This morning, at 9:30 am, there will be a City Council Public Hearing to deal with a few zoning amendments. On Tuesday, also at 9:30 am, there will be a Community and Public Services Committee meeting that will discuss options for a program that assists homeowners who are unable to clear their own snow due to age or physical disability. The Committee will also discuss the Community Park Amenities Program, and consider funding small-scale amenities downtown or even potentially tennis or basketball courts. The City is looking for funding partners to help shoulder the cost of such a program.
The Urban Planning Committee will meet on Wednesday at 9:30 am. The Committee will discuss the outcomes of the “pre-feasibility phase” of adding the North Saskatchewan River Valley to the National Urban Parks Program. This federal program aims to establish a network of national urban parks in urban areas across Canada. Administration is recommending that Council move on to the planning phase. We’ll have more to say about this in the coming weeks. The Committee will also discuss opportunities to increase the number of family-oriented housing in the Centre City.
The Edmonton Police Service is running a six-month pilot program for body-worn cameras. Thirty-five downtown officers will be wearing the cameras starting today. EPS is hoping to test out the equipment ahead of a Provincial mandate to do so. Cameras won’t record all the time, only when the officer is interacting with the public. Footage will be uploaded to encrypted cloud storage at the end of each shift.
