Platform Detail

Balancing the Pillars of Sustainability

• Environmental
• Economic
• Social

Priorities, Issues & Opportunities

Engage Council to assist our City Staff with the following initiatives:

• Public Safety and Health
  • Institutionalize neighborhood and community development through neighborhood and community committees, block parties, ad hoc committees for crime reduction etc.
  • Support programs such as the drug dog and DARE programs to help rid the community of all illegal drug activity
  • Support changes to the high risk areas of traffic and pedestrian safety with improved lighting, increased speed control, additional crosswalk marking initiatives and most dangerous intersections
  • Implement programs reinforcing “Crime is not welcome in St. Albert”
  • Work to develop assertive vandalism programs including the elimination of graffiti
  • Review the potential for improved animal bylaw updates (cats and dogs)
  • Add additional RCMP to retain the philosophy of “no call too small”
  • Ensure bylaw support is available to improve community safety, crime and vandalism; raise the bar of expectations and delivery of same
  • Get tougher on impaired driving – enforcement and education
  • Secure a stronger voice on the Health Council; healthy living is critical to everyone
  • Increase the number of family doctors in St. Albert
  • Continue to support the “Safe Communities Innovation” efforts
• Initiatives for People with Special Needs
  • End homelessness in St. Albert by 2013
  • Assess if the stewardship of the St. Albert recycle yard can be by an agency of individuals with diverse abilities (disabled or challenged)
  • Support the Seniors Working Group on their priorities of elder abuse, advocacy, communications and transportation
  • Review and support various programs for individuals in need of special support including seniors in need
  • Develop an additional affordable housing option that will be supportive of many of the disabled adult St. Albertans
  • Support the Affordable Housing Society to its point of self-sustainability
  • Support the Community Village which includes the Food Bank
  • Plan for affordable housing options for properties such as the Grandin Mall redevelopment and the Badger lands development
• Civic Pride and Government Support for the “Basics” of Service Delivery
  • Enjoy and support the 150^th Anniversary Celebrations; be the proud host of many events
  • Institutionalize a culture within corporation that is more nimble to assist residents having issues addressed more timely
  • Reduce encumbrances in responding to needs of residents, businesses and others
  • Raise the standards of excellence in the basics of service delivery throughout the corporation
  • Tackle public litter (including cigarette butts) with vigor
  • Further implement  and market our tourism strategy
  • Increase the number of events, hostings and celebrations including a 10-day festival between June 21 and July 1
  • Grow the Aboriginal Day celebration event
  • Begin to implement the updated vision for Downtown (D.A.R.P.)
  • Better reinforce the new Community Standards Bylaw to raise the bar of appearance standards on both public and private property
  • Begin the new elements of the Hosting Strategy implementation while supporting the signature events that St. Albert has become known for
  • Install modern community entrance and other way-finding signage
• Property Taxes and Economic Development
  • Institutionalize the community branding; better earn the right to be The Botanical Arts City
  • Implement the branding strategy as defined by the Brand Leadership Team
  • Assess a location for another business park
  • Support the non-residential developers to attract business to the areas of Campbell Park north, Riel Park south, and St. Albert Trail north
  • Continue the “Join Us” marketing campaign
  • Minimize increases to our residential taxes through challenging current spending and practices
  • Continue with plans to reduce our reliance on debt, unless compelling to do otherwise
  • Institute an aggressive marketing strategy for industrial and commercial interests
• Relationships with Other Governments and Organizations
  • Increase connectivity with others in the Capital Region, Alberta and Canada
  • Establish ad-hoc Edmonton-St. Albert intermunicipal affairs committees when necessary (LRT)
  • Begin to work within a new framework of the Sturgeon County/City of St. Albert Intermunicipal Affairs Committee in the absence of an IDP
  • Lead and support wherever one is needed within the Capital Region Board requirements
  • Find ways to acknowledge non-profits more significantly
  • Implement an award system; ways to acknowledge those who are uniquely contributing
  • Perform more thorough agency reviews and engage in more conversations with agencies funded by the City to better understand needs of sustainability
• Undeveloped Lands
  • Further clarify land use areas and development plans within the undeveloped areas
  • Begin more comprehensive environmental planning considering all factors for the undeveloped lands
  • Plan for an eco-area residential development node within our city
  • Implement an affordable housing project on the newly acquired Badger lands
  • Add non-residential developments to diversify our tax base and move closer to an 80-20 split of residential to non-residential assessment base
  • Protect existing natural areas
• Transportation
  • Complete stage 3 of Ray Gibbon Drive
  • Secure remaining provincial funding for Ray Gibbon Drive
  • Plan for LRT
  • Better develop long-term transportation links for this region (LRT, Ray Gibbon Drive,
    Anthony Henday connectors, LeClair Way, Intermunicipal transit)
  • Plan for a park and ride to the south end of St. Albert
• Facilities, Utilities, Waste, Services: Existing and New
  • Substantially improve our recycling systems
  • Thoroughly review our current garbage rates, disposal approach, fees and programs 
  • Finalize future City Hall space needs and future library needs
  • Re-examine the need for and scope of Fire Hall #1 rebuild
  • Complete capping, grading and complete related Riel Park enhancements
  • Work with developers to begin to offer eco-housing options
  • Continue to move Servus Place toward being fully financially self-sustaining
  • Continue to maintain and upgrade all our utility infrastructure with a non-failure strategy in mind; in particular priority needed in sewer difficulties
• Big Lake and Related Ecosystems
  • Advocate for planning to allow for Lois E. Hole Centennial Provincial Park to be more fully appreciated with appropriate accesses, protection, trails, and education areas
  • Implement and support more programs that celebrate and educate the community of the local ecosystems
• Parks and Open Spaces
  • Further enhance and integrate the Grain Elevator Park within St. Albert
  • Institute a new tree bylaw
  • Institutionalize a more comprehensive natural infrastructure maintenance program
• The Environment
  • Implement the Green Community Guide that has been published by the Land Stewardship Centre of Canada
  • Continue to implement the elements of the Environmental Master Plan (example – air quality measurement)
  • Review the approaches that would be required to move toward a “0-waste” city
  • Assess a bylaw that influences the reduced use or elimination of plastic shopping bags
  • Implement organic waste pickup system implementation along with automatic toter pickup
  • Assess the L.E.E.D. standard for future implementation for city buildings
  • Complete capping, grading and full upgrade of Riel Park
• Key Priorities of Corporate Review, Update or Implementation
  • An “organizational efficiency” review
  • Municipal Development Plan update
  • Land Use Bylaw update
  • Review possibility of full time versus part time Councillors
  • White Spruce Forest planning
  • Parks and Open Spaces Master Plan review
  • Cultural Master Plan review
  • Policing model review
  • Recreation Master Plan review
  • Study Areas review and re-designation
  • Kingswood Park assessment and planning
  • AHF Master Plan, stewardship agreement review and vision clarification
  • Heritage Sites Master plan implementation
  • Labour costs review – the highest cost category
  • Implementation of “scorecards” (results tracking) for all departments
• People
  • Institutionalize the 40 Development Assets for youth
  • Institionalize Neighborhood Development
  • Institionalize Community Development
  • Assess the need for a Community Centre – for seniors and other community groups
  • Grow volunteer base through primarily involving more youth

