I recently put forward a motion to consider a bylaw limiting the use of amplifier equipment on sidewalks and public spaces for the purposes of preaching and other activities.

The City currently has no bylaw to deal with the excessive noise generated by amplifiers specifically. While the majority of people busking, preaching, or otherwise expressing themselves publicly do so with consideration for others, it is necessary to create a bylaw that gives the city some teeth on the really rare circumstances where they do not.

The Community Standards Bylaw states generally that “A person shall not cause or permit any …

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At Monday’s Executive Committee meeting, the minimum distance required between liquor stores was debated, and some of the complexities and shortfalls of the current regulations were raised.

In the past, minimum distances were established for social reasons – fears that a proliferation of alcohol sales in one area could promote increased crime, disorder, and moral degradation. Recent studies show these concerns to be – largely – unfounded.

Most provinces in Canada maintain direct control of alcohol sales through liquor control boards (or successor agencies), which limit the number, size, and location of retailers. Alberta is unique in having a completely …

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The September 16th debate over the City’s proposed changes to the Vehicle for Hire bylaw continued well into the night, with over 200 speakers registered. Council chambers and the City room were packed with those wishing to voice their concerns. The sheer numbers, and the demonstrations on the part of the taxi industry and ridesharing supporters, clearly indicate the importance of these issues, and the impact these changes will have for our city.

It also showed that, rather than 2 opposing camps, there is a whole spectrum of diverse and complicated perspectives needing to be heard. Uber drivers and supports, …

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Vladimir: Well? Shall we go?

Estragon: Yes, let’s go.

[They do not move.]

– Samuel Beckett (1952)

After a long, frustrating wait there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel on the NAIT line. It does not yet have full service or full speed; there are bugs, glitches, and potential delays. However, evidence from its first week of passenger service shows that LRT is still the most efficient way to get around – 12 minutes from Churchill Station to NAIT, versus 15 minutes by car or bus. In our growing city, options matter. For …

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Edmonton City Council is discontinuing its long practice of holding of inter-faith prayers to begin Council and Committee meetings. This change is necessary to comply with a recent Supreme Court ruling on similar practices in Quebec.

For several decades, City Council has upheld a tradition of including prayers at the opening of council meetings. While the practice has been open and inclusive, seeking to acknowledge members of all faiths, it still inadvertently promotes the ideas of faith over those of secularism. While Canadians are constitutionally guaranteed the right to freedom of conscience and religion, these rights arenot unlimited. And at …

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