St. Albert city council voted against leasing space in a city-owned facility to a local non-profit that's looking to open a cafe that would employ, and provide job skills training to, residents living with disabilities.
The motion, put forward by Coun. Natalie Joly, would've directed city administration to “offer space for nominal value at a year round city-owned facility to the [St. Albert Assisted Independent Living Home (SAIL Home)] Foundation... for the purpose of operating a food service establishment... and that SAIL Home be exempt from the Community Capital Grant application timeline requirements in order to enable SAIL Home to apply for grant funding for this food service establishment on an as-needed basis.”
SAIL Home is a St. Albert-based non-profit that, among other things, operates a small group home for locals living with disabilities. The organization's mission, as described on its website, is “to provide access to affordable housing for adults with disabilities; to offer information, housing options, hope and resources to individuals with disabilities who wish to live independently; to offer information, guidance, and support to families in order to navigate the emotional and practical realities of supporting a loved one toward independence.”
According to an administrative report to council, SAIL Home approached city council back in April with a proposal to operate an establishment coined “Friends' Cafe” in a city-owned space that would be staffed by people with disabilities to provide not only employment opportunities but job skills training.
“Administration has spoken with [SAIL Home] to extend an opportunity for further discussion with [city administration] to see how the city could assist with supporting their goals and vision [but] further meetings to discuss plans and options were declined by the organization,” the report reads.
Prior to voting, Joly acknowledged that she wasn't sure if SAIL Home was actually capable, as an organization, to operate a cafe, noting she hasn't seen any relevant business plans the organization might have.
“But I would love to have those discussions,” Joly said. “Ultimately, I want people and the community to be consistently more important than numbers [and] revenue.”
“We know that our own Community Needs Assessment states that persons with disabilities are one of the groups identified as being underserved within St. Albert, so when we have an opportunity to talk about a project that would build community partnerships, increase employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, and show our residents that we live by our stated values of inclusion, I think we have to have those conversations even if it's in conflict with some of our policies.”
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Administration's report noted that Joly's motion and the associated work it would have directed city staff to do would have violated multiple city policies and “various trade agreements,” such as the Canadian Free Trade Agreement.
Mayor Cathy Heron, recognizing this issue of the motion going against policy and trade agreements, said the motion might be “putting the cart before the horse” but she was still supportive of the idea.
“It's not within me to not support this motion,” Heron said. “In my thinking, a vote against this motion would somehow indicate in our community that we don't support this kind of endeavour, and a vote in favour of it says we support it [and] although not perfect, it [represents] our values.”
Coun. Shelley Biermanski, who along with Coun. Sheena Hughes, Coun. Mike Killick, and Coun. Ken MacKay voted against Joly's motion, argued on Tuesday that the organization's proposal and the motion in front of council seemed “premature.”
“I respect this group for coming forward and the intent, but they're new,” Biermanski said, referencing how SAIL Home was incorporated in December 2021. “As it sits right now it seems quite premature to me because we don't, in fact, have a business plan.... or what their plan for success would be.”
Likewise, Hughes said that by not having more information about the organization's plan meant council was making an uninformed decision by voting on Joly's motion.
“Until the due diligence has been completed, I don't think that we should really be discussing this,” Hughes said. “We really need to understand the business model, understand whether or not it's viable, the risks associated with this before we move forward, and then from there, also have a [request for proposals or RFP] available so that other similar organizations would also have the equal opportunity to discuss it if we had a location available.”
Administration had proposed three alternative motions for council's consideration, the first of which would've addressed Hughes' concerns by having administration work directly with SAIL Home to address risks, sustainability, and long-term support for the potential cafe. “This would involve confirming requirements, identifying potential locations, and returning to council with more details, including more clearly defined financial impacts such as capital costs, human resources costs, lost revenue from alternate sources and increased maintenance costs,” the administrative report explained.
The second option was to have the city remove the vending machines in Fountain Park Pool and create a space for SAIL Home to have their cafe in the facility. “This would require council to approve the funding required to bring the space up to [Alberta Health Services'] safety standards in addition to the reduction in revenue in order to implement this service.”
Administration's report notes that an estimated cost of creating a space in Fountain Park Pool is about $100,000, and the city would lose about $11,000 in annual revenue from the vending machines the city owns at the pool.
The third and final option was for administration to invite SAIL Home and other non-profits to participate in the city's request for proposal (RFP) process when a city-owned location for this type of operation becomes available. This option wouldn't violate city policy or trade agreements, but it would also mean that SAIL Home and the other non-profits would be competing against businesses in their proposals.
The Gazette was unable to reach a SAIL Home spokesperson for comment.
Social procurement framework expected in 2026
Administration's report also explains that city staff have been working on a “social procurement framework” for the past few years, which, as many members of council noted during the July 16 meeting, would give the city some potential policy options for seeking, accepting, and working through proposals from non-profits to take on projects like the one proposed by SAIL Home.
“Social procurement seeks to further leverage tax dollars to achieve broad societal goals, increasing equality and diversity while contributing to improved community well-being through the blending of social, environmental, and economic considerations in the procurement practices and processes,” the report reads.
“Simply put, social procurement is leveraging a social value from existing procurement to make intentional positive contributions to both the local economy and the overall vibrancy of the community.”
This framework, which is expected to be completed in 2026, will “identify options for consideration to develop a social procurement policy and best practices for the city,” the report says.
