Gondola Update (February 2021)
On February 22nd, Edmonton City Council did not vote to allow a gondola to be built. That’s because contrary to some of the suggestions being made, that wasn’t actually the decision point in front of council.
What was being voted on was whether council would allow Prairie Sky Gondola to begin all the necessary regulatory work at their cost to determine whether a future city council would allow this project to be built. It is far too early to say whether I would support a gondola being built. I did support letting this group put in their private time and money to start the significant amount of work that needs to happen before any construction could even be considered. Some of that regulatory work is as follows:
An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). This is likely one of the most important pieces of work that needs to be done before I would even begin to consider allowing this to proceed. An EIA is a detailed study, typically hundreds of pages, to properly evaluate any and all environmental impacts of anything that is contained within our River Valley.
A Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA). There are some suggestions about integration with our transit system. I would not accept relying on this to fill a need in a public transit system nor would I support a subsidy from ETS to Prairie Sky if this were to proceed. I am comfortable with a private company looking at connecting two of our highest density nodes in our city in a more direct way while using their own money. TIAs are also very detailed reports that need to be completed by traffic engineers to help inform any recommendations.
Land rezonings. Any time a different land use than what is currently permitted is proposed, a Public Hearing is required. That means that if they are looking to build a station in a location that isn’t already zoned for similar use, the proponent would need to apply for a zoning change at their own cost. As you might gather from the name, Public Hearings are a public opportunity for any Edmontonian to provide their perspective on a change of use.
Engagement with Indigenous communities. Another significant concern I heard about is the proximity to sacred Indigenous land. While we were clearly told that the current proposal would not be close to possible older burial sites, detailed engagement will be required with Indigenous communities. One of the co-chairs of that work is Elder Irene Morin from Enoch Cree Nation.
Those are just a few of the requirements that have to occur before allowing this project to move forward. In fact, there are over 10 required check-in points with our City staff and council before construction could take place. On top of this, there are clear requirements that no taxpayer money would be used to fund this project or remove the infrastructure if the project were to proceed and fail in the future. A financial mechanism such as a surety bond or money held in trust would be required to demobilize this.
Based on some of the emails I received, and as noted at the start of this post, it feels like people assumed that the vote was to build a gondola. If that was the case, I would have voted no. That’s not because I think it’s a bad project, I just don’t know enough about it at this point. Why I voted yes to the motion today is because I’d like to learn more about it.
If I’m going to vote against something, I’d like to have concrete evidence to inform that vote. We don’t have that evidence yet. That’s part of the next few phases of work. I want to know that those many remaining regulatory issues can be addressed. If they can’t I wouldn’t support this project.
I do not think it is right for us to shoot down any idea that’s a little out of the ordinary just because I am skeptical. There are many different businesses that use their own money to start and subsequently fail. I don’t think council’s job should be to tell someone not to start a business when no City money is being used.
I think our job is to work with any person or group looking to start a business and try to help them succeed. The City is occasionally criticized for saying no at the start instead of finding ways to say yes. In cases where there could be risk to the City, we then need to work to mitigate that risk. If it can’t be mitigated adequately, then it shouldn’t be approved.
I know the phrase, “Take a risk, it’s the most Edmonton thing you can do,” is a bit overused. But ensuring we have a culture in Edmonton that supports people to create, no matter how odd the idea might seem, is critical for the long-term success of our city. Let’s make sure we are a city that encourages people to be creative and innovative.
Thank you all for sharing your feedback on this and please continue to share your thoughts as this moves into the next phase of immense regulatory work.
