Edmonton, St. Albert councils to debate recreation-sharing agreement

City council will vote Monday on a proposed plan to work more closely with St. Albert on recreation services.

If the agreement is signed, the two cities will committo collaborating to find cost savingsand improvingregional access to recreation facilities, setting the stage for potential partnerships on everything from soccer fields to the Edmonton Valley Zoo.

St. Albert's city council will alsodebate the agreement Monday.

The former NDP government legislated that Alberta municipalities which share boundaries are mandated by the province to come up with agreements to sort out possible collaboration and funding for shared services a directive recently made optional through new legislation passed by the current UCP government.

Edmonton and St. Albertalready co-operate on transportation, water and wastewater, solid waste, and emergency services as members of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board.

The proposed agreement going to council Monday commits both Edmonton and St. Albert to operate in good faith, and to commit to collaborationwith the caveat that "each operates at a high level of autonomy."

• Red tape reduction bill proposes slew of changes to 6 ministries
• Edmonton mayor disappointed in some proposed changes to Municipal Government Act

The only recreation project listed as an agreed upon joint opportunity is a future "Field of Dreams"soccer campus: the proposed site is in Edmonton, and the cities have established a memorandum of understanding on the project.

The cities agreed that most of their respective facilities are better off operating independently, but a list of several "areas of future discussion" includes Servus Credit Union Place in St. Albert, and a number of Edmonton recreation centres, as well as the Edmonton Valley Zoo, Fort Edmonton Park, Telus World of Science, and Whitemud Equine Learning Centre. Recreation centres that are planned but not yet built in both cities also made the list.