Remembering Constable Woodall, addressing our social housing crunch, kicking off National Aboriginal Day
June 19, 2015
A sombre week that was wrapped in remembrance and grief was also punctuated with some important community events and a full slate of committee work.
Mayor Iveson travelled last Friday to Fort McMurray as chair of the Northern Alberta Mayors' and Reeves' Caucus, this time hosted by Mayor Melissa Blake of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. In addition to taking in various presentations on Fort McMurray and discussing issues of mutual interest, caucus members took part in a ribbon-cutting world record attempt for Shell Place and showed their support on Saturday for the Edmonton Eskimos' first exhibition game of the season against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the northernmost-ever Canadian Football League game.
On Monday, City Council’s Community Services Committee discussed the successes of the Winter Cities Shake-up conference and a report that recommended Edmonton host the conference again in 2017. A funding request will likely come forward in the 2016-18 budget discussion. Later Monday afternoon Mayor Iveson attended the opening of the first Alberta Legislature session under Premier Rachel Notley and the Speech from the Throne, delivered by new Lieutenant Governor Honourable Lois Mitchell.
Tuesday’s Executive Committee meeting covered a wide range of topics, from the business plan for Corporate Services to design guidelines for signs surrounding Churchill Square to an update on the review and approval of engineering drawings submitted to the City. Most notably, Mayor Iveson tabled a report from his Social Housing Regeneration Advisory Group and made a notice of motion to ask administration to prioritize the report’s recommendations and how they will be reflected in the larger City of Edmonton affordable housing strategy.
On Wednesday, the city came to a standstill as a procession featuring 3,600 officers made their way down Jasper Avenue to the Shaw Conference Centre for the funeral of Constable Daniel Woodall. Edmontonians lined the procession route, some in silence, others clapping in appreciation for the sacrifices first responders make to keep our city safe. Following touching tributes from two of Daniel’s close friends, Mayor Iveson shared his appreciation for the work Constable Woodall did to make our city more inclusive and respectful. “In recent days, this outpouring from our hearts has been one of overwhelming compassion and generosity. And this morning, our community responded and demonstrated our support, once more, by lining the procession route to show that Daniel’s life and service mattered. He mattered ... to all of us. … We will continue Daniel’s good work and build upon his exemplary leadership — reaching across communities to forge deep and lasting relationships with one another, human being to human being. And we are truly grateful for the example that Daniel has set for all of us,” he said in his remarks.
A regular EEDC Board of Directors meeting took up most on Thursday morning, while part of the afternoon was spent meeting with working group volunteers of the Mayor’s Task Force for the Elimination of Poverty (now called End Poverty Edmonton) and thanking them for their contributions. Later that evening, the Mayor spoke to the ‘next generation’ group of the Canadian Home Builders Association of Edmonton, highlighting the work the City has done around its infill policies and the positive impacts it will have for the home building industry. He reiterated the importance of being a ‘good neighbour’ during infill construction while emphasizing the work the city still needs to do around providing greater transportation choices for people in mature neighbourhoods.
Friday kicked off a weekend of celebrations for National Aboriginal Day with a big event at Canada Place featuring a spectacular Grand Entry, hoop dancers, and traditional songs. Want to participate in National Aboriginal Day activities? Join us at Louise McKinney park Saturday afternoon and evening for Aboriginal Day Live, hosted by APTN and featuring a tipi village, dancing, and an evening concert featuring Northern Cree, George Canyon, Crystal Shawanda and Derek Miller. See you there!
For More Information
Mayor Don Iveson
2nd Floor, City Hall
1 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, AB
T5J 2R7
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