2017 Platform

+ Public Engagement

During the 2013 campaign I made a commitment to regularly engage with residents as there were many times that people expressed concerns about their voice not being heard. While public engagement has evolved, my desire to ensure that people's voices are heard stays constant.

Since 2015, I have helped lead Edmonton City Council's Public Engagement Initiative, which launched in 2014. This year, due in large part to the participation of over 1,000 Edmontonians, we have developed and approved a new public engagement policy that will transform how Edmontonians, City Staff and City Councillors engage each other, resulting in better policy due to the better use of feedback. I believe public engagement has improved over the last four years but this is an area where work must continue. To ensure this work does not stop, a Public Engagement Advisory Committee will be formed to hold Council and Administration accountable to the new policy while also reviewing new suggestions that focus on continuous improvement in public engagement.

If re-elected I will continue to:

• Host quarterly Community Conversations with residents;
• Hold Live social media conversations (for those who may not be able to attend public meetings);
• Door-knock regularly throughout Ward 1 to gather feedback on past, current and upcoming items of discussion.
• Attend community meetings, annual general meetings, and events. Continue to respond to calls and email in a timely manner.

I will also revisit a motion I put forward during last term to allow residents the opportunity to call or video conference to share their views with all of Council. Whether you are working a full-time job and are unable to take a day off work, are attending school and cannot miss a class or are unable to afford the parking or transportation costs to attend a meeting at City Hall, you should have the right to speak on any agenda item. You should not need to sacrifice your education, career, family, or finances to engage with your local government. Technology has evolved rapidly and we need to use those advances to allow more people to participate in the democratic process.

2021 Update

I delivered on my commitments to ongoing public engagement throughout the term. Although the pandemic did prevent us from gathering in person, prior to the pandemic, I did host regular quarterly Community Conversations with residents across the ward. After the pandemic began, I started hosting virtual Community Conversations almost every single week. It has been a way to stay connected with residents, share the latest City news, and gather your feedback on a wide variety of issues.

When it comes to door-knocking, I continued my schedule of monthly door-knocking. Each month, I would pick a different community to visit and knock on doors to connect with people at their homes. This has been a wonderful way to get a better understanding of people’s perspectives. Beyond the monthly door-knocking, I would also use large portions of our summer recess and our constituency weeks to knock on doors to try and reach even more people.

I have continued to attend as many community league AGMs and events as possible. Unless I am in a council meeting, I believe it’s critical to attend community league AGMs to stay on top of the issues that communities are dealing with.

Also, as call and email volumes increase, I still believe it is critical to respond to everyone directly. While my response time may be a bit longer at times, I still find that I can usually reply to everyone within a few days of reaching out.

Finally, with regards to the motion to allow people to call or use video conferencing options, that motion failed a second time. The pandemic obviously required us to modify our approach and it has shown me that it is critical that allowing people to participate virtually should become a standard option from this point on.

+ The Impact of Feedback

Council has now started receiving “What We Heard” reports as part of our meeting agenda for many of the major policy discussions. These documents are critical in showing residents how their feedback is being used. In our recent Transit Strategy discussion, Council was not only provided with a “What We Heard” report but we also received a “What We Did” report which details the communications and public engagement approach, activities, and participation. As there will always be a diversity of views, some people may not be satisfied with the outcome of the engagement. The key is to ensure that the engagement process was thorough and people can see that their voices were heard even if the final recommendation or decision is different from what they wanted. Understanding why a suggestion was or was not used is critical to people staying involved in future discussions.

If re-elected I will request that all major policy discussions have What We Did and Heard reports so that you will know the process and the outcome of engagement on various topics. This will help to keep engagement top of mind throughout the process of a policy discussion.

2021 Update:

I am happy to report that all major policy discussions include detailed What We Did and Heard reports. These are typically combined in a What We Heard report now. This is a critical step in the public engagement process. It is rare that everyone will agree with a decision but people should expect to see how their feedback was considered.

+ Campaign Donations and Disclosure

I recently announced that I will not be accepting corporate and union donations during the 2017 campaign. The link above will detail why I have made that decision. As I did in 2010 and 2013, I will also be disclosing all donations made to my campaign in advance of the October 16th election. I believe the release of this information is important to walking the talk of transparency.

