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CBC
8 minutes ago
- CBC
Edmonton city councillors forging ahead on river valley plan revamp despite pushback
Edmonton city council will proceed on updating a plan which would direct the future use and management of the North Saskatchewan River Valley despite public concerns raised during a hearing Monday. From environmental conservation to increased public access to the river valley, several members of the public presented their views before Edmonton city council Monday as the city looks to revamp it's river valley plan for the first time in decades. Councillors ultimately voted unanimously to move forward with administration's plan. Ward Sspomitapi Coun. Jo-Anne Wright attempted a motion that would have had administration go back to the drawing board and look at changes to address concerns over language and ensuring environmental protection of the river valley while balancing public access. That motion failed 4-9 with only Wright, Michael Janz, Erin Rutherford and Andrew Knack voting in favour. Concern was raised by various speakers over the use of "shall" vs."should" in plan guidelines. "The proposed bylaw falls short of protecting this treasure," said Ansh Gulati, a law student at the University of Alberta working with the Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition. "We are serious about protection and enforcement. The use of 'should' must be altered or restored to 'shall' to be binding and impose a legal obligation." Council ultimately expressed concern that making the change would have been too restrictive. "Shall is, 'you shall do X or you shall not do X, mandatory. It's very prescriptive. There's no flexibility with shall. You need to amend the plan to get some flexibility," said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi. "Our goal is to protect the river valley, but at the same time, make sure that Edmontonians are able to enjoy this beautiful asset that we have … it's not to exclude from enjoyment." The city is undertaking this revamp as it has said its approach to planning, engagement and environmental protection has evolved as new challenges like climate change have come into the forefront. Administration is seeking a variety of changes such as a stronger connection to the city's Ribbon of Green plan, placing limits on intensive open space facilities, utility infrastructure and transportation infrastructure, updating assessment requirements and updating triggers for when a project proposal might require council approval. Multiple organizations presented their thoughts on the plan Monday at city hall. "We support the city's efforts to modernize and clarify key elements of its planning framework," said Elise Shillington with BILD Edmonton Metro, a group that represents real estate developers in Edmonton. "Regular updates to statutory plans are vital to maintaining a planning system that is agile, responsive and capable of supporting both development and redevelopment, also ensures the involving needs of current and future residents, while continuing to safeguard our crown jewel, the Edmonton river valley." Other groups like the northern chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society expressed concerns that the plan does not go far enough to protect environmental concerns. Since 2005, the city has lost 4.2 per cent of natural areas in the river valley according to Kecia Kerr, executive director with the society. "It is significant, given that the proposed bylaw will weaken protections, and if our citywide trend continues, natural areas will become extremely rare within the city, outside of the river valley." Concerns of lack of care and consultation Kerr said they see three major gaps in the proposed plan that put the river valley at risk: weak discretionary language, a reduction of oversight of development by council and the public, and a lack of clear binding limits on environmental impact. The proposed plan delegates development decisions to city administration for projects under 10,000 square metres. "These large thresholds mean that significant developments can move forward without council oversight or public hearing under the current language of the plan", Kerr said. Some speakers noted that a reduction of 500 square metres would have been a compromise that allows for potential development. Joe Yurkovich, president of the Edmonton Mountain Bike Alliance, said there needs to be a different standard applied to trails. "The bylaw needs to be amended so that pockets within administration don't have the discretion or don't feel compelled to apply the strictest standards against the natural surface trail development," Yurkovich said. Miranda Jimmy, a member of Thunderchild First Nation, said the city is not honouring its commitments to Indigenous people through consultation oversight. "The [area redevelopment plan] and the bylaws before you today do not meet this threshold of free, prior informed consent, the basis of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples and the TRC principles of reconciliation," Jimmy said. "The plan also does not include a requirement for Indigenous consent in future decisions made under these updated rules, Indigenous engagement does not equal consultation with rights holders. Consultation does not equal consent." City administration told council that it undertook Indigenous engagement in each of the four phases of the plan revamp project and reached out to 32 First Nations.
National Post
37 minutes ago
- National Post
CUPE sues government to block 'unconstitutional' power used to end flight attendant strike
Air Canada flight attendants picket outside of Terminal 1 at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday August 18, 2025. Photo by Ernest Doroszuk / Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Post OTTAWA — Canada's largest union is suing the federal government to stop it from ever again invoking the controversial legal tool the Liberals used to order striking Air Canada flight attendants back to work. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors In a lawsuit filed on Monday, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) — which represents over 750,000 members including Air Canada flight attendants — laid bare its outrage towards the airline and the Liberal government. The union accused Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu of disregarding, undermining and nullifying the flight attendants' constitutional right to strike by invoking section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to order an end to the strike. The lawsuit asks a Federal Court judge to quash the minister's decision and declare that the power she invoked is both unconstitutional and exceeds her jurisdiction. In the meantime, CUPE is also seeking an emergency injunction against Hajdu's order. 'In issuing her direction, the Minister overrode, abrogated and effectively precluded the Union's ability to exercise its legal right to strike and its only legal means of asserting and leveraging economic power within the scheme of the Canada Labour Code,' CUPE argued in the lawsuit obtained by National Post. 'The Minister erred in law, inappropriately exercised her jurisdiction, authority and/or discretion, based her decision on erroneous findings of fact that she made in an arbitrary and abusive manner and/or issued an unreasonable decision' when she issued her order on Saturday, CUPE added. The federal government has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit. A spokesperson for Employment and Social Development Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The controversial section says the minister can direct the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to do what she deems necessary to 'maintain or secure industrial peace' or create favourable conditions for a deal during labour disputes. In recent years, the Liberals have taken that to mean that they can order the tribunal to declare a strike illegal, compel federally regulated employees back to work or mandate binding arbitration between parties. Since 2024, they've invoked the power to end numerous port and railway strikes as well as a work stoppage at Canada Post in December. On Saturday, barely hours after flight attendants went on strike and hundreds of Air Canada flights were cancelled, the Liberals again invoked section 107 to demand the CIRB order strikers back to work and parties enter binding arbitration.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Youth group stranded in Squamish because of Air Canada strike action
Two Palestinian Canadian families in B.C. have been trying to get their loved ones out of Gaza. They are hoping to use Canada's humanitarian resettlement program. And a lawyer working on this is going to court to try and FORCE the government to speed up the process.
