Week in Review - August 14/2015
August 14, 2015
The week’s last bit of news also ended up being its biggest as the City announced that the Metro LRT Line will be open for revenue service starting September 6th. After many months of delays and bad news, this will be a welcome relief for NAIT students, employees of the Royal Alex Hospital and Edmontonians who regularly use the LRT. The City's third-party engineer - HMM - has said the new LRT line can operate at reduced speeds while the City waits for the new signalling system to be fully operational.
On Tuesday, Mayor Iveson and Mayor’s Office staff were thrilled to host four energetic ‘bosses’ as part of the Kids with Cancer Day. Staff made waffles and laid out a table full of toppings, including whip cream, sprinkles, chocolate chips and strawberries. In between bites, the kids got the chance to ask Mayor Iveson questions (including: are you the real mayor?) and got a behind-the-scenes tour of the Mayor’s Office before heading to a local fire station where they climbed in the truck and tried out some of the equipment.
Later that afternoon, concern grew over a dog that was frequently being left for long stretches in a van behind a downtown apartment. After seeking reassurance from the Edmonton Humane Society that the dog was not in distress, the Mayor released this statement on his facebook page: This is not a desirable situation for this dog and we are actively assisting the Edmonton Humane Society in seeking a positive resolution to this situation. On this issue, the Edmonton Humane Society has the jurisdiction over the Animal Protection Act and is responsible for enforcement of it. The City of Edmonton, Edmonton Police Service and Edmonton Fire Rescue are assisting the Edmonton Humane Society where they can.
The Mayor started his day Wednesday with an appearance on the Crosbie and Cross show on 95.7 CRUZ FM. The interview covered a range of topics from bike lanes to the things that motivate him as a leader.
Later that morning, Mayor Iveson joined other dignitaries to take part in the official groundbreaking ceremony for the City’s Blatchford development. During his remarks, the Mayor called the groundbreaking a “historic day for our city” as development begins on the community that will be a model for sustainable planning and building and will one day house 30,000 people. Mayor Iveson has called Blatchford “our Brooklyn” because of its mix of family-friendly row housing and low-rise buildings, in combination with pedestrian-centric urban design. The development offers the City an opportunity to take a leadership role not only in housing form and mix, but also in its goal to be a “net zero” community. Show homes for the community are expected to open in late 2016/early 2017 and underground utility work is already underway.
While the Mayor spent most of Thursday in Capital Region Board meetings working on the development of a growth strategy for the Edmonton Metro region, the City released a report showing that of the 176 arterial road, neighbourhood road, bridge and interchange projects underway this year, 80 are already complete, 82 are on schedule for completion, and a handful are delayed due to utility work. This year, the City will spend $451 million on road construction alone.
Thursday night the Mayor joined hundreds of other fans for another 2015 FIBA Americas Women’s Championship game featuring Canada vs. Cuba. Canada is coming off an impressive gold medal at the Pan Am Games in Toronto and looks to secure a berth in the 2016 Rio Olympics. The team — based out of its national training base in Edmonton — is undefeated in the tournament so far. Go Canada!
Next week marks the resumption of council business with Committees returning to work and some important items on the agenda. Stay tuned to the Mayor’s Office social media channels for updates as the week progresses!
For More Information
Mayor Don Iveson
2nd Floor, City Hall
1 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, AB
T5J 2R7
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