Attachment 1
Problems/Issues as Identified by Departments
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Provision of Services and Infrastructure to Non-Residents
Cost of Major Recreation, Cultural and Sport Facilities...... 3
Landlord and Tenant Issues...... 4
Subsidized Recreation Facility Use for Non-Residents...... 5
Policing Services...... 6
Fire/EMS – Mutual Aid...... 7
Impact of Regional Users on Transportation Infrastructure...... 8
Provision of Services That Are Not Generally Available Elsewhere in the Region
Need for Additional Low-Income and Special Needs (Social) Housing Units...... 9
Serving Many High Needs Citizens...... 10
Homelessness...... 11
Movement of Low-Income Citizens to City of Edmonton...... 13
Housing Stock and Shortage of Rental Housing...... 15
Need to Serve Diverse Population...... 17
Duplication or Inefficiencies Related to Service Provision
Bundling of Water, Wastewater and Solid Waste Services...... 19
Service Equity – Waste Services...... 20
New Landfill...... 21
Regional Sanitary Servicing...... 22
Consolidate Fleet Management Services...... 23
Assessment...... 24
Communication Services...... 25
Insurance Premiums...... 26
Coordination of Police Services...... 27
Snow and Ice Control...... 28
Roadway and Bridge Infrastructure...... 29
Cross-Municipal Boundary Travel...... 30
Delivery of Fire Services...... 31
Delivery of Emergency Medical Services...... 32
Lack of Integration in the Provision of Services
Lodges for Senior Citizens...... 33
Regional Pest Management...... 34
Environmental Liability – Waste Disposal Sites...... 35
Private Sector Consolidation – Waste Services...... 36
Watershed Management (Overland Flow)...... 37
Regional Service Delivery – Transit...... 38
Inability to Make Planning Decisions on a Regional Basis
Institutionalization of Thinking and Acting Regionally...... 39
Management of Regional Assets – The Economy...... 40
Management of Regional Assets – North Saskatchewan River Valley
and Ravine System and Other Environmentally Sensitive Areas...... 41
Management of Regional Assets – Transportation, Utility and Pipeline Corridors.....42
Management of Regional Assets – Air Transportation...... 43
Land Use – Regional Development Strategy...... 44
Land Use – Risk Management for Heavy Industry...... 45
Consistency of Information...... 46
Provision of Services and Infrastructure to Non-Residents
Cost of Major Recreation, Cultural and Sport Facilities
Description:Edmonton has been able to develop major recreational (e.g. Commonwealth Stadium, Skyreach Centre) and cultural facilities (e.g. Edmonton Art Gallery, Provincial Museum of Alberta) partially because of the size of the City of Edmonton and the Edmonton region. Without the combined population of the region and city some of these facilities and attractions (e.g. Edmonton Oilers professional hockey and Edmonton Eskimos professional football teams) would not be viable. The City of Edmonton contributes toward these facilities through infrastructure development and other financial means.
Service Implications:
A decline in the population and/or tax base of City of Edmonton would hinder the maintenance of major facilities and attractions and ultimately the quality of life of the region. All municipalities in the region have a stake in ensuring that Edmonton is viable and that the recreational, cultural and social infrastructure is strong.
Financial Implications:
The viability of the City of Edmonton tax base needs to be preserved to ensure that the quality of life in the City of Edmonton and the Edmonton region can be maintained.
Alternatives:
Joint, regional, planning of major facilities and attractions be considered.
Surrounding municipalities contribute toward a fund to support a “regional” infrastructure.
For more info, contact:
Joyce Tustian, Community Services Department, 496-5804
Linda Cochrane, Recreation Facilities Branch, 496-5829
Landlord and Tenant Issues
Description:
Approximately 10% (3,400 of 34,000) of requests for service to the Landlord and Tenant Advisory Board’s dispute resolution service had to be refused primarily because they were made by non-residents of the City of Edmonton. Calls to the automatic information system are not monitored for residency and it is believed that calls by non-residents are similar in proportion to the other service.
As the stock of rental accommodation continues to decline and rents continue to increase, conflicts between landlords and tenants can be expected to rise with a corresponding increase in demand for landlord and tenant services.