2021 Update:

As I have in previous elections, I fulfilled my commitment to share all my donations well in advance of the election. I believe this should be a basic expectation of any candidate who says they believe in transparency.

+ Project Management

Project management in the City of Edmonton has undergone some urgently needed and significant changes over the last few years. To ensure consistent, efficient, and transparent delivery of capital projects, the Integrated Infrastructure Services Department was created in April 2016. This department, with new process and reporting changes, has enabled City Council to monitor projects more effectively, improve communication between departments and provide better information to residents regarding the progress of those projects. Latest results, as of December 31, 2016, show improvements:

88% of our significant capital projects are on or ahead of schedule; and, 99% are on or under budget.

If re-elected I will continue to monitor our significant capital projects so that the recent results can continue well into the future.

2021 Update:

I have regularly written updates that coincide with the quarterly reporting that is provided to the public. With the transition to the Project Development and Delivery Model (PDDM) now in place, we have seen the clear positive impact on project management within our city.

As of December 31st, 2020, of the 256 active capital projects underway 93% are on or under budget and 79% are on or ahead of schedule. When you separate out the large capital projects being delivered under the new model, 95% are on or under budget and 84% are on or ahead of schedule.

While many changes started before this term, it is encouraging to see the continued positive results on the management of our capital projects.

+ Financial Management

The continued growth in our city and lack of investment in our mature communities several years ago have created financial pressures as we must fund the construction and operations of new facilities (ex: fire halls, rec centres, etc.) along with the ongoing maintenance of our mature communities.

2018 is expected to be the last year for the dedicated increase to our Neighbourhood Renewal Program. At the same time, the full program and service level review will be completed in 2018. Therefore, when the next Council begins their 2019-2022 operating budget deliberations, City Council should be in a great position to minimize the budget required to provide the necessary services and amenities.

During the 2017 budget discussions I put forward a motion to remove some positions that had gone unfilled for over 6 months which resulted in $5.2 million in savings and helped us achieve the lowest approved tax increase in a decade.

If re-elected, I will take a similar approach to our most recent budget discussions to balance our needs and wants. I would like to strive for an increase no higher than inflation in 2019.

2021 Update:

I delivered on my commitment to strong financial management. In 2019, council approved the lowest tax increase in a decade which was at the rate of inflation. In 2020, council approved the lowest tax increase in 23 years which was below the rate of inflation. In 2021, council approved no tax increase (0%) for the first time in 24 years.

Over my time on council, I have successfully brought forward motions that have resulted in over $80 million in savings - the most of any member of council during the last 8 years. The most recent motion I brought forward was to reduce middle management and that resulted in over $10 million in savings and helped us achieve no tax increase in 2021.

+ Lewis Farms Recreation Centre/Library and West LRT

The construction of the Lewis Farms Recreation Centre/Library and West LRT will be discussed by the next Council during the 2019-2022 Capital Budget deliberations in late 2018. I am pleased with the planning and design progress we have made on both the Rec Centre and West LRT but we must start construction on these necessary projects during the next term.

If re-elected, I will put forward motions during the 2019-2022 Capital Budget deliberations to begin construction on both the Lewis Farms Recreation Centre/Library and the West LRT. The West LRT will depend on securing funding from the Provincial Government before construction could proceed.

2021 Update:

The Valley Line West LRT construction is now underway as funding was secured from the other orders of government. In mid-2019, the Lewis Farms Recreation Centre was originally approved to proceed but due to provincial infrastructure funding cuts in late-2019, the construction of the recreation centre was postponed. In February 2021, I provided an update with a possible new path forward that would allow us to partner with a non-profit organization to build and operate this critical amenity.

+ Back Alley Renewal

Back alleys have been neglected for far too long in Edmonton and it is time to move forward with a Back Alley Renewal Program which will ensure our back lanes are receiving the proper attention and maintenance. After I put forward an inquiry to create a plan to address our alleys, this Council approved the alley renewal strategy. The next Council will have the opportunity to formally start the program in 2019.

