Edmonton Budget Wishlist: Film Industry, Wildlife Conservation Fund

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On the second day of the budget hearings, funding Edmonton’s film and video game industry, wildlife conservation, returning grants to inclusive and equitable programs, and housing were on the speakers’ wish lists. rice field.

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More than 200 individual and organizational representatives signed up by Tuesday to consider what the city council should include in its 2023-2026 capital and operating budgets. Some supported the unfunded program in drafts prepared by city officials, while others urged Congress to keep taxes low.

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Hearings begin Monday and are expected to continue until Wednesday before budget discussions begin.

Funding for the Edmonton Screen Industries office is funded almost exclusively by the City, but is not included in the budget. Next year’s request is $1.5 million. This pertains to CEO Tom Viinikka, who said the company’s offices are helping to attract employment and production to the city.

However, the City Council understands the importance of this industry and its offices, and that it is a “critical part” of the television and digital interactive media industry, so if the budget is revised, the City Council will be able to He thinks he will help fund it.

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“When HBO comes to our city with The Last of Us, they bring in $250 million in business. They’re hiring people on the spot – what to know if they come to a new city There are a few things you should do.

The office also provides grants to the screen industry and promotes Edmonton as a production destination.

More Wildlife Needs Help

Dale Gienow City Council has asked the City Council to increase donations to the Wild North from $100,000 to $150,000.

A duckling trapped in a sewer, an abandoned baby skunk, an injured migratory bird not flying south, the people of Edmont care about wildlife and need someone to call them. Guinou says.

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“When people come into contact with wildlife in cities, they need resources. We are that resource. We are the only people legally allowed to come into contact with some of these animals. The city park rangers are trained by them, he added.

Since 2015, animal hospital admissions to wildlife hospitals have increased by 69% and calls have increased by 140%, but funding has not increased.

“Wildlife is important to most Edmontonians. What do you do when you have a stray animal running around on your front lawn?” he said. “Whether you’re caring for that wildlife with compassion or you need someone to help solve your problem, we’re the organization you have to deal with.”

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stocks and housing

Others urged the city council not to neglect housing.Affordable housing is currently not being budgeted for.Make sure housing is accessible.

Omar Yakub of the Islamic Family and Social Services Association said the council should be bold in funding affordable housing.

“Large, large families face the longest waiting list period of any group – three years or more,” he told councilors. But it also speaks to our anti-racist, human-centered, data-driven approach to building homes.When building affordable homes, look to Edmont. We need to diversify who we work with so that we can better reflect the needs of our people.”

Edmonton’s 2023-2026 draft budget now lists its affordable housing program as “underfunded.” The unfunded package includes $91.7 million in the capital budget and $18.67 million in the affordable housing operating budget.

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Ying Yi Foo advocated Little Bits Therapeutic Riding Association, a charity that provides horse riding for disabled children and adults. The organization relies on funding from the Community Investments and Operations Grant, which has her $3.8 million request not recommended in the budget bill.

Reading the statement of his 15-year-old son Zi Heng, who has physical and medical disabilities, Hu said: Please see me and include me. I want this city to be mine and to be like people with disabilities, people without disabilities and people of all abilities. “

Keeping taxes low: businesses

But advocates for local businesses have urged Congress to keep tax increases to a minimum.

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The budget proposal proposed by the city authorities would result in a 3.9% tax increase over four years. The 2023-2026 capital budget is currently set at $7.75 billion, and the operating budget is he $3.2 billion to $3.5 billion.

Karen Anderson, executive director of Edmonton’s Urban Development Institute (UDI), said the city will focus on “core services” and focus on “getting business done locally” rather than diving into areas where other levels of government are responsible. We need to foster a “suitable” environment, he told the council.

Jeffrey Sandquist, president of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, believes clearly defining priorities and optimizing existing funding is lacking.

He said the business community wants taxes to stay low and focus on core services such as transportation, waste management, infrastructure maintenance, snow removal and keeping roads clean.

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“We need to ensure that people, businesses, who have been through some very difficult years, get their money’s worth,” he told reporters during a break. We’re not saying zero is the answer to Congress or Congress, but we want to see what our priorities are.”

Asked whether potential cuts should also include items in the budget that benefit businesses, such as grants and downtown improvements, he said this work in the city center is important.

“Understanding the importance of downtown is very important because it is a proxy for the health and character of the entire community.”

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Local businesses also support the city through business grants, including $5.2 million for the downtown vitality strategy, $352,000 for next year’s Chinatown strategy, and two city enterprises that support the local economy and tourism. Benefiting directly from the funds. .

Many other programs or policies embedded in city activities that directly or indirectly benefit businesses include: Business friendly Edmonton team, economic action planwork to cut bureaucracy Permits and Licensesand the multi-year zoning bylaw update process.

lboothby@postmedia.com

@lauby