Airdrie Minute: Issue 64

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

📅 This Week In Airdrie: 📅

• City Council will meet on Tuesday at 10:00 am. The meeting will begin with a closed session, wherein Council will discuss two private items - one labelled “Budget Amendment Civic Facility: and another labelled “Budget Amendment Personnel Position”. When the meeting opens up to the public, Council will review a report on expanding the Specialized Medical Trip Program, which currently supports eligible residents travelling to Calgary for two specialist appointments per month. The existing program, funded at $40,000 annually, averages $84 per trip and primarily serves Access Airdrie paratransit clients. However, residents needing hemodialysis treatments require significantly more travel - about 24 trips per month - creating a service gap. Volunteer Airdrie and Drive Happiness currently help fill this gap, providing over 2,000 trips annually for 9-14 residents. Expanding the City’s program to cover all required hemodialysis trips would raise costs up to $483,840 annually. An alternative fixed-route service was considered but would cost approximately $467,025 per year and may not meet all rider needs due to location and timing limitations. Council will be presented with options to expand the current service or implement a fixed-route alternative.
  
  
• Also on the agenda is a bylaw that would establish new off-site levy rates specifically for Community Facilities like the Northeast Fire Station and the Southwest Recreation Centre. This marks Phase 2 of the City’s off-site levy framework update and follows changes to provincial legislation allowing levies for such infrastructure. The proposed rate of $256,460/ha follows the City’s “Growth pays for Growth” principle, but concerns were raised during public consultations about impacts on housing affordability, development viability, and regional competitiveness - particularly for non-residential projects. Developers and BILD Calgary Region have requested further engagement and proposed an interim levy rate significantly lower than the City's original proposal. In response, Administration is suggesting adopting interim rates for residential and mixed-use developments while continuing discussions with stakeholders. Council is being asked to approve the bylaw with the interim rates and to direct Administration to return with updated rates by January 31st, 2026. Updates to off-site levy rates for water, wastewater, stormwater, and transportation infrastructure will also be considered.
  
  
• Council will consider sponsoring a resolution for submission to Alberta Municipalities for debate at the 2025 Convention. Alberta Municipalities represents 264 urban communities and hosts an annual convention, where accepted resolutions are debated and, if approved by a majority vote, become advocacy priorities. The City of Airdrie is calling for a legislative framework allowing municipalities to implement a Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT). This tax would enable communities to generate visitor-based revenue to fund tourism infrastructure and marketing, rather than relying solely on residents and businesses. Other provinces like Ontario and BC already have such frameworks, and according to the resolution, Alberta’s growing tourism goals - aiming for a $25 billion visitor economy by 2035 - require similar tools. The MAT would be locally controlled, with municipalities setting rates and determining how funds are used while following provincial standards for transparency. This funding could support everything from public infrastructure to destination marketing and tourism product development. The resolution must be seconded by another municipality from a different population category before the June 30th deadline.
  
  
• A group of Councillors has submitted a Notice of Motion proposing changes to how meeting agendas are finalized for Council, Standing Committees, and the Policing Committee. Currently, the Chair of each committee has the final say on the agenda, including whether to add emergent items. The motion argues that this process should be more impartial and transparent, with full Council or committee approval at the start of each meeting. It directs Administration to review relevant bylaws and propose amendments so that agendas are set by Administration and then approved or amended collectively by Council or the respective committee. It also recommends that strategic session scheduling be managed by the Executive Leadership Team.
  
  
• Mayor Peter Brown highlighted Airdrie’s growth and community strengths during the Annual State of the City Address on June 10th. He noted the city’s population reached an estimated 91,000 in 2025, with strong home construction and business growth, now hosting over 3,200 local businesses. Brown acknowledged ongoing challenges such as traffic congestion, infrastructure construction delays, and healthcare shortages but emphasized that Airdrie’s overall quality of life compares favourably with similar cities. He praised community philanthropy and the City’s active advocacy with provincial and federal governments on key issues like healthcare and education. Brown also pointed to new amenities like the Inspire library and a planned recreation centre as important community assets. Looking ahead, he stressed the need for a larger event centre to attract conferences and boost local revenue. Throughout, he thanked City staff, business owners, and residents for their contributions to Airdrie’s success.
  
  
• Alberta Education announced plans to provide additional modular classrooms to address overcrowding in Airdrie schools, responding to rapid student population growth. Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides confirmed the effort, following discussions with local MLA Angela Pitt, who had raised concerns from parents about space shortages. One school, École Edwards Elementary, is already converting spaces like its library and music room into classrooms to accommodate an expected increase from 675 to about 850 students this fall. The Rocky View School Division welcomed the government’s commitment, noting that modular classrooms are a necessary short-term solution while new schools, approved in recent budgets, are under construction. Details on the number of modular units or their deployment timeline have not been disclosed. The investment is part of a broader $8.6 billion plan to build or renovate over 100 schools province-wide.
   

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

The City is working to create a new 10-year Transit Master Plan to improve and expand transit services both within Airdrie and to neighbouring communities.

An online survey, open until June 30th, is collecting feedback to help guide the plan. You can give your feedback at the link below:

🪙 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!