Edmonton city council is looking to sunset seven advisory committees focused on issues such as climate change, anti-racism and women\u2019s inclusion.<\/p>\n
During a private discussion last month, councillors told city administration to conclude the committees, according to reports heading to city council<\/a>. The decision will be put to a final vote on Tuesday.<\/p>\n The conversation was prompted by a governance framework<\/a>, shifting away from the old practice of committees continuing indefinitely unless council reviews them.<\/p>\n 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\u2019t duplicated elsewhere.<\/p>\n Pending council\u2019s approval, the committees that will end include the:<\/p>\n Anti-Racism Advisory Committee<\/p>\n Edmonton Historical Board<\/p>\n Edmonton Salutes Committee<\/p>\n Edmonton Transit Service Advisory Board<\/p>\n Energy Transition Climate Resilience Committee<\/p>\n Women\u2019s Advisory Voice of Edmonton Committee (WAVE)<\/p>\n The City of Edmonton Youth Council<\/p>\n Each will formally conclude April 30, except for the youth council which will end Aug. 31.<\/p>\n \u2018Very abrupt ending\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cIt honestly felt like a slap in the face,\u201d Melanie Hoffman, former chair of the energy transition climate resilience committee, told CBC News.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s worried about what this could mean for sustainability in Edmonton.<\/p>\n \u201cWe 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,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut that was a really important role that we were able to play.\u201d<\/p>\n Mayor Andrew Knack said the decision was not about saving money.<\/p>\n Jess Smith, co-chair of WAVE, said committee members only heard about the change on Tuesday. They described it as a \u201cvery abrupt ending.\u201d<\/p>\n 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is all work that won’t have the support \u2014 they won’t have a voice \u2014 to be able to make sure these things are flagged,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n Checking boxes<\/p>\n Knack told reporters Thursday the change isn\u2019t about hearing from less voices.<\/p>\n \u201cWe desperately need that feedback, good and bad, right? We need people who can be outwardly critical of the City of Edmonton,\u201d Knack said.<\/p>\n But he added that the city has relied on single committees instead of the broader community.<\/p>\n \u201cI worry we’ve been a bit complacent about just saying, \u2018Oh, 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,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cMeanwhile, there’s 10 other organizations that exist out in the city that are representing those voices as well.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n But that rings hollow for Hoffman and Smith.<\/p>\n \u201cWe 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,\u201d Hoffman said, noting the experts and community leaders on the committees were volunteers.<\/p>\n Smith worries that, without a formal commitment, the distinct voices sitting on these committees won\u2019t get face time with councillors in the same way.<\/p>\n \u201cThere’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,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n