If re-elected, I will support the implementation of the Back Alley Renewal Program to take care of this critical infrastructure across Edmonton.

2021 Update:

The Back Alley Renewal Program officially started in 2019 and two communities in the west end, Belmead and La Perle, have already had their alleys reconstructed. Half of North Glenora will have their back alleys reconstructed this year with the other half to be completed next year. I’m very pleased that I was able to deliver on this previous commitment as back alleys are critical infrastructure in many of our communities.

+ Road Improvement

With the rapid growth outside the Henday there are locations that have significant congestion (ex: Winterburn Road, Webber Greens Drive). Currently our Administration is working on prioritizing a list of over 150 locations city-wide that need additional capacity to efficiently move people and goods. As Winterburn Road (215th Street) is along a major industrial area and connected to many rapidly growing communities. Webber Greens Drive is also now connected to two new schools (Michael Phair Junior High and Bishop David Motiuk Elementary/Junior High) and will be one of the main roads used to get to the Lewis Farms Recreation Centre/Library.

If re-elected, I will request that these roads be considered for widening in the 2019-2022 Capital Budget deliberations. In my opinion, these are roads that must be widened to allow for the industrial and residential traffic to flow properly. I would expect that when this work occurs that we also provide space for multi-use trails so people can choose which way they want to move along those roads. There are other roads that will likely need attention (ex: Whitemud from Lewis Estates Blvd to Winterburn Road) and if re-elected I look forward to receiving the prioritization list to determine how quickly we can address these deficiencies.

2021 Update:

During the 2019-2022 Capital Budget Deliberations, I put forward a motion to advance to the next stage of work on Winterburn Road. I had suggested that we reallocate funding from a lower priority project in the west end to fund that next stage of work. The rest of council wanted to understand the entire scope of road widening work needed across the city and so I put forward a motion so that council could get that necessary information.

In early 2022, we will have a completed prioritization list that will clearly detail the road improvements needed across the entire city. It is my expectation that we will have a clear timeline for the road work that needs to happen along Winterburn Road and Webber Greens Drive.

The Winterburn Industrial area will have their roads fully upgraded to a proper urban industrial standard in order to better support the businesses that operate in that area. This is critical work for the long-term economic development of our city.

Over the past few years we have seen arterial or collector road reconstruction on the following roads: 178th Street from 95th Ave to Stony Plain Road, 163rd Street from 87th Ave to 95th Ave, 111th Avenue from 149th Street to 156th Street, 90th Avenue from 170th Street to 178th Street, and many more.

Our arterial road reconstruction program is now properly funded so that we can catch up on the lack of investment that occurred over the past few decades. It will take time to complete all the necessary work, but with the funding now in place, there is a clear path forward.

+ The Way We Grow

Edmonton continues to experience significant population increases yet the population across our mature communities continues to drop. That creates challenges for our local schools and businesses which require a population comparable to what it was 30-40 years ago to remain viable. As the average household size has also decreased considerably, providing a wider range of housing choices similar to what we have in new communities across Edmonton is necessary to bring in new families while allowing seniors the opportunity to stay within their existing community. For example, in the community of Lewis Estates there are single family homes, single family homes on narrow lots, semi-detached/duplex housing, row housing, townhomes, single storey semi-detached/duplex housing for seniors, apartments, condos, and seniors housing (independent living, supportive living). Allowing a variety of housing options will provide choice for those who want to move into or stay within their community. To make housing more affordable in mature communities we must expand the opportunities for the ‘invisible density’ (ex: garden suits, secondary suites).

If re-elected I will support new opportunities to expand affordable housing choices that will allow someone to age within their community while continuing to refine and improve how development occurs in our neighbourhoods. I will do this by supporting secondary suites and garden suites to be permitted uses in all low density dwelling types and row housing. This will help to address the issue of affordability in our mature communities while creating opportunities for additional accessible suites for those who would like a wider range of barrier-free housing in mature communities. It is not acceptable to have seniors leaving the community they have lived in because of a lack of accessible housing just as it is unacceptable to see mature schools and local businesses close due to a lack of population.

