Edmonton city council is looking to sunset seven advisory committees focused on issues such as climate change, anti-racism and women’s inclusion.

During a private discussion last month, councillors told city administration to conclude the committees, according to reports heading to city council. The decision will be put to a final vote on Tuesday.

The conversation was prompted by a governance framework, shifting away from the old practice of committees continuing indefinitely unless council reviews them.

The framework says council may sunset a committee to make sure they all serve a clear and necessary purpose, align with council priorities and add value that isn’t duplicated elsewhere.

Pending council’s approval, the committees that will end include the:

Anti-Racism Advisory Committee

Edmonton Historical Board

Edmonton Salutes Committee

Edmonton Transit Service Advisory Board

Energy Transition Climate Resilience Committee

Women’s Advisory Voice of Edmonton Committee (WAVE)

The City of Edmonton Youth Council

Each will formally conclude April 30, except for the youth council which will end Aug. 31.

‘Very abrupt ending’

“It honestly felt like a slap in the face,” Melanie Hoffman, former chair of the energy transition climate resilience committee, told CBC News.

Hoffman said she heard the news about two weeks ago and that it came as an absolute shock, especially because the committee had been in active talks with the city about climate policy.

She said the previous four-year city budget was a disappointment when it comes to climate and there had been more hope for the next one, coming this fall. Now, Hoffman said she’s worried about what this could mean for sustainability in Edmonton.

“We understand that the realities of a changing climate are difficult to hear when you are faced with immediate pressures around budget and economic viability, affordability for the city,” she said.

“But that was a really important role that we were able to play.”

Mayor Andrew Knack said the decision was not about saving money.

Jess Smith, co-chair of WAVE, said committee members only heard about the change on Tuesday. They described it as a “very abrupt ending.”

Smith said the committee knew council would be reviewing how it operates, but did not know terminating the group was on the table. They said the committee ensures the city is doing gender analysis in policies like the zoning bylaw.

“This is all work that won’t have the support — they won’t have a voice — to be able to make sure these things are flagged,” Smith said.

Checking boxes

Knack told reporters Thursday the change isn’t about hearing from less voices.

“We desperately need that feedback, good and bad, right? We need people who can be outwardly critical of the City of Edmonton,” Knack said.

But he added that the city has relied on single committees instead of the broader community.

“I worry we’ve been a bit complacent about just saying, ‘Oh, well, we’ve got this one group. We’ve solved all of the problems. We’ve engaged, we’ve checked that box because we have this one group,’” he said.

“Meanwhile, there’s 10 other organizations that exist out in the city that are representing those voices as well.”

Knack clarified the city will not create a new formal mechanism to replace the committees, but a new way of engaging each group will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

But that rings hollow for Hoffman and Smith.

“We are hearing that there’s interest to find ways to continue to work together. But from a relational standpoint, this was not a good way to go about that,” Hoffman said, noting the experts and community leaders on the committees were volunteers.

Smith worries that, without a formal commitment, the distinct voices sitting on these committees won’t get face time with councillors in the same way.

“There’s a lot of privilege that comes with the ability to be in a one-to-one basis with the councillor, to be in those spaces,” they said.

Over the past couple of days, the members of WAVE have been organizing to create a new group, People’s Advocacy Voice of amiskwaciwâskahikan, to continue local advocacy for women and gender-diverse people.