“Imagine St. Albert”

Please Imagine:

Imagine for a moment a picture in your mind of the community we dream of building and handing over to our grandchildren; the community that we are actually renting from the future generations; a community with the very high standards of excellence.

• Imagine our neighbourhoods being free of crime and vandalism
• Imagine our community where the most disadvantaged and vulnerable are welcome and cared for
• Imagine our culture when it is free of drugs, prejudice, bullying and intolerance
• Imagine our community where everyone regardless of age, race, and ethnicity can live, thrive and worship free of prejudice and judgment
• Imagine if our police, (our RCMP), were always able to work on the prevention of crime and prevention of accidents rather than having to be in a response mode

• Imagine if our protective services personnel; our firefighters and emergency personnel were always able to work on prevention of emergencies rather than having to be in a response mode

• Imagine if the military personnel in our community were always able to work on peaceful capacity building, rather than having to be involved in conflict at times

• Imagine our community working in a fully cooperative nature with all surrounding municipalities for the overall public good of the region

• Imagine our community where growth is always progressive and always pays its own way

• Imagine our community where all diverse forms of transportation co-exist; where pedestrians, handicapped people, users of two-wheel transportation, users of four-wheel motor vehicles and public transit are all options and are all considerate, supportive and complimentary of one another

• Imagine our community where sidewalks, trails and bus stops are all safe, all well lit, all clean and all accessible; and additionally, imagine if all the trails are connected throughout the capital region

• Imagine our community where wildlife is more often seen in our neighbourhoods and along water ways because of our wildlife welcoming programs, systems and culture

• Imagine our community with world-class recycling facilities, practices and systems – a community where waste is treated as a resource

• Imagine our community where everyone trusts each other, ideas are shared, and where the governing, administrative and public service bodies are always perceived as performing with integrity, transparency and efficiency

• Imagine where more of our residents can work in St. Albert without having to commute away from the City of St. Albert

• Imagine our community where businesses and the residents can all prosper together

• Imagine our community where the tax balance is 80% residential and 20% non-residential; imagine if our marketing strategy made this forever important

• Imagine our community where business and residents always work hand-in-hand for the betterment of our overall economic well-being

• Imagine our community where everyone can afford to live in affordable housing without undue financial stress

• Imagine our community where all forms of arts, religion, culture, recreation and sports exist – where diversity of activities make for a complete, highly participative and rounded community

• Imagine our community alive with tourists

• Imagine our city where our downtown is vibrant, with flourishing shops and businesses, hosting successful merchants, bustling with life, alive with festivals and performances, celebrations taking place, people painting, dancing and singing; and a public square where people gather

• Imagine our parks and open spaces being themed such that we nurture a diversity of activities and interests

• Imagine…

 “Imagine St. Albert; the Botanical Arts City”

St. Albert, Canada's Botanical Arts City is a unique community with a very desirable quality of life.  The City must have a Mayor and Councillors with vision, energy, and commitment to maintaining and continuously improving this life-style.  City leaders must be able to imagine the St. Albert we want and uphold the standard of excellence we have come to enjoy.

Over the next several years, St. Albert has the opportunity to further its progress toward an even more “sustainable community”- a community that further improves our quality of life, further honours our commitment to the environment, and brings further heritage recognition and economic opportunities to our city beyond what we see today. 

We need to continually clearly define what this sustainable community future means for residents, visitors and businesses while mutually sharing, with respect, the ecosystems we live within. This can only be done by addressing the needs of the stakeholders who wish to share in the economic benefits, enjoy our natural environment, and gain the benefit of the social well-being of our community.

We must imagine and we must act.