A number of provincial MLAs say the cost of playgrounds could come down if the City of Edmonton would only play along. At a June 4 meeting with the EFCL at the Provincial Legislature, Employment and Immigration Minister Thomas Lukaszuk said groups in St. Albert or Spruce Grove can build the same playground for 50-60% of the cost paid by Edmonton groups, due to the shortage of approved contractors in Edmonton, restrictions on volunteer labor and the standards required by the city administration. For example, he cited the city’s desire for concrete garbage containers, which cost $9,600 each.
Edmonton-McClung MLA David Xiao also thought that the city standards were too high and restrictive.
It is the EFCL’s intention to host a meeting between provincial and city representatives to delve into these issues.
On other fronts, several MLAs wanted to discuss and defend their role in helping to determine the organizations that received grants in each of their constituencies. For example, Lukaszuk said it was the role of the MLA to coordinate the applications, with input from the community, to ensure that the best ones were funded, while Education Minister Dave Hancock said the MLAs needed to play the role of Ombudsman and ensure that the same organizations didn’t routinely get all of the funding while others were constantly left out. He added that each constituency is given a specific amount of money and it is up to the MLA to help determine priorities through “an informal smoothing process.”
Edmonton-Manning MLA Peter Sandhu said he was upset by the city’s last minute change in LRT plans, which he said ruined an opportunity to obtain significant federal funding for extension of the northeast line.
Edmonton-Calder MLA Doug Elniski, who sat on the provincial casino review committee, said he was well aware of the importance of Edmonton casinos and the concerns of community leagues. He also noted that proceeds from gaming are projected to decrease quite noticeably in the future.
Edmonton-Glenora MLA Heather Klimchuk wanted to make sure the EFCL was aware of Alberta Arts Days, which are scheduled for Sept. 17-19, and encouraged us to coordinate our Community League Day with this promotion.
A number of MLAs commented on the EFCL’s Living Local Campaign and wondered how they could influence the city to help make sure this initiative is successful. EFCL representatives provided them with a range of suggestions, including provincial funding and regional planning initiatives.
In attendance at the meeting for the EFCL were President David Gibbens and board members Alla Ternikova and Christine Bremner, along with staff Allan Bolstad, Bev Zubot and Michael Janz.
In attendance for the province were Ministers Hancock, Lukaszuk and Klimchuk, along with backbench MLAs Elniski, Sandhu, Xiao, Naresh Bardwaj, Janice Sarich and Carl Benito.