A proposal to give young people a stronger voice at City Hall will be one of the items before Prince Albert’s Executive Committee on Tuesday.
The committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday at 4 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall. The agenda also includes the City’s first-quarter financial report and updates from two local cultural organizations.
Gabrielle Bonney, a Grade 12 student and member of the Students Commission of Canada, is scheduled to present a proposal asking the City to create more opportunities for youth involvement in municipal decision-making.
The proposal follows the YOU-th Speak Up event held at Gateway Mall in May, where young people were invited to share ideas, concerns and solutions on local issues. That event was organized by the City of Prince Albert and the Students Commission of Canada, and focused on giving youth a more direct role in conversations about the community.
Bonney’s submission says young people in Prince Albert are affected by civic issues such as transit, jobs, accessibility and safety, but their perspectives can be overlooked.
The proposal asks the City to consider creating youth representation on boards, committees and councils, or through focus groups and a youth council that could meet outside regular City Hall hours.
The submission also cautions that simply placing a young person on a committee may not be enough. It says youth involvement should be meaningful and should account for barriers such as school schedules, transportation, time and a lack of entry points into civic life.
Committee members will also review the City’s first-quarter financial report.
Administration is reporting an unaudited surplus of about $2.77 million across all City funds as of March 31. The report says the surplus is connected to additional revenue and staff vacancies, but cautions against drawing too much from the early number because many City expenses occur later in the year.
The report also shows how some recent council decisions and budget pressures are now appearing in the City’s quarterly financial picture. It notes a $300,135 snow maintenance budget overage that will be funded through the Snow Management Reserve, while also listing reserve-funded projects and future land sale revenue expected to show up in later reporting. The Land Fund section points to the previously approved sale of 22 lots on Hadley Road to Pawluk Homes, along with the remaining three lots in Crescent Acres.
The General Fund accounts for the largest share of the early surplus at just under $2 million. The Utility Fund and Sanitation Fund are also showing surpluses, while the Airport Fund and Land Fund are showing deficits.
The report notes that summer work in areas such as Parks, Recreation and Culture and Public Works will affect future quarters. Administration is recommending the report be received as information and filed.
The meeting will also include two cultural items.
The Mann Art Gallery is asking to begin discussions with the City about a future agreement for its use of gallery space inside the E.A. Rawlinson Centre for the Arts.
The gallery says early discussions would help provide stability, support long-term planning and clarify the role arts and culture organizations play in the community. The gallery is also interested in exploring an updated agreement structure similar to the support agreement recently implemented with the Prince Albert Historical Society.
The Historical Society is scheduled to report on its 2025 activities, including accessibility improvements at the Historical Museum, exhibit updates, strategic planning work and the relocation of historic Church and Blockhouse logs from Old City Yards to storage near MacDowall.
The report also points to staffing challenges, including difficulty recruiting and retaining summer staff for museum operations. The society said it began 2025 expecting a deficit, but finished the year with a small surplus.
Executive Committee discussions do not always lead to final decisions, but items reviewed there often return to City Council for further consideration.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