(note: 31.7% (51,770) of families in the City of Edmonton rent accommodation in contrast to only 12.3% (8,025) in the balance of the region and the percent of unattached individuals who rent is higher).
Service Implications:
Demand for landlord and tenant services will continue to rise in Edmonton as rents continue to rise and the rental stock continues to decline. Demand for service will also increase from the balance of the region.
Financial Implications:
The City of Edmonton continues to subsidize the automated landlord and tenant information line which is used by residents of the City of Edmonton as well as by residents of the balance of the region.
Alternatives:
- Edmonton continue to subsidize the automated landlord and tenant information line and keep it available to non residents as a way to help non residents remain in their own communities and not apply additional pressure on Edmonton’s rental housing stock.
- Explorations be undertaken to charge non-residents for the service, either as individuals or through their municipality.
- The Province of Alberta be approached for a subsidy for providing service to the entire region.
Joyce Tustian, Community Services Department, 496-5804
Kathy Barnhart, City-Wide Services Branch, 496-5838
Subsidized Recreation Facility Use For Non-Residents
Description:
Provision of recreation facilities for non-residents of Edmonton: both Commonwealth Stadium and Kinsmen Sports Centre provide significant subsidies to minor sport groups in Edmonton. Often the membership of these groups contain significant numbers of children who live outside the City. In effect City taxpayers are subsidizing the costs of non-resident use of these facilities.
Service Implications:
Scheduling of bookings and maintaining these facilities is time-consuming and costly. Increased numbers of participants increases both the maintenance requirements and operational costs in order to provide facility space. Use of facilities by non-residents could pose limits to use by City of Edmonton residents
Financial Implications:
Some minor sports organizations have upwards of 50% of their membership from outside the City; the number of non-resident participants is estimated at 500.
The proportion of tax subsidy received by non-residents using these two facilities is estimated at $70,000 to $80,000 annually. It is difficult to quantify this value precisely because non-resident use is integrated with resident use.
Alternatives:
- Charge higher rates to minor sports groups based on percentage of non-resident participants.
- Restrict facility use by minor sports groups to those with City resident participants only.
- Maintain status quo.
Joyce Tustian, Community Services 496-5804
Linda Cochrane, Recreation Facilities Branch, 496-5829
POLICING SERVICES
Description:
The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) provides policing services to the City of Edmonton. Because the City is in close proximity to other centres, the EPS often provides services to, or deals with incidents requiring police action involving persons who live within the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) but outside the City limits. These “regional” service costs are borne by the residents of Edmonton.
Service Implications:
- In 1997, there were 11,676 files generated from those residing within Edmonton CMA but outside the City limits.
- The EPS laid 3,236 charges to those residing outside the City limits.
- Residents in the Edmonton CMA, but outside in City limits, had some contact with EPS members as complainants, witnesses, subjects or drivers in a total of 5,734 occasions.
- In 1997, the EPS assisted the R.C.M.P. in responding to 262 calls.
- In total, the EPS have responded to approximately 16,355 (files generated plus Mobile Data Terminal concluded). This equates to 1,363 calls per month or 45 cases per day involving residents from outside the City limits but within the CMA.
Assuming that the calls for service were routed through EPS Communications Section, 16,355 occurrences at $207.70 per call (KPMG costing) would equate to $3,396,933.50 or the equivalent of 52 full time police positions.
Alternatives:
The EPS would support opportunities for improving policing in the region where all parties obtain increased efficiency and effectiveness.
For more info, contact:
S/Sgt. Joe Rodgers, i/c Planning & Evaluation Services Section – 421-2848
FIRE/EMS – MUTUAL AID
Description:
A mutual aid structure currently exists in the Edmonton region. The structure is unilateral in that Edmonton provides service without reciprocation.
Service Implications:
Multilateral operating protocols and authorities are required to ensure seamless and timely responses.
Financial Implications:
Time and expert resources required to develop system.
