Week in Review - February 19, 2016
February 19, 2016
Saturday was a day where, in typical Edmonton fashion, the entire community came out and rolled out the proverbial welcome mat for our newest residents from abroad. The Mayor was honoured to host the City of Edmonton’s Winter Wonderland Welcome event for the many refugees from Syria and beyond who have made this city their home in 2015 and 2016.
The event took place at Rundle Park and had over 1,000 newcomers partake in a wide range of activities, such as road hockey hosted by Edmonton Oilers’ Andrew Ference, halal marshmallow roasting, wagon rides and more. This demonstrated that our community is a welcoming one and will gladly accept those who are seeking a more peaceful way of life.
The weekend also saw the Mayor in Chinatown, on hand to celebrate the Lunar New Year with the Chinatown and Area Business Association. Mayor Iveson handed out traditional red envelopes (filled with chocolate coins). The envelopes are usually filled with a monetary gift that is given during special occasions as a symbol of good luck.
Tuesday’s City Council meeting had an important Infrastructure Report Card on the agenda. The report card outlined the City’s infrastructure inventory, value and condition for 2014. Of note is that the value of Edmonton's infrastructure assets total $42.8-billion (with a “B”), with 87% of these assets being reported as being in very good to fair condition.
On Wednesday, the Mayor joined Northlands President and CEO Tim Reid in the unveiling of Northlands' Vision 2020, "I congratulate Northlands on their bold new vision to repurpose their existing facilities," said Mayor Iveson. "Our next steps will be to listen and hear what the public has to say in response to these proposals." The Mayor encourages citizens to provide their thoughts and comments by filling out this survey.
Associated Engineering opened their new downtown head office on Thursday, with Mayor Iveson there to help with the ribbon cutting and welcome the move to the city’s core. Employees of the company, who pushed for the move downtown, wished to be part of the growth and increased vibrancy taking hold in the heart of our city.
The Mayor also took time on Friday to pop into the City Hall School, where students from the Sakaw School asked how the Mayor stays healthy - especially with his busy schedule. Mayor Iveson told the students that small changes, like not driving so much and instead cycling to work combined with not eating too many desserts and breads at various meetings, goes a long way in making sure he can fit into his suits.
During the week the Mayor also posted on his personal blog how the City of Edmonton has been quietly working towards becoming more open and effective through various initiatives, such as the Service Level Review and the corporate reorganization.
This ends another week for the Mayor and us at the office. Next week make sure to check out the results of the Ward 12 by-election, with polls closing on Monday at 8:00 p.m. Also on Monday, the Community Services Committee is scheduled to look at a report (among many others) on a revised vision for the MacEwan West Jasper Place building and an update on the City’s urban beekeeping program pilot.
For More Information
Mayor Don Iveson
2nd Floor, City Hall
1 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, AB
T5J 2R7
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