Airdrie Minute: Issue 63

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

📅 This Week In Airdrie: 📅

• The Community Safety and Social Services Committee was scheduled to meet on Tuesday, but that meeting has been cancelled. However, on Tuesday at 2:30pm, the Community Infrastructure and Strategic Growth Standing Committee will be meeting to review the Utility and Transportation Master Plan. Airdrie is the fastest-growing city in Alberta, with the population growing by around 10,000 or 14% from 2019 to 2023. As a result, this plan seeks to provide strategies to accommodate that growth, tto help ensure that issues such as traffic congestion, along with increasing infrastructure demands are dealt with before they become an issue. Rough costs are projected to be an average of $17.1 million per year over 65 years. This was purely a technical report, however, and nothing within this plan has been implemented into policy.
  
  
• Council approved a motion to officially include the $25 per month summer youth transit pass in the City’s User Fees and Charges Policy, making this reduced fare permanent for the months of July and August each year. Council also directed staff to review the fee annually to keep it fair and up to date. Deputy Mayor Candice Kolson, who introduced the motion, clarified that the pass is meant for youth, not just students, aiming to make transit more affordable and encourage more young riders during the summer. Although some Councillors supported making the summer pass free, the $25 fee was seen as a practical way to support entry-level ridership. Recent data shows fewer youth passes sold in summer compared to the school year, partially because previous free summer passes were bundled with gym memberships. The motion will now move forward as a formal policy amendment for Council’s consideration.
  
  
• Council has unanimously approved updates to the municipal waterworks bylaw that extend watering hours, introduce new exemptions, and align the City’s rules with Calgary’s. Residents can now water outdoors from 7:00 pm to 10:00 am year-round, maintaining the odd/even address schedule. However, watering is prohibited on Fridays to allow the reservoirs time to recover before the high weekend demand. New exemptions permit watering edible food crops and trees or shrubs for up to five years, helping to address confusion during past higher-level restrictions. The bylaw also clarifies that power washing and surface cleaning are only allowed during water shortages if required by occupational health and safety regulations or for cleaning bodily fluids. While the idea of guaranteeing non-potable water access for businesses during droughts was raised, Council opted not to include such a provision. Enforcement remains complaint-based, and residents can apply for free watering permits - 21 days for new sod, 45 for seeded lawns, and year-round use for smart irrigation systems. City officials say that these changes make the bylaw clearer, more flexible, and easier to enforce.
  
  
• According to the City, new regulations aimed at encouraging accessory suite development in Airdrie are showing positive results, with increased applications and fewer cancellations. Since the changes to the Accessory Suites regulation in December 2024, there has been a notable rise in secondary and garage suite applications, reflecting growing homeowner interest and confidence in the streamlined process. The growth is balanced across both older and newer neighbourhoods, indicating that development is spreading without overburdening existing infrastructure. The City reported a 22.5% overall increase in accessory suite uptake, which may be driven by the affordability and flexibility these suites offer.
  
  
• This summer, Airdrie will install two new commemorative crosswalks to honour Canadian military veterans as part of the City’s Veterans Memorial Project. The crosswalks will be located near Field of Valour Park, home to the city’s cenotaph, and on 1st Avenue NE in front of the Airdrie Legion. The initiative responds to community and veterans’ group requests to visibly recognize veterans in Airdrie. Each crosswalk is expected to cost between $12,000 and $14,000 and will be completed by Remembrance Day 2025. The designs will include symbolic military imagery and the phrase “Lest We Forget,” with final designs chosen in consultation with the Royal Canadian Legion and ANAVETS. The locations were selected for their historical and community significance and to ensure high visibility for both drivers and pedestrians.
   

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

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