Making Challenging Decisions
Over the years, there have been a number of decisions that I have made where there have been passionate people on different sides of an issue. These are never fun because no matter what I decide, there will be people who get upset and will feel like their concerns weren’t being heard. These decisions often stick with me long after I’ve made them because contrary to what some may think, I don’t know of any elected representative who likes disappointing the people they serve.
Recently, we had a rezoning application in the community of Grovenor for a 4 storey-building just off Stony Plain Road on 148th Street. It’s right behind the ch. cafeteria which you should absolutely visit if you haven’t been before. On paper, having a 4-storey building just a few blocks away from the future Valley Line West LRT stop at Jasper Gates is a very reasonable approach. In fact, there have been even larger buildings approved in similar locations across the city, including in my home community. But that reality doesn’t make it any easier on residents in communities that haven’t seen a lot of change over the years.
As you may know by now, the City Plan that was approved back in December 2020 does not allow us to annex any more land. All future growth has to happen within our existing boundaries. There are a number of reasons for this change. It’s incredibly costly to grow further and further out and the tax revenue that we get from new developments on the edges of our city do not cover the cost of the infrastructure and services required. There’s also a large environmental cost to that growth as we used up some excellent agricultural land over the decades. By staying within our current boundaries, we can preserve more premium farmland. Finally, almost every mature community has seen a significant decrease in population over the last few decades. That has impacted the viability of many local businesses and schools.
Over the years, people have expressed concerns about non-stop outward growth and kept pushing council to make a change. The challenge is that unfortunately, that change is hard and for those of us living in mature communities, it can be quite uncomfortable. There is a fear about how those changes will affect many aspects of our lives.
For example, residents worry about the impact of more vehicles on the street. They worry about the impact to sunlight with a taller building. They worry about potential impacts to the value of their property. They worry about the pace of change if a development is approved. Although newer communities are often double or triple the density of older communities and have shown they can work quite well, that doesn’t make those worries any less valid.
I wish I had a way to help eliminate that fear that some people have. As someone living in a three storey condo, I know it is possible for higher density housing to add value to a community. When I first moved into my building, I went out of my way to get involved with my community league. I wanted to show those living in single family homes that those of us living in an apartment or condo building are no different and equally invested in our neighbourhood. I wanted to show that whether someone rents or owns, they want to make their community a better place.
To be clear, I’m not suggesting that an apartment or condo building should go up on every single lot, nor is there a demand for that much housing. There are some of us who want that style of living and there are others that don’t. But as someone who has lived in that style of housing for more than 20 years of my life, I know that it’s not an apartment or condo building that makes a neighbourhood better or worse, it’s how we engage each other to build a better community.
I think about the west end communities of Aldergrove, Belmead, Britannia Youngstown, Canora, Glenwood, High Park, Mayfield, McQueen, North Glenora, Rosenthal, Secord, Terra Losa, and Trumpeter which all have larger buildings in the interior of the community. Some of these communities had the larger buildings when the community first started and some had them added over the years. These are all vibrant communities with very engaged community members. While the design of these communities is different from the communities which only have higher density on the edges of the community, these communities are evidence that communities with a full variety of housing options can be wonderful places to live.
But for a number of residents in Grovenor, they feel betrayed, especially by me. They may feel like ‘you can’t fight City Hall’ because this new development was approved even though many local residents didn’t want it. It may not seem like it, but It’s hard to stop thinking about decisions like the one I made last week. Either way I would be disappointing people. If I voted against the development, I would be going against the environmental, financial, and social needs of our communities and city to live within our existing borders. I’d also be going against those residents who live in the community and did support it. But by supporting the development, I am going against the immediate wishes of a number of the residents living closest to the site.
I hate disappointing people. I understand that it’s impossible not to disappoint people in a role like this but I know how much these decisions mean to each person. Before I was on council, I advocated for certain things that council didn’t support. Since being on council, I’ve also advocated for certain things that I couldn’t get a majority of council to agree on. It’s hard to be on the opposite side of a vote that impacts someone’s life.
When I approach a decision where people may have very different opinions, I try to address some of the concerns as best as possible. For example, with this development in Grovenor, I was finally able to get the applicant to commit to being a part of a working group with some of the residents who have dedicated a lot of their time to this topic. While that won’t solve every issue that some in the community may have, it was a major issue for residents that could help produce a better development.
As we move forward, there will likely be other examples where there will be competing priorities and this doesn’t just include land use decisions like the example above. Each one will have to be considered on its own merits but I know there will not be unanimous support. One key message I hope you take away from this post is that while there will be decisions where we disagree, I will do my best to ensure I have carefully considered the variety of perspectives that exist on almost every issue. That includes those who may come out to a council meeting to speak about a specific issue and those who have provided feedback at the doors, at community events, at town halls, etc.
Even in a situation where we end up on different sides of an issue, please remember that those decisions are never made lightly. I believe the vast majority of Edmontonians want the same thing. We want vibrant communities where we have the ability to live our entire lives if we choose. We want the ability to access services and amenities in safe and efficient ways. We want our city to be environmentally, financially, and socially sustainable. I hope that those shared values generally allow us to find common ground, even if we disagree on specific actions.