Alternatives:
For more info, contact:
Jim Penrod, General Manager, ERD, 496-3803
IMPACT OF REGIONAL USERS ON TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE
Description:Edmonton’s MDP (p. 51), Transportation Master Plan (TMP) and transportation system improvements account for Edmonton as a destination or a through route for a considerable amount of trips generated outside its boundary. A significant proposition of passenger vehicle and trucking activity from outside Edmonton makes use of Edmonton infrastructure, and contributes to both congestion and particularly in the case of truck movements on facility requirements contributes to the deterioration of roadway infrastructure.
Regional users have different impacts depending on the population and employment balance. In some cases (Sherwood Park, St. Albert, Parkland) passenger trips from region to Edmonton are three times those from Edmonton out. In other cases (Fort Saskatchewan, Leduc) passenger trips from the region to Edmonton are almost the same as from Edmonton to the region.
No mechanism exists currently to address these impacts on the funding of transportation improvements.
Service Implications:
Transportation system users from outside Edmonton impact the operation of the system and no mechanism exists to address the impacts of these users on Transportation infrastructure.
Financial Implications:
A key question to address is whether transportation systems are being fairly funded, based on considerations of who is being served and who pays.
Alternatives:
Regional approach to funding transportation priorities.
For more info, contact:
Brice Stephenson, Transportation and Streets, 496-2897
Provision of Services that are not Generally Available Elsewhere in the Region
Need for Additional Low-Income andSpecial Needs (Social) Housing Units
Description:
Growth has triggered a substantial increase in low-income rental housing demand. Rising market rents have reduced appropriate housing opportunities for many low and fixed income households and those with additional health, mental health and social support needs. In mid-1997, when the City’s average rental housing vacancy rate was 4.6%, the Capital Region Housing Corporation (CHRC), the City’s largest social housing provider, had zero applications on its waiting list. However, by February 1999, when the City’s vacancy rate had fallen to 1.8%, the CRHC had over 700 approved applications. In the past six months, the CHRC waiting list has increased by several hundred additional approved applications.
CHRC has no administered units in the municipalities surrounding Edmonton and over 90% of the 873 private landlord “rent supplement” program units are located in the City of Edmonton.
Service Implications:
A 1997 Edmonton Joint Planning Committee on Housing study observed an immediate demand for an additional 2,600 subsidized rental housing units in Edmonton by a range of emergency, transitional and long-term housing need target groups.
Financial Implications:
Assuming an average capital cost of $60,000 per unit, cost of 2,600 units could cost $52 million. Municipal funding of subsidy for operation of these units would be approximately $3.4 million per year.
Alternatives:
Edmonton continue to provide funds to pay the operating subsidy for community housing for families.
The operating subsidy be apportioned to Edmonton region municipalities based on a formula related to population size and income.
For more info, contact:
Joyce Tustian, Community Services Department, 496-5804
Kathy Barnhart, City-Wide Services Branch, 496-5838
Serving Many High Needs Citizens
Description:
The City ofEdmonton provides services to a population with a higher percent of citizens with special problems/needs than do other jurisdictions in the region[1]. Citizens with high needs are less able to provide services for themselves or may require subsidization for services which other citizens are able to pay for. Citizens with high needs include:
- low-income residents:10% (16,400) of Edmonton families have incomes in the lowest income quintile in contrast to 4.6% (3,185) for the rest of the region,
- lone parent families: 11.1% (18,055) of Edmonton families are lone parent families in contrast to 6.4% (4,390) for the rest of the region.
- Aboriginal ancestry: 4% (24,110) of Edmonton residents have an Aboriginal heritage in contrast to 2% (4,760) for the balance of the region as well, in the City of Edmonton 61.5% (14,845) of Aboriginal people have incomes below the Statistics Canada LICO while only 17.3% (825) of Aboriginal people in the balance of the region have incomes below LICO.
- people with activity limitations (disabilities): 11.2% (67,645) of Edmonton residents have activity limitations in contrast to only 7.7% (18,660) for the rest of the region.
Edmonton requires more services, and these of a more diverse nature, to meet the needs of citizens with special needs. Some of these services include: public housing for low income families, counselling programs, safe housing inspections, community development, out-of-school care, spousal violence follow-up teams.
