City Hall's keeping things quiet and your parking tickets are piling up

You know, sometimes you look at the city’s official records, and it reminds you of those mid-winter nights on Whyte Avenue, where everything’s ostensibly open, but the real action is happening behind a door you can’t quite discern. That’s a bit how City Hall’s Agenda Review Committee felt this week.

According to the official minutes from March 24, 2026, the committee, which included Councillor Anne Stevenson and Councillor Andrew Knack, voted unanimously (4-0) to meet in private to discuss an item. The stated reason? "Pursuant to section 29 (advice from officials) of the *Access to Information Act*." It’s a standard move, but when everything else on the agenda – from adopting the agenda to approving the previous minutes – is also carried 4-0 without a peep, you start to wonder what’s so delicate that it requires absolute privacy. No dissent, no public debate, just a quiet unanimous agreement to step out of public view.

* Councillor Anne Stevenson received a gift of $120 from the Edmonton International Airport in late 2025. Not a king's ransom, but it's on the books.

* Councillors Sarah Hamilton and Keren Tang, for instance, don’t have any gifts listed for 2025. Councillor Paquette and Councillor Knack also reported “0” for gifts received that year.

* Councillor Clarke and Councillor Elliott both expensed $825.88 for accommodation at the 2025 Alberta Municipalities Convention in Calgary, along with other related costs like registration and food. This kind of professional development is fairly standard, mind you.

Meanwhile, back in the realm of public visibility, Edmontonians have been quite vocal with 311. After "General Information" and "Routes and Schedules," the third most frequent request by far, with 53,724 calls, is about "Collection and Disposal Services." But right behind that, with 46,022 requests, are "Public Parking Complaints." Seems like the city's relationship with its vehicles is, shall we say, complex. It's either too much stuff to throw away, or not enough places to put the car while you do it. Edmonton doesn't need your approval. Never did.

Honestly though, it makes you wonder if some of those private discussions are about finding more room for our bins, or our cars. Probably neither, but a man can dream.

Darren Fedoruk

Catch the team dissecting this and more of what makes our city tick, every weekday morning at mornings.live.