Laurier Heights Town Hall Follow-up: A Message from the Board
Dear Neighbours,
Thank you to everyone who attended the recent town hall, completed the survey, reached out directly or are just starting to learn more about how these issues affect our neighbourhood. Your interest and participation are deeply appreciated.
After carefully considering the feedback we received from residents, the Laurier Heights Community League Board has reaffirmed our commitment to our core mission: building community, sharing information, and fostering open dialogue among neighbors. We will continue to focus on these priorities and as such, will not be leading or facilitating the creation of restrictive covenants in our neighborhood. To learn more about the mandate of community leagues in Edmonton, please visit efcl.org, which provides background on this historic community building initiative.
We recognize that residents hold a variety of views on residential infill in Laurier Heights. Some support infill, others oppose them, and many are still weighing the information. All perspectives are valid. Regardless of your position on residential infill, if you are interested in exploring these matters, here are several options you may wish to consider on your own initiative:
Discuss housing policy options with the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)
Discuss zoning changes with Edmonton City Council and Administration
Lobby mayoral and council candidates to change the zoning bylaw
Prepare restrictive covenants. A restrictive covenant is a legal agreement that can be registered on a property title to limit how land is used or developed. These agreements must be voluntarily signed and registered by individual homeowners and they remain attached to the property title for future owners.
There are likely other options, however this list provides a starting place.
Several Laurier Heights residents have indicated they are willing to act as organizers within their own pockets of the neighbourhood to determine what might work best for them and their immediate neighbours. We will contact those individuals to confirm permission to share their contact information with others who have expressed similar interest. Once that list is complete, it will be privately distributed only to those on the list. Beyond providing this initial connection, the Community League will take no further actions and all decisions and activities will be driven by community members themselves. If you would like to be included on the list please complete this form.
As we move forward, we ask for kindness and respect. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and not all neighbours feel the same way about restrictive covenants or about infill in general. In some Edmonton communities, conversations about covenants have led to division and alienation among neighbours. We do not want that for Laurier Heights. Please approach these discussions with understanding, care, and respect for each other. The Community League remains neutral on this issue and will continue to focus on our role of fostering belonging and connection in Laurier Heights. Our neighbourhood is stronger when we listen to one another and treat each other with respect, even when we disagree.
Thank you again for your engagement and for caring about the future of our neighbourhood.
Yours in community,
Christine McCourt-Reid
LHCL President, on behalf of
The Laurier Heights Community League Board