Edmonton community leagues plead for $30M for hall repairs with ¼ of them in ‘poor’ shape

Volunteers who run Edmonton's community league halls say they need $30-million in funding for safety upgrades.

With Edmonton’s community league halls aging, volunteers who run them say they need $30 million in urgent safety upgrades.

Of the 97 halls the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues (EFCL) has assessed over the last two years, a quarter are considered to be in poor condition, while more than half are in fair shape.

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The EFCL says issues include locked or poorly maintained emergency exits, inadequate emergency lighting, non-functioning alarm systems and some structural issues...

“To be clear, these are a risk to occupant safety, to human life,” Shaun Good, the EFCL’s infrastructure and amenities advisor, told Edmonton city council’s community and public services committee on Monday.

“They are not nice-to-have upgrades. They are the minimum to ensure that people, including children and seniors and people with disabilities, can use and exit safely during an emergency situation.”

The $30-million ask is something Coun. Erin Rutherford said she’s not willing to endorse given other priorities.

“$30 million is not something – I can’t speak for my colleagues – that I would in any way support,” Rutherford, who represents Ward Anirniq in the city’s northwest, said in response on Monday.

“We’re not even meeting life maintenance renewal on city-owned facilities.”

Community leagues can apply for city funding for infrastructure upgrades.

Councillors are asking the leagues to prioritize renovations with city staff for a report due back at council next spring.