Coming Up: Jan 24
Council meets on Monday. The most significant items on our agenda:
Whistleblower Report
Advocacy Priorities
Sunrise House Land
Following is more information and my take on agenda items.
As always, any mistakes or opinions belong to me and me alone, not to Council or City staff.
While I express my current views below, I work hard to go into meetings ready to listen and with an open mind. I learn new information and participate in debate. This always informs, and sometimes changes, how I vote on issues.
If you would like to watch the meeting or read any of its supporting material for yourself, you can do so by clicking here. The City will post the highlights of Council’s decisions here.
WHISTLEBLOWER REPORT
Last year, City Administration proposed a new Policy for reporting of wrongdoing. It led to Council adopting this policy.
The old Policy was out of date and had some major flaws. These flaws included an unclear reporting process and all reports of wrongdoing going to the City Manager or an employee who reported to the City Manager. I was happy to see Administration bring forward a new policy to increase accountability.
The new Policy includes an online reporting form (which can be found here) and the ability for complaints to be made anonymously. Under the new Policy, complaints made regarding the City Manger or direct reports of the City Manager go to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
The new Policy also requires that Council receive an annual report on complaints that were made over the past year. On Monday, Council will receive its first report. It can be found here.
In 2021, there were two reports involving employees and there are two investigations involving employees ongoing. There were no closed investigations or findings of wrongdoings in 2021.
I’m glad to see reporting on the Whistleblower Policy. However, I was disappointed to see how little detail was in this report. To respect Freedom of Information and Privacy Legislation, I understand that not too many specifics can be shared. However, I would like to see the report contain a broad overview of allegations, investigation findings, and any corrective action that was taken. The City of Calgary provides a good model which can be found here.
When Council receives this report, I intend to push for it to give direction for more information to be brought forward.
ADVOCACY PRIORITIES
One of Council’s roles is to advocate to senior government for our community, especially when government policy impacts things the City is responsible for.
Although each Councillor has their own personal priorities, it is important for us to have a united front when it comes to advocacy. To assist with that, Council will be formally adopting advocacy priorities for 2022.
It is proposed that Council identify five key focus areas. These are:
Electricity Distribution Costs
Attraction and Retention of Health Care Professionals
Infrastructure Funding
Provincial Support for Industrial Attraction programs
Hwy 40X - SW Ring Road
In addition to these key areas, it is proposed that Council also put some attention to the following initiatives:
Local Court of Queen’s Bench Justices
Provincial Police Force
Community Based Health Supports for vulnerable population
Rent Subsidy funding
Seniors Home Care
Homelessness supports
County upgrades RR63 (116 St. – City limits to Correction Line)
Reduced carbon pricing for facilities using CHP technology or similar
Regional sharing of linear/machinery & equipment property taxes
If I was making up my own list, I would likely have different priorities towards the top. However, all priorities on this list are important and my top personal priorities appear somewhere on it. More importantly: I’m just one of nine members of Council, and I respect the wisdom and community perspectives of my colleagues. I’m confident that this list reflects the priorities of Council as a whole. I intend to support it.
SUNRISE HOUSE LAND
Sunrise House is a Youth Emergency Shelter. It does not just provide a place to be for youth experiencing houselessness. It also provides counselling and other supports, a family reunification program for youth with a safe family to return to, and transitional housing support for youth who need to find an independent place to live.
Sunrise House is currently operating out of a building built in the 1970’s which was not designed with its current use in mind. The organisation is currently working towards a new build that will better serve the needs of its clients. It has requested that the City grant it part of the land from this parcel in the Gateway neighbourhood:
Council will be considering updating the Land Use Bylaw to make gifting this land to Sunrise House possible. However, Council doing these Bylaw updates would not be the final step of the process. Before anything could get built, Council would also have to approve an actual transfer of the land and approve a Development Permit.
Sunrise House is a vital organisation in our community. Youth experiencing houselessness deserve care. Additionally, over 55% of folks who are chronically houseless in Grande Prairie report that they first experienced houselessness as a child or youth. Getting houseless youth stable and healthy is the best way to reduce chronic houselessness in the future. I certainly support helping the organisation find land.
This land seems like it could be a great fit for Sunrise House. It is close to two high schools, jobs, transit routes, the college, and recreation facilities: all those things are important for youth receiving care. Additionally, I have never received a complaint from Sunrise House’s current neighbours, so I have a lot of confidence that it can integrate into the Gateway Neighbourhood without disrupting other properties.
I’m likely to support the Bylaw updates coming before Council at this meeting. However, the location for Sunrise House is a big decision. As we consider it at this and future meetings, I look forward to considering any new information or thoughts from members of the public that might come before us.
That’s what is on our agenda for Monday. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
You can comment below. Or, you can contact me at dbressey@cityofgp.com or 780-402-4166. I'm happy to talk online or over the phone. I'm also always willing to setup a time to meet for coffee.
We also always have great conversation in the GP Round Table group on Facebook.
After Council meeting, you will be able to find highlights posted by the City here.
Thanks for reading!
-Dylan