Latest news with #municipalgovernment
CBC
02-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
City of Edmonton renewal investment shortfall sits at $1.5B: report
City of Edmonton administration and council will discuss next week how to balance growing the city while maintaining existing infrastructure, after a new administrative report found a shortfall of $1.5 billion for the 2023-26 capital budget. The city has $34 billion worth of infrastructure and assets, including roads, recreation centres, parks, pools, fire halls, transit and community spaces. But only 54 per cent of funding is going toward maintenance and renewal, the report says. Ward Métis Coun. Ashley Salvador said the report was not surprising. She has put forward measures like a dedicated fund to mitigate underfunding renewal. "Over time, if we're not taking care of all of our infrastructure and assets, we start to see potential service declines. We see that infrastructure falling into disrepair, which ultimately is more costly for Edmontonians," Salvador told CBC News. "We can have a dedicated fund in place to predictably and sustainably take care of our existing infrastructure." Salvador said Edmonton, like other North American cities, has spread itself thin, sprawling "quite quickly." But she said the city didn't have "an adequate line of sight as to how we're actually going to pay for all of that infrastructure." The municipal government needs to understand the full life cycle costs of all its assets when it builds new facilities, roads and communities near the edge of the city, she said. "We need to be able to not only build them at the outset and pay for the growth of those assets, but have sustainable funding," Salvador said. In March, city council voted to support the creation of a dedicated renewal fund. Provincial funding Ward Dene Coun. Aaron Paquette has concerns over provincial cuts to infrastructure funding for municipalities, saying the Alberta government "massively reduced" the amount provided. "For us, that's meant over $1 billion lost in unconstrained infrastructure dollars," Paquette said. Unconstrained funding can be used without specific restrictions or limitations. Paquette said, at this point, nothing essential will be immediately impacted, but mitigating costs will help future taxpayers. "The reason we have this deficit is through provincial cuts and through, obviously, inflation and some of these tariff discussions," he said. "But it's our job to sort of accommodate for that and provide policy and direction that, again, will shield residents." In an emailed statement to CBC News on Friday, Minister of Municipal Affairs Dan Williams said the provincial government is stepping up to meet the challenge and ensure Edmontonians "have access to world-class public infrastructure." Williams said the city received $179 million through the Local Governance Fiscal Framework, an increase of more than 13 per cent from last year. He noted that, in this year's budget, the provincial government increased amounts paid through its Grants in Place of Taxes program to 75 per cent, with plans to increase amounts to 100 per cent next year. The program lets the Alberta government give municipalities grants instead of paying property taxes on its properties within those communities. The move came after municipalities across Alberta voiced concern to the provincial government over the impact of cuts to grants in place of taxes in recent decades. Williams said the City of Edmonton will receive roughly $28.6 million in funding through the grant, up more than $10.5 million from last year. The provincial capital plan currently sits at $26.1 billion. It includes $1.6 billion for LRT expansion projects, $190 million for the expansions of Terwillegar Drive and Yellowhead Trail in Edmonton and $106 million to revitalize downtown Edmonton.
