Edmonton committee endorses extension for downtown revitalization program

Emily Rae Pasiuk · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 05, 2025 9:30 PM EST | Last Updated: March 6

Edmonton metropolis council's enforcement committee has voted to urge the metropolis widen a programme aimed astatine revitalizing downtown, arsenic it struggles to retrieve post-pandemic. 

On Wednesday, committee members voted successful favour of renewing the downtown assemblage revitalization levy program by 10 years.

The programme is an illustration of a assemblage revitalization levy (CRL), which uses a model acceptable successful the Municipal Government Act to help communities invest in infrastructure.

Community revitalization levies allow municipalities to get against aboriginal spot taxation revenues to assistance wage for infrastructure improvement required successful a circumstantial area. 

Councillors said Wednesday they privation to support backing downtown projects, but request a much unchangeable and semipermanent root of funding.

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi told the committee that determination are galore projects the metropolis wants to execute by extending the program, but they besides must prioritize getting much radical surviving downtown. 
    
"More residential is the key," helium said astatine enforcement committee connected Wednesday. 

"So wrong the projects that we person connected the list, we should beryllium prioritizing wrong those projects arsenic well."

A study to the committee says extending the program by 10 years volition let the metropolis to code those barriers to redevelopment.

"Infrastructure that supports nationalist activity, including streets and unfastened spaces, should beryllium a base-level successful the downtown and not a nice-to-have. Poor information infrastructure reflects negatively connected downtown," the study says. 

The levy primitively came into effect successful 2015 and tin inactive stay successful effect until 2034, if an hold isn't approved, the study states.

The programme country covers astir fractional of the downtown neighbourhood, arsenic good arsenic tiny portions of the Central McDougall and McCauley neighbourhoods, The programme has truthful acold contributed to Warehouse Park, Alex Decoteau Park, stormwater servicing upgrades, the 103A Avenue Pedway and respective different improvement and streetscape projects.

Projects that the metropolis would beryllium capable to money with the hold see an lawsuit park, much transit infrastructure, and tract servicing astatine the Village astatine Ice District. 

Puneeta McBryan, CEO of the Edmonton Downtown Business Association, said she powerfully supports extending the revitalization program. 

"I person to accidental what's keeping maine up close present astir this is I don't cognize that there's capable wealth contiguous with the 2034 extremity day to decorativeness Jasper Avenue New Vision," McBryan said astatine the meeting. 

She said committee should walk the motion, "if for nary different crushed [than] we can't proceed with the precise necessary, precise overdue infrastructure projects that were already expected to beryllium funded under the CRL."

Although the committee passed the question unanimously, respective councillors were captious of the plans astatine Wednesday's meeting, with immoderate questioning whether it was the champion mode to physique lodging and whether public funds should beryllium utilized for backstage projects. 

The 1 subordinate of the nationalist who spoke successful absorption was acrophobic astir nationalist wealth going to OEG and questioning the benefits of the strategy.

A 10-year hold is estimated to make betwixt $705 cardinal and $976 cardinal successful revenue. The proposal inactive has to beryllium passed by metropolis council, and the state besides has to o.k. the change.