When she was first elected to her position, St. Albert Mayor Cathy Heron said she didn't realize how much people look up to the mayoral role until the COVID-19 pandemic hit St. Albert. She said she realized amid all the challenges, she needed to open herself up more to St. Albertans.
At the beginning, Heron said she started recording short videos on her phone to put on social media as a way of reaching the community when many were stuck at home. After getting positive feedback, she opened up communication a bit more, whether it was picking out the #T8NTogether mantra or asking kids to send her letters over the summer.
"I was excited every day because there'd be a couple more of these wonderful, cute little letters from kids who told me what they were doing to stay safe, like washing their hands and missing their friends," Heron said.
"St. Albertans have been very committed to slowing the spread. Yes, there's some division and controversy, but it's not as bad as other communities. St. Albert's a very, very caring community and they are looking out for each other."
In a year-in-review interview with the Gazette, Heron looked back on some of the highlights of the past year as the community continues to work to slow the spread of COVID-19. This year, the city saw the work over the last term pay off with a few major projects.
Getting municipalities to think about transit on the regional level was "one of the biggest accomplishments of this council," one that is "imperative" to attracting investment in the region, she said. The regional transit commission just received approval this week from the provincial government to sign it into reality.
An investment from Uline into the Anthony Henday Business Park was a "massive" deal for St. Albert this year, Heron said.
"It's pretty nice to say that under this council's term, we've attracted the biggest private investment to St. Albert ever, and that's pretty exciting."
The decision to go after provincial funding to get utilities and servicing across Ray Gibbon Drive to the west end of the city places St. Albert in a good spot to attract investment in the years to come. This year, council will be looking ahead to getting an area structure plan for the Lakeview Business District done.
"Getting it serviced is just going to open up so much for non-residential attraction in St. Albert."
The Mayor's Task Force on Homelessness released its final report in 2020, giving the city a path forward to address homelessness in St. Albert, she said. In August, council approved a motion for the city to take next steps to establish a youth transitional home to support young people in the city who have nowhere to go.
Demolishing the Blind Pig Pub to make way for new investment into St. Albert's downtown, moving the park in Kingswood forward, and allowing for small fire pits on driveways for Halloween were other highlights of the year, Heron said.
As for challenging decisions, Heron said Boudreau Communities' proposal for Riverbank Landing was one, though she was pleased with how the virtual public hearing went.
"I do want to see some development on that piece of land, and I want to see some intensification of density. But I don't want to see the river walled off (from) the community – the river belongs to everyone in St. Albert, not just those who can afford a balcony overlooking the river."
Looking ahead, Heron said conversations about finding new sources of revenue will be a "big, big push in 2021." Conversations about potential economic opportunities are happening at the regional level, with more news to come in the spring, she said.
Recreation will be a big focus for this year as well, she said, as the city moves forward with plans on what to build on the future recreation site in the city's northwest.
More affordable housing options in St. Albert could be realized this year as negotiations on proposals to turn a chunk of land in the city's downtown near St. Albert Place progress, she said.
"We are in contract negotiations with a provider right now, so that would be nice to get something built in the downtown that will really increase our stock of affordable housing," she said.
When asked if she plans to run for re-election, Heron said she will let the community know her intentions in March or April.
"Decisions need to be based not on the next election, but on the next generation, and I firmly believe that. Holding off on on announcements pushes off the attention until it's time. This council's got some work ahead of them, and I need them to be focused."