Also, if re-elected I will support the creation of the nodes and corridor plan which will focus higher density development along arterial and collector roads with strong transit service and by major community amenities. Addressing the ‘missing middle’ of housing is how we can ensure many of the mature communities, including my home of Jasper Park, are able to have the same variety of housing that residents of many newer communities have.

As the next Council will approve the next ten-year Municipal Development Plan, a new growth target will be developed. Instead of focusing on a set percentage of infill, the target must be creating vibrant communities that have a variety of housing choice, active school/community spaces and successful local businesses that provide products and services that support the vibrancy of the neighbourhood.

2021 Update:

The new City Plan was approved in December 2020 and it focuses on creating vibrant communities. The 15-minute district concept in the plan will allow Edmontonians to live more locally with thriving local businesses and schools. In order to create even more vibrant communities, the City Plan has a focus on nodes as corridors.

I also delivered on my commitment to expand secondary suites and garden suites to be permitted uses in all low density dwelling types and row housing. This provides many new affordable housing options that can allow people to more easily age within their community.

+ Supportive Housing

If we hope to accomplish the goal of ending homelessness and poverty, we need more supportive housing so people can access the necessary resources. I believe that most people understand the need to have appropriate housing as it reduces the need for emergency services to respond to calls since people will have the essential supports on site. We have seen the success of this model in locations like Ambrose Place. Therefore, it is time to make sure supportive housing is spread across the city. Concentrating social housing in the core will not help us end homelessness or poverty so people should start thinking about what locations in their community would work best.

If re-elected, I will support the construction of supportive housing across the city. If the best location is beside where I live, I will be happy to support that. We all must work together to accomplish these goals so it is better for us to be proactive and plan for housing rather than react once something has been proposed.

2021 Update:

While housing is primarily the responsibility of the provincial and federal government, Edmonton City Council approved funding for 200 units of supportive housing in 2020. The federal government also provided funding to build additional units of supportive housing. While a total of 916 units of supportive housing are required, there are hundreds of units now under construction that will be able to support many of our neighbours experiencing homelessness.

+ The Way We Move

As I discussed in my 2013 platform, our City’s goal cannot be to make one form of transportation unpleasant so people will use a different method. That is why I supported the removal of the bike lanes on 95th Avenue while also supporting the minimum grid in our downtown. I also supported our new Transit Strategy which will overhaul our existing transit service. This was an important step in ensuring we get higher ridership and better value for what is one of our largest budget items. Council also supported expanding the vehicle for hire industry. Ride-sharing is here to stay and Edmonton was the first city in Canada to allow ride-sharing companies on our streets.

For those that need to drive, we significantly increased our arterial roadway renewal budget from $25 million/year to $55 million/year so we could start to fix our major roads which were in bad shape. This Council also approved the conversion of Yellowhead Trail into a freeway. This project will help with the appropriate movement of people and goods within Edmonton.

While those projects were all necessary, we must prepare for new technology. Automated/autonomous or self-driving vehicles are quickly evolving. These vehicles are on the road right now in warmer climates and have been used for both passenger and freight. Automated vehicles are going to revolutionize not just how we move from point A to point B but it will transform our economy and land use (ex: parking lots). We have a choice: we can either wait and let the rest of the world decide how this technology will integrate with our city or we can choose to be the leading Northern city and create our own policy.

If re-elected, I will continue to advocate to the rest of Council that Edmonton should take the lead on this file. We have made progress but more work is needed. We have locations and partners that would be prime for testing. Expanding our network will provide Council with the necessary data to make policy decisions. It could also encourage new businesses to set up in Edmonton if they are aware that we are looking to lead on this new technology.

The Transit Strategy post above references the first mile/last mile challenge with our transit system. The issue is that running a near empty bus every 30 or 60 minutes to try to connect people to their nearest transit hub is not an efficient use of tax dollars. Therefore, if re-elected, I will re-introduce a motion to explore the use of the vehicle for hire and car-sharing industry along with other options such as dial-a-bus to address the first mile/last mile challenge for our transit system. While there is no guarantee that using the vehicle for hire or car-sharing (ex: Pogo) industry is the right solution, it is not responsible to rule it out before comparing it to the other options. Our focus should be on increasing ridership as much as possible. Therefore, analyzing all options is the right thing to do to make the most informed decision.

