New Biofuel Plant coming to Edmonton, Metro LRT Update, and more Council Business
July 10, 2015
Most weeks for Mayor Iveson are pretty hectic and this week was no exception. From breaking ground on a new biofuel facility in southeast Edmonton to major discussions around the Council table, this is one week of updates that’s well worth reading.
Monday saw Mayor Iveson bring opening remarks at the Edmonton Research Park, where SBI BioEnergy Inc. hosted a ground-breaking ceremony for a new multi-million-dollar plant that will produce renewable biofuels indistinguishable from petroleum fuels. The hope is that, by 2018, this new facility will produce up to 240 million litres of biofuel, part of a new generation of fuels that could replace biodiesel and ethanol. This project is another example that efforts to diversify Edmonton’s economy continue to pay off, and it supports Mayor Iveson’s view that our city is well-positioned to aide in the Province’s work to smooth out the booms and busts of our traditional resource-based economy.
Tuesday’s City Council meeting had a full agenda of important items, the first being ongoing delays related to the Metro Line LRT project. Frustration over repeated delays and the lack of transparency on the project reached a tipping point with Council, with the Mayor making clear his frustration regarding the delays: “I’m still furious, frankly, that this project has dragged on so long.” He called for City administration to make a public verbal report to shed light on these issues and others raised in local media earlier in the week. Administration assured Council that Metro Line delays — now reaching 15 months — were solely the result of signalling systems issues and not construction deficiencies. The contractor responsible for the signalling systems has not been paid in full and the remaining $20-million balance of the contract payment is being withheld until the Metro Line has been signed off by a third-party contractor. The Mayor made motions that requested regular public updates on the progress of the project and for a report on any significant deficiencies.
City Council also discussed the removal and update of several bicycle lanes in west and south Edmonton. The Mayor was disappointed that Council voted to remove the lanes along 95 Avenue and 40 Avenue, advocating that a comprehensive and dedicated bicycle route network will allow cyclists the ability to have reliable, safe transportation all around Edmonton. While the lanes will be removed, Council committed to creating an “active transportation” Council initiative and developing plans for a separated network of cycling infrastructure. The Mayor will elaborate more on this issue in his upcoming blog post today, make sure to watch for it.
Also on the docket at City Council was discussion on campaign finance reform for municipal elections. Mayor Iveson fully endorsed the move to ban all corporate and union donations in municipal elections, like in provincial elections. This would level the playing field for all candidates and give more power to regular citizens to influence the political process. A motion was passed to have the Mayor advocate for these changes to the provincial government . A motion also passed to advance a business case for the District Energy project in our downtown. District Energy is an innovative thermal energy solution that uses a centrally localized fuel to produce heating and hot water for buildings on a community-wide scale. This exploration of new ways to heat buildings in our city is in step with the Mayor’s vision for sustainable methods to solve simple problems, like keeping warm during those February days.
The week ended on a positive note with the release of the June 2015 employment numbers for the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area. Even though the province’s employment rate decreased last month, our area gained about 1,600 jobs and the employment rate increased by 0.2%. Professional service industries and construction are the leading areas of job growth in our city and will be important in keeping our city’s economy growing.
This week was the last week for City Council meetings until the fall, but that doesn’t mean the Mayor won’t be busy. Coming up are many meetings with community leaders and attending Edmonton’s amazing festivals and celebrations taking place around the city this summer.
Happy summer!
For More Information
Mayor Don Iveson
2nd Floor, City Hall
1 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, AB
T5J 2R7
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