Recently, downtown parking has been a topic of discussion at Council. This is always a touchy topic.

Some of my favourite spots to meet friends are in the City Centre and I make an effort to support our downtown businesses. I’m down there frequently. And I don’t find parking a huge issue. I’m almost always parking within a block of where I want to go. I often walk further to get from my car into Costco than I do to get into a downtown business.

But I also get that lots of people aren’t as comfortable with parking in tight spaces as I am. And many worry that they will have to walk far to get to a downtown business. Which leads to some customers choosing to shop, eat or drink elsewhere just because of parking concerns. This has an impact.

I don’t know if big changes are justified at this time. But there might be some tweaks that could be made, especially concerning enforcement in short term parking zones. And as our community grows, change will be needed eventually. It is worth doing some planning for that now.

Following is a bit more history and thinking on this conversation.

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Important note: this is my personal blog. Any mistakes or opinions expressed here belong to me and me alone, not to City Council or Administration.

Both housing and affordability have been huge topics of conversation around the Council table. People already in Grande Prairie are having trouble finding places to live. And employers are reporting challenges attracting needed employees to our region due to a lack of housing options.

A great deal of effort has gone into attracting apartment building investment. Council has also changed rules to make townhouse development easier. In my mind, these kinds of built forms are the most promising ways to add housing stock into our community.

However, all solutions should be explored. Council has also been talking about the current rules around Secondary Suites. There is openness to re-considering the rules around Secondary Suites, but I don’t think anyone wants a repeat of certain neighbourhoods where past lax rules made for very challenging places to live.

Eight potential amendments to the Land Use Bylaw are coming to Council on Monday….

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On Thursday, the Provincial Government introduced Bill 20 which amends the Municipal Government Act (MGA) and the Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA).

Those who pay attention to Alberta politics were expecting this Bill to contain a single major and deeply unpopular change: the introduction of political parties into municipal elections. At a recent Alberta Municipalities Convention, the Premier said parties are needed largely because of alleged problems with big money being spent in municipal politics.

However, instead of that one anticipated change, Bill 20 includes MANY changes not just to municipal elections but also to municipal governance. These DRASTICALLY weaken local democracy across Alberta. And if the Premier was worried about corporate and unions spending money in elections before, she should be terrified now: they are poised to be able to donate directly to candidates.

Bill 20 is an incredibly troubling piece of legislation. The most problematic part of it: by taking away power from voters and assigning it to the provincial Cabinet, it fundamentally weakens Council as local democratic bodies.

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I’ve really appreciated the many conversations I’ve been having with residents about stormwater. Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to ask questions and share your thoughts. Especially if you have been willing to do so in person at the Open House or by meeting for coffee.

An observation: most of the concerns I’m hearing aren’t necessarily about the specifics on how we finance the expenses for stormwater. Instead, objections to a Stormwater Utility Model are often (but not always!) ACTUALLY about wider concerns with the City’s budget in general. Which is fair! I think more can be done to communicate it well. And there will always be lots of debate about where the right balance is between keeping things affordable and maintaining the levels of service residents need and expect.

Next week, I’m hoping to make a post with some thoughts on the City’s overall budget and approach to spending. I look forward to more conversation about that.

But here, I’m going to focus on stormwater alone.

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