Policies

The Problem The City of Edmonton makes poor financial decisions.  If you look at my previous audit of capital projects ($100m+), things are clearly a mess.  We are paying billions of dollars over budget, yes projects are years behind. Figure 1: Major Capital Projects ($100M+) completing since 2015 If you look at the hiring practices of managers and professional consultants, the problem is equally as bad. I have been growing concerned over the past several years that our core services are being neglected in favour of a growing bureaucracy.  This includes big salaries for [...]

The Problem The recent City Plan talks about automobile levers as a way to deal with traffic.  So what are these automobile levers?  Well a report earlier this year (CR_7477) highlighted exactly was automobile levers are.  Here are exact quotes from the document: "Double the costs associated with operating a car" "Road Pricing" "Tolls" "Congestion Charges" "Fuel Taxes" "Vehicle Registration Costs" "Permanently banning certain motor vehicle traffic" "Reduced parking supply / parking pricing" This is pretty scary stuff if you rely on a private vehicle in Edmonton, which is the majority of us. There are emerging [...]

The Problem For too long communities in our core, like Chinatown, have born the brunt of our city's crime.  It's not fair and it is a growing problem. While I agree, most in our homeless population are vulnerable people who need compassion and assistance, we won't tackle this problem with grandiose statements like the 10 year plan to end homelessness.  You can read my specific plan to stream our homeless in addictions and treatment help, along with a voucher designed to place people quickly into housing here. The remainder [...]

The Problem Many cities in Canada, such as Calgary, Vancouver, and Toronto, have been very successful in expanding their cultural industries and exporting intellectual property (IP) in the form of art, music, film, and entertainment. Edmonton has missed many of these opportunities – and the significant jobs that go with them – through inattention and lack of action. It’s time we catch up. The City of Edmonton has invested millions of dollars into supporting and growing our cultural sector, yet we remain behind many of our peers. It [...]

The Problem Photo radar is a cash cow, designed to tax the rich on driving. Don't take just my word for it, let's look at the facts below. Study #1: Independent Photo Radar Study In a 10 year provincial study on photo radar the facts are clear.  It is also important to note this study took place over 3 previous provincial governments of all political stripes (PC, NDP, and UCP).  To prevent political bias, the study was also independent.  The finds show a [...]

The Problem One of my top priorities as Mayor will be restoring Edmonton as Canada's economic engine.  I will get this done.  Edmonton was always a city that enabled and celebrated the blue collar way we approached business and enabled entrepreneurship to thrive.  Small and medium enterprise is the backbone of what we do in this city.  I've already released a policy to reduce taxes for businesses (and equally for homeowners) by balancing the amount of consultants and middle management, but there is more to do. With this policy announcement, I [...]

The Problem You are overpaying in taxes for continually shrinking core services. The City of Edmonton is responsible for looking out for the needs of its citizens through its core services.  These services are the backbone of our city and without them, our city will cease to function effectively.  Many of our core services include things like our transportation networks, waste services, snow clearing, parks, and others. I have been growing concerned over the past several years that our core services are being neglected in favour of a growing bureaucracy.  This [...]