The Way We Live: Edmonton's People Plan ... - City of Edmonton

the last 10 years
alberta’s capital city, edmonton is the urban centre in a region of 24 municipalities.
edmonton and the Capital Region have experienced a period of rapid and intense growth
in the last decade.
that economic boom attracted thousands of people to the area. this resulted in an
exponential demand for people services. the City of edmonton has a long history of boom and
bust economic cycles. each cycle often strains the corporation’s ability to respond to sudden
spikes in the number, and nature, of services residents require. booms bring a flood of new
residents requiring more services. busts leave many in need of social services. this impacts
edmonton’s social fabric, affecting everything from the not-for-profit sector’s ability to find
space to provide services, to childhood poverty, growth of the illicit drug trade and the need
for more recreation and leisure programming for an increasingly diverse population.
throughout these economic cycles of the past decade, edmonton has continued to advance
itself as one of Canada’s most livable cities on many different fronts. For example, edmonton:
• Created Canada’s first Urban Aboriginal Accord
• Emerged as an international centre of excellence in waste management
• Invested in new and improved recreation facilities
• Established Edmonton Fire Rescue Services as one of the premiere fire services in
north america
• Named Cultural Capital of Canada in 2007
• Created Canada’s first Cultural Senate with the Edmonton Poet Laureate,
edmonton Writer in exile and edmonton Historic laureate posts
• Established itself as the economic powerhouse to Canada’s energy industry
• Maintained a neighbourhood focus through collaborative efforts with the
edmonton Federation of Community leagues
• Established the Great Neighbourhoods initiative to improve the livability of
edmonton’s neighbourhoods and the lives of the people who live, work and visit in
them
• Recognized as a leader in neighbourhood revitalization by the Institute of Public
administration (ipaC)
• Heritage Canada Foundation’s Prince of Wales Prize for Municipal Heritage
leadership to the City of edmonton - 2009
in addition to the City’s long-term corporate directional plans, the City of edmonton has
also involved residents in the creation of other plans designed to provide a blueprint for
the future development of City programs and services. the plans include:
• The Art of Living Implementation Plan
• Recreation Facility Master Plan
• Fire Rescue Master Plan
• Edmonton Police Service Strategic Plan
• City of Learners Initiative
• A Place to Call Home, a 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness
• Vision for an Age-Friendly Edmonton Action Plan
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IMPLEMENTATION PLAN - 7/10/2012