CBC
27-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
City of Windsor defends hiring mayor's wife for project manager role
Social Sharing Windsor's Chief Administrative Officer said all rules were followed in the recent hiring of Jane Deneau, the mayor's wife, for a permanent, full-time, project manager role with the city. According to Ray Mensour, Deneau was the top-scoring candidate for the job in the parks, recreation and facilities department, which has a posted salary range between $96,000 and $116,900. The job opening was listed for six days, from April 4 to 10. The CAO said Deneau was one of 278 people who applied for the position, and then one of three shortlisted candidates — who were all external submissions. "This position does not have any direct reports and is not considered a manager level employee," said Mensour. "Therefore, the recruitment does not require or involve mayoral participation or approval." CBC News reached out to Deneau for comment, but did not receive a response. Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens confirmed on AM800 that his wife had been hired, and said in a statement to CBC News that he "cannot speak to a recruitment process with which I was not involved." Strong mayor powers can raise concerns A municipal government expert believes that strong mayor powers have "muddied the waters" when it comes to hiring people who have a relationship with the mayor. "The crux of the issue here relates to strong mayor powers over administration and how they could undermine the CAO-Council model that most municipalities in Ontario and Canada have adopted," said Joe Lyons, Director of the Local Government Project at Western University. Strong mayor powers give Dilkens the ability to hire and fire nearly all staff members within the City of Windsor. However, Dilkens has delegated that authority to the CAO for any position below manager. Lyons said the mayor's control of the employment of the people who lead the department that Deneau now works in, can create worrying perceptions. "What this situation elicits, you know, is also concerns about how the powers over senior members of administration could leak kind of deeper into the organization, or affect the behaviour of people deeper within the organization when they're doing things like hiring people," said Lyons. All paperwork and processes were followed, says CAO In a statement issued to media on Tuesday, Mensour wrote: "As part of the recruitment, all required paperwork and processes were followed, including completion of a family relationship form." "This process is in place to ensure that there is never a direct reporting relationship between related parties." Mensour said that Deneau had applied to two other positions with the city in the past but was not hired. On Deneau's LinkedIn profile, she lists 27 years of experience working as a project manager with a company called Creative Realities, Inc. — an IT consulting firm based out of Kentucky. As a project manager with parks, recreation and facilities, Deneau "will provide overall management for every aspect of the design, development and implementation of Recreation & Facilities project management initiatives," according to the job posting. The posting said that Deneau will be expected to create reports that she may be required to present to senior management or city council. Deneau's first day of work was May 20.
CTV News
21-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Advertising bylaws another nail in the coffin for local media, newspaper publishers say
Postmedia signage is pictured at the head office in Toronto, on Wednesday, June 28, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Lahodynskyj In the eight years since the former NDP government changed rules governing Alberta's municipalities, newspaper publishers say they've seen a once stable revenue stream evaporate and relationships with local governments become more politicized. The Municipal Government Act (MGA) requires municipalities to advertise certain proposed bylaws, resolutions, public hearings and other government business. The act previously specified public notices be placed in newspapers as paid advertisements or delivered directly to residents, but it was amended in 2017 to allow municipalities to write bylaws authorizing the use of alternatives like social media and online advertising. 'Once the MGA changed and councils could advertise online or through their own channels, many of us lost that income almost overnight. Now that money often goes to Facebook or Google instead of staying in the community,' said Lisa Sygutek, publisher of the Crowsnest Pass Herald and Alberta Weekly Newspaper Association president. Alberta has lost a total of 52 community newspapers since 2008, according to data from the Local News Research Project , including 30 that have closed since 2018. Many of these closures follow a broader collapse of advertising revenue for community newspapers in Canada, which fell 44 per cent between 2018 and 2022. The disappearance of public notices on its own might not be a death sentence for a newspaper, but it is another blow for an already struggling industry, said Tyler Nagel, a journalism instructor at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. 'The government as a source of revenue for newspapers by way of advertising goes way back. I think that the changes to the Municipal Government Act definitely exacerbate the situation,' Nagel said. 'Local newspapers are already hanging by a thread.' As early as 1908, the Edmonton city charter mandated that certain public notices be published for three successive weeks in a city newspaper, and this stipulation was written into the original MGA in 1968 . Researchers have called required public notice spending a type of ' silent subsidy ' that has helped sustain newspapers and legitimized them as official sources of civic information. When these civic notices stop appearing in the newspaper, readership declines as well, 'and that hurts subscriptions, ad sales, everything,' Sygutek said. 