Financial Implications:
Services to meet special needs of the relatively large number of vulnerable people cost the City of Edmonton proportionately more than they would cost other municipalities in the region with much fewer vulnerable citizens.
Alternatives:
The Province of Alberta be approached to support costs of expanding FCSS (Family and Community Support Services) services for the City of Edmonton.
FCSS funds for the region be pooled and priority services supported.
For more info, contact:
Joyce Tustian, Community Services Department, 496-5804
George Witt, Strategic Services Branch, 496-8301
Homelessness
Description:
Homelessness is caused by many factors including unemployment, family breakdown, mental health problems, poverty as well as other factors. Many of these factors strike regardless of social-economic strata or place of residence. Coupled with the short supply of affordable housing in communities surrounding the City of Edmonton, it becomes difficult for homeless people to remain in the communities making up the balance of the Edmonton region. Relatively lower cost housing, presence of shelters and support services makes the City of Edmonton a magnet for people faced with social problems, including homelessness.
On March 18, 1999 a count of homeless persons found 836 people considered either “sheltered” or “absolute” homeless in Edmonton. In addition, the “count” found that 50 people were turned away from shelters for lack of available space. However, it is not known how many of these people came from outside of the City of Edmonton.
Service Implications:
The growing lack of low-income affordable housing is a major part of the problem. Few communities surrounding the City of Edmonton have rent-geared-to-income housing for low-income families or individuals. Concerted action by all orders of government – federal, provincial and municipal – is essential for effective solutions to homeless needs,
- Short-term solutions include provision of funding for additional short-term emergency shelter spaces and
- Long-term solutions include development of additional affordable housing supply, support services, leadership and community involvement, policy development and funding.
An Administration report to City Council’s Community Services Committee on July 14, 1999 recommended consideration of the following to implement the recommendations of the Edmonton Homelessness Task Force, released on May 21, 1999:
A $28,000 expenditure as the City’s portion of funding required to provide an additional 56 emergency shelter spaces for the balance of 1999;
A commitment to support an estimated $56,000 annualized cost to provide these 56 additional emergency shelter spaces in 2000;
Approval in principle to provide one-third of funds required to enable implementation of the Task Force recommendations by the Edmonton Joint Planning Committee on Housing (estimated at $256,000 from 1999 to 2002); and
Inclusion in the 2000 City of Edmonton budget of forgiveness resulting from Provincial restructuring of Social Housing Debt (estimated at $1.3 million annually) for social housing initiatives.
Alternatives:
Social problems including homeless must be understood as a regional problem demanding concerted solutions and involvement by all levels of government (Federal, Provincial and Municipal) and municipalities in the region.
For more info, contact:
Joyce Tustian, Community Services Department, 496-5804
Kathy Barnhart, City-Wide Services Branch, 496-5838
Movement of Low-Income Citizens to City of Edmonton
Description:
Only 2% (12,390) of the City of Edmonton population had moved to the City during the five years prior to the 1996 Census of Canada in contrast to 12.9% (31,100) of the population of the rest of the region who moved to different jurisdictions within the region. However, of those who did move to the City of Edmonton, 32.5% (4,025) had incomes below the Statistics Canada Low Income Cut Offs (LICO) while of those who moved within the rest of the region, only 10.2% (3,185) had incomes below the LICO. Also, 51.8% (12,000) of immigrants to the City of Edmonton within the five years prior to the 1996 Census of Canada had incomes below the LICO in contrast to only 14.6% (280) of recent immigrants who moved to the rest of the region.
Low-income people in the City of Edmonton are poorer than are low-income people in the rest of the region. Excluding transfer payments, it would take $15,082 to raise the income of the average low income Edmonton family to the level of the LICO whereas it would only take $11,661 (excluding transfer payments) to raise the income of low income families to the LICO level in the rest of the region.
Service Implications:
The relatively high proportion of low-income movers to the City of Edmonton suggests that a large percent of the Edmonton population increase between 1996 and 1999, consists of low income people. Services to address the needs of low-income residents are relatively expensive and are not readily available (e.g. out-of-school care) in the balance of the region. Edmonton’s services should be oriented to help low income residents deal with the issues associated with of low income/poverty (e.g. education, health, nutrition).