'Where are the bold moves?': Why green initiatives may get squeezed out of Edmonton's budget
As Edmonton city councillors and staff work to limit an upcoming property tax hike to four per cent, some are concerned that projects aimed at creating a cleaner environment will be shelved.
"Where are the bold moves? We’re about to do the same thing that all the climate conferences in the past have done: talk but not act," said Jacob Komar at a recent public hearing.
Komar chairs Edmonton's Energy Transition Climate Resilience Committee, which was created in 2015 to promote and advise council on green initiatives.
Juan Vargas echoed those thoughts, even bringing a large stack of letters to chambers from people pushing for things like expanding the city’s bike network.
"We have a council that was elected on a mandate to act on climate," the Paths for People representative said.
"What we need to see is an actual result. We need to see them actually saying that what you said is true, and we’re going to act on climate, we’re going to make the city more liveable, and we’re going to vote to fund this type of action."
There are several climate-related projects listed in the proposed budget, but city staff are advising against funding most of them this time around, in order to limit tax increases.
Unfunded projects that may be paused include energy retrofits in city buildings, improvements to transit and active transportation options, and flood protection along the North Saskatchewan River.
"We certainly are not on track. My point today was, I heard a lot in the last week that says we’re doing nothing and that is not true either," said City Manager Andre Corbould.
He pointed to ongoing initiatives that will make a climate impact, including hundreds of millions of dollars in ongoing LRT expansion, new net-zero buildings and electric buses.
While justifying why Edmonton isn’t going further right now, he said, "I didn’t sense we had the normalization of people coming to talk about climate change."
"What I think we need to do is hear, like, a million Edmontonians talk about climate change. And we’re just not there yet, I just don’t think we’re there."
Corbould later apologized in a statement sent to CTV News Edmonton Monday evening.
"My remarks to city council were not as clear as they ought to have been. As a result it may have sounded like I was diminishing the climate crisis and the people who spoke about it. I was not, and I apologize for creating that impression. The reality is that a high percentage of Edmontonians are concerned about climate change," he stated.
The city manager went to list climate-related actions Edmonton is taking, including purchasing green energy, buying solar panels and building a net-zero firehouse in Windermere. He also acknowledged that despite that, Edmonton isn't meeting its climate-change-mitigation targets.
Battling climate change is "absolutely a priority of Edmontonians," believes Ward Metis Coun. Ashley Salvador.
"Ultimately this is one of the most important tasks that council is going to do over our term, ensuring that our priorities are actually embedded in the budget so that we can see the real outcomes that Edmontonians expect," she told CTV News Edmonton.
Salvador suggested the trade-off could come at the expense of major projects like the Lewis Farms Recreation Centre.
Budget talks resume at city hall on Wednesday.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Sean Amato
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.