In preparation for the marathon of economic and social recovery from COVID-19, St. Albert will be striking a task force to guide the community’s long-term pandemic recovery.
As the number of Albertans with COVID-19 continues to multiply, St. Albert city council decided on Monday to play the long game in establishing a recovery task force and concept plan.
Mayor Cathy Heron brought the initiative forward, saying she sees the “horizon” briefly every day to the other side of the pandemic, when restrictions might be relaxed.
“I did not want to wait until pandemic curves have leveled off, or we've gone down to zero before we started this brainstorming. We need to do it now,” she said in an interview.
With months and perhaps years of economic and social impacts ahead, Heron said during city council’s Monday meeting over Zoom, this is “about getting out ahead of it.”
Although the task force’s terms of reference have yet to be established, Heron noted there are “lots of good people” in St. Albert with expertise in economic and social areas who council could tap on the shoulder to participate. She said council will also seek volunteers, and position will be publicly advertised.
All seven members of council supported Heron’s motion for city staff to present a recovery concept plan and guiding principles for a task force to council April 20.
Referencing famous words from Wayne Gretzky, Coun. Ken MacKay said skating where the puck is going to be – not where it currently is – will put St. Albert ahead of the curve.
“It’s going to really start to build that support, and you can even call it hope, that we’ve got a plan and that we will respond to the challenge that’s going to be in front of us,” he said.
Coun. Sheena Hughes called the move “absolutely imperative,” and said perhaps it will be a signal to other levels of government that recovery planning needs to take place now.
“All we keep discussing is the situation, and not discussing at the end of the tunnel,” she said. “People need to know there is a plan and that they’re going to be OK, and having a recovery plan brought forward gives people that hope that one day things will be okay again.”
At first, Coun. Jacquie Hansen questioned the speed of timelines set out for establishing the task force, but she said it is “important for (council) to do this.”
Focusing on recovery is a “no-brainer” according to Coun. Natalie Joly, who also thanked chief administrative officer Kevin Scoble for reminding council’s emergency advisory committee “from day one” these steps were required.
Costs related to the recovery task force will come out of the $2 million fund council has already approved to respond to COVID-19.
Heron said she envisions the task force being made up of representatives from the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce, Urban Development Institute, Food Bank, Stop Abuse in Families (SAIF) and city staff.
While only guessing, Heron said she estimates the task force could work for approximately 18 months. After that, she noted members of council have said the community should have a community barbeque to celebrate coming out the other side of the pandemic.
“That's kind of the vision, is, you know, bringing our community back together, face to face, shaking hands and hugging,” Heron said. “Just normal life.”