2021 Update:

I did reintroduce the motion to explore different solutions for the first mile/last mile challenge. This led to the creation of the On-Demand service with ETS. This service has allowed us to provide transit service to the Communities of Big Lake (Hawks Ridge, Starling, and Trumpeter). It also introduced transit service to 7 other communities across Edmonton.

There has not been as much progress on the testing of automated vehicles. While we had successful tests in our city, it has not been on an ongoing basis. This technology continues to improve every year and I would still like to see Edmonton play an active role in testing.

+ Active Transportation

Active transportation deals with those who walk and/or bike. While the investment in our roads in the 2015-18 Capital Budget was over $1 billion, our investment in our sidewalks and trails has been limited. This has created challenges for seniors who have mobility aids, people in wheelchairs or parents with strollers as the replacement of cracked sidewalks and trails can take some time. Looking forward to the next Capital Budget, there needs to be more attention given to those that walk.

If re-elected, I will support an increase to the Active Transportation budget so that our cracked sidewalks and trails can be made safe for those that choose or need to use that infrastructure. This would also allow us to build more sidewalks and trails so that people can safely navigate to their destinations.

2021 Update:

Although there has been some additional work and funding for active pathways, I do not believe we are at the level necessary yet. I recently put forward the following inquiry in order to determine what additional resources are needed for more thorough sidewalk rehabilitation across Edmonton:

“Can Administration provide a report on the following:

1. The average timeline to investigate a report made via 311 about a sidewalk concern.
2. The criteria used to determine if a crack, hole, or slant is an accessibility issue.
3. The target timeline to repair a sidewalk that has an accessibility issue.
4. The target timeline to repair a sidewalk that does not have an accessibility issue.
5. The criteria used to determine if a sidewalk panel should be replaced instead of repaired.
6. The annual budget for sidewalk repair and replacement over each of the last 10 years.

Due Date: Fourth Quarter 2021, Community and Public Services Committee”

+ Traffic Safety

Traffic safety has been raised as a major issue across new and mature communities. Earlier this year the Office of Traffic Safety committed to engaging all Edmontonians around appropriate speeds on local, collector (ex: 95th Avenue) and arterial (ex: 87th Avenue, 156th Street, 215th Street, etc.) roads. We know that people have a 90% chance of survival if they are hit by a vehicle travelling at 30km/h, a 50% chance at 40km/h and 15% chance at 50km/h. Within most communities I find it odd that I am allowed to drive the same speed as I do on 156th Street – which is the street that I live on. Whether it is children walking or biking to the park/school or seniors who require additional time to cross the road, having a slower speed on our local roads can create a more vibrant community where more people are out and connecting with one another. This would also help us reach our goal set out in Vision Zero.

At the same time, we know that some of our arterial roads have posted speeds that are set 10km/h lower than what they are engineered for. While I understand why that may be a reasonable decision for our local roads, I find it hard to understand why we would set the limit lower than what the arterial roads are designed to support. As safety on our arterial roads is a priority, we can both ensure the efficient movement of people and goods while providing safe crossing opportunities for others by enhancing our crosswalk standards.

If re-elected, I plan to support slower speeds on our local roads and the speed that our arterial roads were designed for. Our focus should be safety, consistency, and efficient movement. I would also like to review all the available information from other cities that have made a similar change and review the results since implementation.

Also, if re-elected Council must set a target date to achieve Vision Zero. It will not be easy but by not committing to a date, it is hard to prove we are serious about accomplishing the primary goal of ending all traffic fatalities.

2021 Update:

I delivered on my commitment to support slower speed on our local roads within our communities and also delivered on the commitment to set a clear target for achieving Vision Zero (2032). The actions within Vision Zero have already started to help us reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries. For the speeds on arterial roads, the City’s Traffic Operations Team will make annual adjustments to the speed zone bylaw based on road design.