Airdrie City council discussed a variety of topics at their latest meeting on June 19. Here is a recap of some of those items.
Clean energy improvement bylaw
A new bylaw is making its way through Airdrie City Hall, aiming to give property owners access to a financing program for energy efficiency and renewable upgrades.
The proposed Clean Energy Improvement Bylaw, also known as B-29/2023, was presented to council on Monday by Monica Labait, revenue and assessment services manager. According to her report, the bylaw would allow homeowners and organizations to participate in the Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP), a two-year pilot program offering low-cost financing for energy-efficient upgrades and renewable energy installations.
Coun. Al Jones highlighted the potential for residents to save money on electricity and heating costs through the new bylaw while also returning the investment to the City.
“It’s important to know that this is not being passed to the homeowners, it’s being attached to the property,” Jones said. “We are pretty much…going to get our money back, with the appropriate interest to cover our cost and our administration costs.”
Council unanimously carried the motion to pass first reading, with detailed discussions and subsequent readings scheduled for the future.
CMHC housing accelerator fund
The City of Airdrie is taking additional steps toward alleviating affordable housing shortages.
A presentation to council this week by Jessica DeVreeze, affordable housing strategist, sought the group’s endorsement of the 2024-2030 Affordable Housing Principled Action Plan.
The endorsement would enable the City to apply for the CMHC Housing Accelerator Fund program, which provides external funding in exchange for policy improvements leading to more permitted homes.
DeVreeze emphasized the urgent need for more affordable housing in Airdrie, with an extremely low rental vacancy rate and an ongoing shortage of local below-market housing options.
“Today’s presentation proposes a three-part response that will set the course to achieving housing that will serve our residents, DeVreeze said. “Airdrie has an even lower vacancy rate than Calgary. When I checked yesterday, there were only four rentals available.”
Council unanimously supported the motion, recognizing the importance of this three-part response to meet the housing needs of residents.
Council declines to host 2026 Alberta Games
Also on Monday, City council declined an invitation from Jason Luan, Alberta Minister of Culture, to bid to host either the 2026 Alberta Winter Games or the 2026 Alberta Summer Games.
Coun. Tina Petrow expressed her appreciation for the community-building aspects of hosting the Alberta Games, but raised concerns about the associated costs.
Similarly, Coun. Candice Kolson also highlighted the financial implications and questioned the sustainability of hosting the multi-sporting event.
Ultimately, council unanimously agreed to file the correspondence for now, leaving the door open for potential future discussions.
“I love having these games here, however, times have changed. It’s just not sustainable anymore,” Kolson said. “I’m really hesitant on saying that this is something that we should be doing at this time, but I don’t feel that we should close the door on it completely.”
Airdrie most recently hosted the Alberta Winter Games in 2020, shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Alberta Summer Games in 2014.
