City expenses; is Edmonton reaching its limit?

EDMONTON- A beach along the North Saskatchewan River, a water feature at Hawrelak Park, a performing arts centre downtown, and a gondola for Edmonton’s river valley; these are just some of the projects on the city’s radar right now.

But with the downtown arena still missing $55 million in funding, no secured funding for the LRT extension in place, and costs for the new Walterdale bridge project increasing, can the city afford all that it is proposing?

“I think it’s very complex. I do want them to invest in some of the quality of life projects,” said Edmontonian Wendy Joy who follows municipal politics closely.

“We’ve been very, very aggressive as a council in order to continue building the city. Certainly. But you reach a point where your credit card’s almost maxed out, how much more debt can you take on?” wondered City Councillor Tony Caterina.

“Is there a worry that we’re at the end of what we’re able to spend? Absolutely. And I think that’s a question that we have to ask very carefully,” said City Councillor Ben Henderson.

Some of the ambitious proposals are set to be debated at council next week. Details of some of those projects are as followed:

– The proposed performing arts centre sits at $100 million in public sector funding
– The gondola in the river valley sits at a cost of $34 million
– The Walterdale Bridge has gone $19 million over budget and now sits at $155 million
– The $5 million Hawrelak Park water feature has gone back for further consultation
– Costs for the beach area along the North Saskatchewan River are unknown at this time

Above those, council recently rejected a $50 million plan to revamp Churchill Square.

Meanwhile, there is one ongoing request being made by many Edmontonians.

“The roads, they absolutely have to fix our roads,” said Joy.

While a city report suggests millions of dollars are needed to repair the roads, City Councillor Amarjeet Sohi says in some cases, money is tied to specific projects, like the river valley gondola.

“That money is for a particular purpose that is given to the river valley alliance. So, you can’t use that money to fix potholes.”

When it comes down to it, councillors say they’ve got to find a balance. And in some cases, projects may have to be sacrificed.

“We need to look at the balance and provide services for Edmontonians,” said Sohi.

“The credit card is almost maxed and the debt limit is getting close, as well,” said Caterina. “I think there has to come a point where we have to give something up, in order for something else (to go ahead).”

“This council, over the last few years, has made major, major investments and I think there’s benefit to them, I don’t regret any of them. But, we can’t keep on that level of spending indefinitely,” said Henderson. “The question is, where are the places where you’re going to get the best benefit?”

The direction of the city will come down to Edmontonians in the end, as they get set to vote in the municipal election this October.

“I think if they sort of balanced it and didn’t try to do too much too fast,” said Joy. “A balance between meat and potatoes and trying to have big vision.”

With files from Vinesh Pratap. 
Follow @CaleyRamsay