'It sends a message that local journalism isn't necessary anymore, and that's dangerous for small towns like ours.' The Albertan publisher Murray Elliott said his concern with the proliferation of new municipal ad bylaws since 2017 is that it allows local governments to 'bypass' his paper and other media for the sake of expediency. In December, Olds town council passed its own ad bylaw, the latest of several communities served by the Albertan to do so. Though the current administration has promised to maintain its spending with the paper, Elliott said he's aware of how quickly that could change. 'I'm worried that when they don't like us, then they have that option,' he said. 'They can lead with emotion, and they can pull the newspaper.' Sygutek said she experienced this kind of backlash in the early 2010s, when Crowsnest Pass town council 'pulled nearly all their advertising' in response to stories her paper published. The previous statutory notice requirements in the MGA prevented council from cutting its funding to the paper completely, but she said now that those minimal 'safeguards' have been removed, publishers feel like they're walking a fine line in their reporting. 'If you push too hard or publish something council doesn't like, you risk losing what little advertising support is left. That pressure challenges the very foundation of what local journalism is supposed to stand for,' Sygutek said. During his research on local news, Nagel said he's heard similar stories from other publishers of current newspapers, though they have elected to not make these disputes public. When councils have a choice about whether to continue funding local media or not, 'things have the potential to become politicized,' he said. The extent to which a municipal administration can take punitive action and defund local media also depends on the language of the advertising bylaw. While governments must fulfill certain legal obligations to notify the public, how this is achieved is left up to individual municipalities. Some bylaws, like those introduced by Airdrie and St. Paul , maintain requirements to place notices in the local paper but add other options like digital ads. Far more municipalities however, including Edmonton , Innisfail , Cold Lake and Cochrane , have opted to remove print media as a required method for public notices altogether. Edmonton's shift to online advertising has also marked the end of its long-standing arrangement with the Edmonton Journal and Postmedia. For over 20 years, the city maintained a sole-source advertising contract with the network valued at about $1 million per year, and legally required ads from the city accounted for over two-thirds of Edmonton's ad spending with the Journal. A spokesperson for the city confirmed the contract hadn't been renewed after expiring at the end of 2024. April Lindgren, founder of the Local News Research Project and professor emerita at Toronto Metropolitan University School of Journalism, said that while she believes it's important for municipalities to support local media, prioritizing funding for print publications doesn't necessarily mean protecting quality news. She argued that in cases where papers are owned by big media chains that have for years 'slashed and burned the newsrooms to the point where there's hardly any news in those publications,' directing scarce municipal dollars to proprietors who aren't committed to serving the public good isn't a smart investment. 'The fact of the matter is, in many communities, newspapers are pale shadows of what they used to be, and they're not necessarily the main source of news anymore. There are some strong digital online news sources, and I would want to make sure that any municipal advertising policy would recognize that in terms of where it put its ads,' Lindgren said. She believes a best practice for a municipality would be to recognize that viable local media in a variety of forms is essential infrastructure, just like safe streets, quality drinking water or timely ambulance service. 'People need to be informed,' she said. 'I don't think newspapers have any sort of magic claim on the public's attention anymore when it comes to getting news.' The changes to the MGA made by the former New Democrat government acknowledge the increased reliance on digital and social media for news updates, and the legislation is intended to allow municipalities the opportunity to establish bylaws to reflect that, Ministry of Municipal Affairs press secretary Kevin Lee said in an email. 'It is our expectation that municipalities establish these bylaws with the needs of their community top of mind so they can ensure that their residents are aware of the public notices that they publish.' ----------------------- By Brett McKay, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Investigative Journalism Foundation
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Andrews named president of N.C. Mayors Association
GREENVILLE — Broadway Mayor Donald Andrews is next president of the N.C. Mayors Association. His selection was announced last week during the organization's annual business meeting as a part of the N.C. League of Municipalities' CityVision annual conference. At the meeting, Andrews pledged to work to across varying layers of government to ensure cities and towns have a seat at the table. 'By working together, we can ensure that the unique needs and priorities of our cities and towns are heard and addressed at every level of government,' he told his fellow mayors. 'Through our relationships with our colleagues serving in Raleigh, we will continue to provide a unified voice for our residents, communities and regions. The friendships and collaboration formed here are the foundation for innovative solutions and collective progress.' Andrews replaces Parmele Mayor Jerry McCrary in the position, and thanked him for his dedication in connecting mayors to one another and for creating an environment where all mayors feel welcomed. Burgaw Mayor Olivia Dawson was chosen as the association's vice president. The only new member selected to the board of directors is Granite Quarry Mayor Brittany Barnhardt. The N.C. Mayors Association is an affiliate organization of the North Carolina League of Municipalities formed specifically to offer opportunities for mayors across the state to network, improve the understanding of municipal government and work to make their communities better together.
