commitment from its largest member, the Edmonton Metropolitan Transit Services Commission (EMTSC) is very unlikely to ever leave the station, at least in its current form. 

St. Albert council is scheduled to make its funding decision next month, although it’s likely a moot point without Edmonton.

Mayor Cathy Heron says she felt like she was "kicked in the gut" after Edmonton city council's vote not to move forward with regional transit.

"I was really committed to this," Heron said of Edmonton's Dec. 14 vote. "Eight years of my life trying to develop this has been essentially torpedoed and it's hard to understand why."

Heron said it was frustrating to listen to Edmonton city councillors argue the commission model was inefficient when Edmonton's decision to leave their transit network unchanged was what eliminated any potential cost-savings the regional network could have offered.

"Their decisions not to upload some of their more lucrative routes into the commission really changed the business case," Heron said. "It kept eroding the cost recovery of the commission."

"When you hear debate against the commission (saying) it's an inefficient model, well, it's because Edmonton made it inefficient."

In an email, Edmonton's Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said he voted against paying the 2023 requisition because of the commission's governance model, although he did not specify why.

"I know how important it is for the region to work together, and I truly value the way we work together on so many important files that support economic development in our region," Sohi said.

In a tweet Sohi said the proposed costs are nearly double what the commission presented to Edmonton council earlier in the year, and 40 per cent of the total four year ask of the $49.5 million in tax spending would go to overhead and admin.

“It is unclear when the commission model would achieve cost neutrality or savings,” Sohi said.

With the EMTSC's future in immediate doubt, Heron also said she felt Edmonton's decision casts a cloud over any future collaboration between the two municipalities.

"We'll do the work we have to do on land-use planning, but anything further, whether it be regional initiatives on climate control and adaptation and mitigation, or any regional issues on homelessness and housing, the trust is gone," Heron said.

"It's going to take a long time to rebuild that."

Councillors react

Coun. Sheena Hughes told The Gazette she was pleased to see a few Edmonton city councillors share her concerns about the costs of the regional transit network.

"I think there's many now that are recognizing that there really isn't any value to stay in the regional commission," Hughes said.

Hughes added that the question now becomes whether, and how, the commission will dissolve, and how the costs will be distributed among the eight municipalities.

"We do need to now have those discussions," Hughes said.

Coun. Shelley Biermanski said she wasn't surprised to see Edmonton decide not to move forward with regional transit. 

"We're all realizing that the numbers don't work for really anyone at this time," Biermanski said. "It's positive that they voted that way so that we have someone besides St. Albert feeling that we need to not contribute any more funds at this point in time."

Likewise, Coun. Mike Killick said he was supportive of Edmonton's decision.

"We're taking a service that's already working well and moving into a model of regional transit that actually is a lower cost recovery than what we currently have today," Killick said.

"[Edmonton's] first priority was their own internal transit needs (and) improving routes in different neighbourhoods and improving their on-demand service."

Coun. Wes Brodhead, who represents St. Albert on the EMTSC board and acts as board chair, told the Gazette he was disappointed with Edmonton's vote.

"I believe the region was set back a little bit last night," Brodhead said the day after Edmonton's vote. 

"Every councillor has the right to vote the way they want, but, in the end, we also have to deal with the implications of those votes."

Sharing Mayor Heron's concern, Coun. Ken MacKay says Edmonton's vote has raised questions about future regional collaboration.

"I'm just concerned what this does with not only the ongoing relationships with all of the metro region and our regional partners, but I'm also concerned that this may have some other long-term impacts as it relates to regional planning on other significant matters," MacKay said. 

"I just think that it's going to be a little different when we're around the table."

MacKay said he thinks it will take some time before St. Albert, and every municipality involved, understands how it will be affected financially if the commission dissolves. 

Coun. Natalie Joly did not respond to the Gazette's interview request.

Edmonton's vote

In Edmonton, only city councillors Tim Cartmell, Sarah Hamilton, Karen Principe, Jennifer Rice, and Andrew Knack (Edmonton's representative on the commission board) voted in favour of paying.

Speaking in debate, Coun. Erin Rutherford said she sees the regional transit network as a "real money-suck."

“The longer we get in it, the harder and more complex it’s going to be to get out," Rutherford said.

Likewise, Coun. Jo-Anne Wright said, “we are digging a deeper hole and I think we are continuing to throw good money after bad."  

"I think it’s time we pull out of this deal and continue on in either the status-quo or some other fashion,” Wright said. 

In a video posted after the Dec. 14 meeting, Knack said "this is one of the more disappointing days for me."

“There have been a lot of commitments made and a lot of work made, and I think a lot of folks across the region understood the benefit of this. And to see that not continue is something I that I think is going to have some long-term impacts,” Knack said.

"I worry, for a variety of reasons, what signal that sends (to) this region.”

The Gazette previously reported that St. Albert city council would debate its future with the commission next month after Coun. Hughes, concerned over the cost of St. Albert's participation and benefits, submitted a notice of motion seeking to initiate the dissolution of the EMTSC.

If the commission dissolves in the immediate future, Edmonton and St. Albert may still be on the hook for their respective shares of the EMTSC's $7 million operating loan. St. Albert has guaranteed $2,366,700 of the loan, while Edmonton guaranteed the remainder. 

Still breathing?

The commission, chaired by St. Albert Coun. Wes Brodhead, met for three hours in-camera Dec. 15th to discuss the implications of Edmonton’s decision.  When it reconvened in public it approved funding to hire a consultant for a governance review. That review is expected to get underway sometime early next year.

Prior to moving in camera, Brodhead, as chair, said the board would discuss the implications of Edmonton's Dec. 14th vote. 

When the meeting reconvened in public, a motion was passed that directs EMTSC administration to complete a procurement process for "the professional services necessary to conduct [a] governance review." 

The motion states the commission's administration is to bring a recommendation forward in January for a company or consultant to undertake a governance review of the EMTSC.


Jack Farrell

About the Author: Jack Farrell

Jack Farrell joined the St. Albert Gazette in May, 2022.
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