Edmonton council still digging into cost of city policy on projects

Why are some projects more expensive in Edmonton?

Some council members are still looking for the root cause of that issue.

Back in June, city council asked administration for a cost analysis, comparing capital projects to similar ones in nearby cities.

One comparison was between the new net-zero Windermere fire station and Leduc’s Station No. 9.

The report shows Edmonton’s station cost nearly three times more per square metre.

“I can tell you it’s just not adding up,” Coun. Tim Cartmell said.

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The report finds city policies and bylaws — combined with outside factors like supply chains — drive up expenses.

Twelve city policies are listed as cost drivers in the report.

1:54 City of Edmonton environmental policies driving up capital budget costs

But how much financial burden each policy carries is still unclear — that breakdown is not included in these findings.

“It just does not make sense that some of these things are more expensive than others without that clear understanding of where each policy adds to the cost and we still don’t have that,” Cartmell said.

“Are there other policies that are not as effective? Are they redundant? I think that’s what we need to revisit,” Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said.

Mayor and council hope that becomes more clear after its latest directive.

Committee has told administration to examine how much each piece of a project costs, including the policies. That report is expected in the spring.

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