MAY 2019
beaumont.ab.ca
WHY FIRSTS ARE EXCITING AND IMPORTANT TO THE CITY OF BEAUMONT Mayor John Stewart’s Column In our City of Beaumont’s 2017-2021 Municipal Strategic
up and dropping off passengers at set stops. Prep activities
Plan, we identified innovation as a key value to growing
started the week of April 29 when our infrastructure and
our community.
partnering PWT team installed signage and conducted
In order for us to broaden the tax base and to bring opportunities to our community, we needed to think
test runs and scenarios in advance of ELA taking live passengers.
outside the box. Our province is looking at diversification
This pilot project will provide invaluable learnings into
to enhance our economy, and we want to be a part of
autonomous vehicle operations such as technology impacts
that momentum.
from variable climates, citizen response and readiness, and insights into potential civic and infrastructure planning implications that all levels of government are starting
MAYOR AND COUNCIL CONTACT INFORMATION Mayor John Stewart 780.293.5650 Councillor Kathy Barnhart 780.721.5504 Councillor Bill Daneluik 587.357.5206
to consider. I would like to emphasize that safety of our community is council and administration’s top priority, and we worked together with Alberta Transportation to meet or exceed the requirements needed to ensure the pilot project
Councillor Perry Hendriks 780.929.5102
will be operated safely. We are excited to see ELA hit the streets and are ready to embrace what this testing will mean for our community. We know that there will be learnings to be had, but we are confident that she will be embraced by our residents. Bringing this technology to our city gives us Starting in mid May, Beaumont will get a sneak peek being the first Canadians to experience driverless public transportation right here in Beaumont under a six-month
first access to learning, testing and applying cutting edge new ideas and technologies that have real potential to impact how we plan and develop our municipality into the future.
pilot project (through October). The pilot project is
We are a citizenry with strong roots and spirit eager to seize
a partnership between the City of Beaumont, Pacific
opportunities such as this one to demonstrate what
Western Transportation (PWT) and its 12-passenger
a new city CAN be.
Electric Autonomous (ELA) shuttle, where we will see ELA for the first time, fully integrated with traffic, traffic technology and pedestrians.
Councillor Sam Munckhof-Swain 780.690.0031 Councillor Martin Stout 780.904.9623 Councillor Steven vanNieuwkerk 780.991.0871
Mayor John Stewart
It will be a set route on the east lane of 50 Street about one
780.929.8782
kilometre long where ELA will drive back and forth picking
mayor@beaumont.ab.ca
5600 49 Street, Beaumont AB T4X 1A1 | 780.929.8782 | admin@beaumont.ab.ca
Email links for Mayor and Council are online at beaumont.ab.ca/council