A last-minute request for a $4,500 loan from the City of St. Albert to help put on a permaculture design certification course was granted – sort of.
Jill Cunningham, representing an unofficial association of urban agriculture enthusiasts, explained to council on Monday night that they were seeking a short-term loan so they could host the course in St. Albert after the planned Edmonton-based host suddenly pulled out.
The course, which is set to run in August, already has 20 people interested and only 18 are needed to make sure the course costs will be covered. The loan was needed to secure the instructors, and the group needed to know immediately as the deadline had already passed – they’d gotten a one-day extension to approach council.
Coun. Cathy Heron asked her council colleagues to waive a requirement for two weeks notice of motion, which they did, but then the questions and concerns started flying.
“I’m going to caution us,” said Mayor Nolan Crouse, concerned about loaning individuals money.
Council discussed the idea of the loan extensively.
Eventually it was determined the city couldn’t really “loan” the money, but did authorize $4,500 be paid from the environmental initiatives grant program. Coun. Tim Osborne noted that the money would essentially end up being returned, as there are contractual rules around a grant that mean money has to be returned if it’s not used as suggested – in this case, if registration fees cover the cost of putting on the program, then the city funds would flow back to St. Albert’s coffers.
The motion also gave the grant to the Arts and Heritage Foundation instead of the individuals. Ann Ramsden from AHF was on-hand to support Cunningham and agreed to this arrangement, as the plan is to host the course at one of the historic sites.
But there were some objections to handing off $4,500 without going through the normal grant application processes.
Coun. Cam MacKay wanted to lower the amount to $3,500, asking why organizers weren’t putting up their own money.
After that idea was defeated in a 3-3 vote – ties are automatically defeated – he opted to not support the motion at all.
“I realize it’s just $4,500 but I’ll be the Grinch on this one,” MacKay said. He said there should have been more notice. “I think there’s an impetus if you want money, get your act together.”
Heron said the organizers had told her that they couldn’t wait two weeks to secure the instructors.
Coun. Wes Brodhead was concerned about the switch to paying the $4,500 out of the city’s stabilization fund to specifying the environmental initiatives grant program. Normally the city’s environmental advisory committee receives grant applications and suggests recipients to council.
While there was money left from last year in that grant fund, he was concerned about deking around the advisory committee.
“What we’re doing tonight is we’re doing an end-run around our own process,” he said.
Heron noted the $4,500 being requested wouldn’t cover all the costs of putting on the course. That money was needed to secure the instructors, and those costs and the rest will end up being covered by the registration fees.
She said interest in urban agriculture is rising in St. Albert and elsewhere.
“These things are becoming more and more commonplace in municipalities around the world,” Heron said.
In the end, a majority of council supported giving the grant.
After the meeting, Cunningham said she was “relieved and excited” that they’d be getting the grant, and said the intent is to pay it back.
She explained in a follow-up email that she personally hadn’t been able to front the money this time, but her family has previously loaned money for other urban agriculture projects in St. Albert like the food forest at Elmer S. Gish School.
The group had found out about the organizer withdrawing in mid-May and had begun the process to see if it was feasible to bring it to St. Albert, she said in an email. They had just found out on Friday that AHF wouldn’t be providing them a loan, she said.
Gilles Prefontaine, the chief community development officer, who started the urban agriculture conversation back in March when he was on council, guided them towards the last ditch effort, Cunningham said.
She predicted a “wonderful ripple effect” for the community from hosting the course, including a day of public engagement, and she hopes that the students’ final project designs will be applicable to St. Albert.
