Airdrie Minute: Federal Election, Scooter Plans, and the Green Fleet Strategy

Airdrie Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Airdrie politics

This Week In Airdrie:

• On Tuesday, at 1:00 pm, there will be a City Council Meeting. Mayor Brown will proclaim April 25th as Lights On Afterschool Alberta Day, the week of April 27th to May 3rd as National Volunteer Week, and May 2025 as Guillain-Barré Syndrome and Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy Awareness Month in Airdrie. Council will be presented with an update on the growth and success of the Airdrie Fair Access low-income subsidy program over the past year, and discuss a Naming Rights sponsor for the East Atrium of Inspire. The meeting will end with a closed (secret) discussion regarding intergovernmental and legal updates.
  
  
• Blake Richards, the incumbent Member of Parliament for Airdrie-Cochrane, is running again in the upcoming federal election. Richards, who has represented the region since 2008, officially filed his nomination papers for re-election under the Conservative Party of Canada banner. He expressed his excitement to campaign and meet residents to hear about their priorities. Other nominees include Sarah Zagoda from the NDP and Sean Secord from the Liberal Party. The federal election is scheduled for April 28th, with the nomination process closing on April 7th.
  
  
• Council will decide in April whether e-scooters will return to the city for the summer. A pilot program, which ran from 2022 to 2024, included nearly 300,000 kilometers traveled and over 116,000 trips. City officials are evaluating the success of the program, which involved providers Bird and Neuron Mobility, and considering how e-scooters fit into the City's active transportation plan. The City is working on developing accessible routes for small rides like scooters and bikes.

Last Week In Airdrie:

• The Alberta government announced $2 million in planning funds for Airdrie’s integrated primary and urgent care facility as part of Budget 2025. While the funding has been confirmed, Health Minister Adriana LaGrange did not provide a clear opening date for the facility. The project is part of a broader $24-million initiative to expand urgent care services across the province. Airdrie's population is expected to surpass 90,000 this year, which has led to increased demand for healthcare services.
  
  
• Airdrie announced the launch of its 2025 municipal census, set to begin on April 1st. Residents will receive a Secure Access Code to complete the census online by April 17th, after which municipal enumerators will visit households that haven't responded. (Don’t worry - it’s still voluntary!). The data gathered will help guide decisions on infrastructure, services, and development, supporting Airdrie's growth, which has seen a population increase of over 6% in the past year. The City expects its population to surpass 100,000 by 2027.
  
  
• The Green Fleet Strategy was unanimously accepted by the Community Infrastructure and Strategic Growth Standing Committee. This strategy focuses on reducing emissions, improving air quality, and enhancing operational efficiency through the transition to hybrid and electric vehicles, along with the adoption of renewable fuels like biofuels and hydrogen. It also includes measures like anti-idling policies and utilizing fleet management technologies to boost efficiency.