Edmonton city councillor's infill moratorium attempt fails for legal reasons

Madeleine Cummings · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 01, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Edmonton metropolis assembly won't beryllium putting a moratorium connected infill, aft the city's ineligible squad advised that doing truthful would contravene provincial legislation.

Ward pihêsiwin Coun. Tim Cartmell, who's besides a mayoral campaigner successful the upcoming election, put guardant a question Monday evening to intermission improvement approvals for mid-block properties, successful the tiny standard residential zone, until the metropolis re-examines plans for groups of neighbourhoods. 

"There's a tenable accidental to intermission this enactment portion we get amended clarity connected immoderate of the adjustments that we mightiness make," Cartmell said during the meeting.

Councillors learned — first successful a memo and again during the meeting — that specified a determination would spell against the Municipal Government Act, since metropolis councils can't override bylaws with motions and moratoriums.

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi ruled the 2nd portion of Cartmell's motion, which included the moratorium, was retired of bid and a bulk of assembly members supported his ruling. 

Cartmell said helium inactive wanted to spot much engagement and investigation connected the city's territory plans, but withdrew the question aft proceeding akin enactment was underway and could not beryllium sped up. 

In a quality merchandise Monday evening, helium said the city's ineligible section unopen him down, but helium remains "committed to warring for a readying strategy that puts Edmontonians first."

Though the moratorium won't beryllium proceeding, aggregate speakers astatine Monday's nationalist proceeding spoke successful favour of the idea, urging metropolis assembly to rethink city-wide zoning changes that came into effect past year.

Council spent astir of the time listening to commentary on proposed changes to the small-medium standard modulation zone, but galore speakers didn't notation those changes. Instead, they talked astir changes projected for the small-scale residential portion and their thoughts connected the zoning bylaw successful general. 

"When we speech astir zoning, it tin beryllium a reasonably analyzable conversation, truthful radical are speaking broadly to the concerns oregon opportunities that they spot successful beforehand of us," Ward Métis Coun. Ashley Salvador told reporters Monday afternoon.

Speakers raised concerns during the gathering astir the gait of development, parking, histrion nonaccomplishment and architecture. Some said a projected alteration to bounds the fig of allowable units successful a midblock rowhouse, from 8 to six, doesn't spell acold enough. 

"Mature neighbourhoods and their tree-lined streets and historical charm, nurtured implicit decades, are astatine risk," said Crestwood nonmigratory Beth Allard Clough, who urged assembly to intermission the zoning bylaw renewal.

Some speakers, however, urged councillors not to bash excessively overmuch revising.

Jeff Booth, a planner with Situate Inc., who spoke on behalf of the Infill Development successful Edmonton Association, said the manufacture could unrecorded with immoderate of the projected changes — but not if each of them were approved.

"We're benignant of getting into death-by-a-thousand-cuts territory," Booth said.

The bylaw's proponents person said it's helping summation density successful older neighbourhoods, starring to much lodging proviso successful areas that already person roads, libraries and different amenities.

After hours of commentary, council voted to prohibit some upzoning applications extracurricular large roads and cardinal areas. Ward papastew Coun. Michael Janz said that volition springiness residents clarity connected wherever bigger developments volition instrumentality place. 

Councillors voted to widen the gathering aboriginal this week and punt immoderate docket items to nationalist hearings successful August. 

According to the Office of the City Clerk, astir 200 radical registered to talk astatine Monday's nationalist hearing. Many of those speakers volition person to be a aboriginal meeting to remark connected projected changes to the small-scale residential portion and different items connected the agenda. 

Steven Lakey, who lives successful the westbound extremity and attended the nationalist proceeding successful person, said helium felt frustrated with assembly implicit the timing of the hearing.

There is constricted clip near for meetings due to the fact that assembly breaks for the summertime astatine the extremity of adjacent week, and there's a fall predetermination looming.

"This is thing they should person considered months, months ago," Lakey said.