Airdrie Minute: Issue 58

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

📅 This Week In Airdrie: 📅

• On Tuesday, at 10:30 am, there will be a meeting of City Council. The meeting begins with a closed session. The agenda includes discussions about an Investment Opportunity, a Policy Update, a Land Purchase Update, and the 2025 Mayor for a Day Finalists Presentations. No further information is available about any of these items, given that they are being discussed away from the public eye.
  
  
• Later in the day, at 1:00 pm, Council will begin its public agenda. Council will consider an amendment to the Tax Penalty Bylaw to extend the compassion clause, allowing for waiving penalties not only for the death of a property owner but also for an immediate family member within 45 days of the tax due date. This change comes after a resident request and a review of policies in other municipalities. The amendment also proposes adjusting penalty dates to be based on days after the due date - specifically 1, 60, and 120 days - instead of fixed calendar dates, to better accommodate mailing or processing delays. The proposed changes are not expected to significantly impact the City's budgeted $1.05 million in penalty revenue.
  
  
• Council will also look to revise its Sponsorship and Naming Rights Policy after issues arose when the first naming rights proposal was brought forward to Council on April 1st, 2025. The original policy, developed with the help of a naming rights consultant and endorsed in March 2024, aimed to guide how sponsorship and naming deals were handled. Over the past year, about 60 local businesses were approached by a sales agency promoting these opportunities. However, when a formal proposal was reviewed, Council found that the policy had vague language and unclear processes, particularly around topics like exclusivity, signage costs, valuation, public notice, and Council’s role. In response, Administration revised the policy to focus solely on naming rights (not sponsorships), clarified when exclusivity applies, assigned signage costs to sponsors, committed to professional valuations every three years, and outlined how opportunities will be publicly advertised. The revised policy also better defines the responsibilities of Council and Administration during the negotiation and approval processes.
  
  
• The findings of the public engagement on the SW Recreation Centre site master plan will be reviewed by Council, with the intent that the results guide future decisions on the facility’s design. GGA Architecture has been working on this plan, gathering input from residents and sport user groups between November 2024 and March 2025. For aquatics, residents slightly preferred an option prioritizing lessons, fitness, and therapy, valuing features like a 10-lane pool and therapy pools, though some noted the absence of a lazy river or wave pool as a weakness. Aquatic sport user groups specifically desired a 50-metre pool for competitions. In ice arenas, residents preferred triple arenas for community use, emphasizing the increased ice time, while opinions were divided on prioritizing semi-professional sports and entertainment space. Key fitness priorities for residents included cardio and free weight areas. Throughout the facility, residents highly valued lockers, private showers, private change stalls in changerooms, spectator seating, food vendors, and casual seating in common areas. Recurring feedback also stressed the critical need for adequate parking and voiced frustration regarding the extended construction timeline. GGA Architecture will refine the plan based on this input and present a recommended option to Council by the end of Q2 2025.
  
  
• Genesis Place has raised admission fees, with the largest increase being for child punch cards, which will rise by $15.75, from $60.75 to $76.50 for 10 visits. Other fee increases include drop-in rates for children, youth, and adults, as well as punch cards and monthly passes for all age groups. Seniors aged 65 and older will see slight increases, while those 80 and over, as well as veterans, will still enjoy discounted rates. Family passes will also increase, with the one-adult pass going up by $6.75 and the two-adult pass by $3. Monthly passes include access to amenities, fitness classes, aquatics, and discounts on programs. Subsidies are available for low-income residents through the Airdrie Fair Access program, and other access options include borrowing passes from the Airdrie Public Library.
  
  
• Blake Richards, the incumbent Conservative MP, won re-election in Airdrie-Cochrane, securing 71.3% of the vote. Following the election, local leaders called on Ottawa to address urgent infrastructure and economic needs, particularly in Airdrie. Mayor Brown emphasized the need for support with costly projects like wastewater systems and fire halls, as well as grants for growing municipalities. Business leaders, including Marilyne Aalhus from the Airdrie Chamber of Commerce, urged the federal government to prioritize economic stability, support local businesses, and follow through on promises like improving interprovincial trade and attracting investments..

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

The federal election may have just wrapped up, but we can’t forget that the municipal election is fast approaching this October. 

At Common Sense Airdrie, we’re committed to driving real change at City Hall, and we need your support to make it happen. If you care about priorities like increasing transparency, protecting the freedom of residents and businesses, and bringing common sense back to the city, now is the time to get involved. 

Volunteer with us today and help ensure a better future for Airdrie:

🪙 This Week’s Sponsor: 🪙

This week's sponsor is you! We don't have big corporate backers, so if you like what you're reading, please consider making a donation or signing up as a monthly member.

Having said that, if you are a local business and are interested in being a sponsor, send us an email and we'll talk!