Edmonton city council reduces proposed property tax increase to 6.6% from 7.09%
Expect Edmonton property taxes to go up in 2024.
Between cuts to existing services and approval of new spending, Edmonton city council on Monday voted to reduce next year's proposed property tax increase by almost half a percentage point to 6.6 per cent from the proposed 7.09 per cent.
Council is expected on Tuesday to approve both the operating and capital budgets, and discuss and vote on two remaining proposed amendments, to officially make the reduction, which would also see lower property tax increases of 5.3 per cent in 2025 and 4.7 per cent in 2026.
Despite the cuts approved on Monday — including holding off on spending an $8-million dividend from Epcor, ending a $5-million planning grant for the A1 Athletic Facility in north Edmonton and requiring on-demand transit buses refuel at city-owned gas stations — council also approved $19 million in new spending, about $12 million of it for transit.
There is money to permanently redeploy the buses that were running along the Valley Line LRT route before it opened recently and add 50,000 new bus service hours.
Of the 19 proposed changes to the budget today, Mayor Amarjeet Sohi proposed 15 of them, including the transit spending.
"This investment not only allows us to look at some of the capacity issues, but the majority of this investment is actually going to go to our neighbourhoods that don’t have access to public transit at this time," Sohi said.
Along with the money for transit, city council approved close to $3 million to improve the response to homeless camps, well short of the almost-$14 million city staff estimate is needed to fully address the record number of complaints about them.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian former Olympic snowboarder wanted in Ontario double homicide: DOJ
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who is suspected of being the leader of a transnational drug trafficking group that operated in four countries is wanted for allegedly orchestrating the murder of an 'innocent' couple in Ontario in 2023, authorities say.
Ontario school board trustees under fire for $100K religious art purchase on Italy trip
Trustees with an Ontario school board are responding to criticism over a $45,000 trip to Italy, where they purchased more than $100,000 worth of religious statues.
A photographer snorkeled for hours to take this picture
Shane Gross, a Canadian marine conservation photojournalist, has won the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Tobacco giants would pay out $32.5 billion to provinces, smokers in proposed deal
Three tobacco giants are proposing to pay close to $25 billion to provinces and territories and more than $4 billion to some 100,000 Quebec smokers and their loved ones as part of a corporate restructuring process triggered by a long-running legal battle.
More Trudeau cabinet ministers not running for re-election, sources say shuffle expected soon
Federal cabinet ministers Filomena Tassi, Carla Qualtrough and Dan Vandal announced Thursday they will not run for re-election. Senior government sources tell CTV News at least one other, Marie-Claude Bibeau, doesn't plan to run again, setting the stage for Justin Trudeau to shuffle his cabinet in the coming weeks.
Robert Pickton's handwritten book seized after his death in hopes of uncovering new evidence
A handwritten book was seized from B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton's prison cell following his death earlier this year, raising hopes of uncovering new evidence in a series of unprosecuted murders.
Former members of One Direction say they're 'completely devastated' by Liam Payne's death
The former members of English boy band One Direction reacted publicly to the sudden death of their bandmate, Liam Payne, for the first time on Thursday, saying in a joint statement that they're 'completely devastated.'
Israel says it has killed top Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar in Gaza
Israeli forces in Gaza killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of last year's attack on Israel that sparked the war, the military said Thursday. Troops appeared to have run across him unknowingly in a battle, only to discover afterwards that a body in the rubble was Israel's most wanted man.
Indian government employee charged in foiled murder-for-hire plot in New York City
The U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges Thursday against an Indian government employee in connection with a foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.