Week in Review - December 18, 2015
December 18, 2015
On Monday Mayor Iveson took part in the kickoff for the 20th year of the Donate-a-Ride campaign. The campaign seeks donations from Edmontonians in order to provide those in need with Edmonton Transit tickets. Donate-a-Ride is hoping break last year’s record of 101,136 (worth more than $200,000).
Tuesday saw the Mayor meet with Esmeralda Abgulos, Honourary Consul General for The Philippines. Ms. Abgulos and the Mayor spoke of how to better celebrate Filipino culture and recognize the many contributions made by the 100,000-plus Filipinos who live and work in Alberta.
Tuesday also had the Mayor take part in an event to recognize the achievements of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment. Formed in 1915 by Lieutenant General William Griesbach, the 49th Regiment (later named the Loyal Edmonton Regiment or Loyal Eddies for short) fought in many major battles in World War I, including the Somme, Passchendaele and Vimy Ridge, and one of Canada's deadliest battles in World War II - The Battle of Ortona, Italy. The Loyal Edmonton Regiment has represented Edmonton in an extraordinary fashion during war, peace support operations and during domestic operations, including fires and flood control, most recently in southern Alberta in June 2013. The Mayor was honoured to present the regiment with a gift, on behalf of the people of Edmonton, to mark their centennial.
This week City Council unanimously approved the Mayor's EndPoverty Edmonton strategy that's aimed at eliminating poverty in our city within a generation. On the passage of the strategy at City Council, co-chair of the EndPoverty Edmonton Task Force Bishop Jane Alexander, called it a “historic day” and that she would be “dancing if we were not in such a formal setting.” With one out of five children in Edmonton living in poverty it is now more important than ever to end the cycle of poverty. The key to all this will be the implementation for the 28 recommendations of the task force. Now with extensive community engagement and consultation on the strategy complete comes the development of a 10-year road map to accomplish this important goal. It is time to plan for the implementation of this worthy objective - time to end the struggle that comes with poverty.
Mayor Iveson also revealed this week that he will be the next Chair of the country’s Big City Mayors’ Caucus (BCMC). A recent Facebook post shed light on how this new opportunity will help Edmonton lead a national conversation on the role cities can have in combating poverty, protecting the environment and building a strong economy.
Finally, this week the former deputy prime minister of Kosovo and current mayor of Gjilan, Mr. Lufti Haziri, stopped by City Hall to speak with Mayor Iveson on increasing educational links between their cities. Edmonton has many Kosovar-descendent residents who came here as refugees during the Kosovo War in the late 1990s. The two mayors spoke of how welcoming Edmonton was then and how our city has continued that legacy of “open doors and open hearts” during the recent Syrian refugee crisis.
This ends another week at the Mayor’s Office. This will be the last post of the year until mid-January. We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season - hoping all Edmontonians take the time they need to be with those they care for most. Happy Holidays!
For More Information
Mayor Don Iveson
2nd Floor, City Hall
1 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, AB
T5J 2R7
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