Week in Review - October 2, 2015
October 02, 2015
The city was rocked with explosive news on Monday morning as we discovered that our beloved Oilers captain Andrew Ference had been kidnapped. Mayor Iveson knew there was only one person in Edmonton who could save Ference and bring peace of mind to the citizenry - Spider-Mable! The tiny, yet powerful, local hero rushed to the Mayor’s Office and received a proclamation from the Mayor that gave her free access and freedom to the entire city in order to track the villain who perpetrated this vile deed. The whole city was riveted by this day-long episodic adventure where six-year-old Lisa Tooke (AKA Spider-Mable), accompanied by Spider-Man, searched high and low for Ference. The plot thickened after it became known Mysterio was responsible for the disappearance of our Oilers captain and the entire world held its breath as Spider-Mable faced down this dastardly scoundrel. Mysterio was soon defeated and Spider-Mable captured the hearts and minds of many across the globe that day. We love you, Spider-Mable!
On a less heroic note, later in the day the Mayor helped launch the city’s engagement initiative called ‘What Moves You? Let’s Talk Transit’ that will inform the creation of a new transit strategy for the City of Edmonton. The launch included a presentation on transit systems around the world from ‘Straphanger’ author Taras Grascoe and an overview of some of the public engagement methods to be used during the review, from a special bus running on different routes collecting input from bus riders to workshops and surveys. This is a unique time for residents and transit users to give the city their opinion on what is working in the world of transit and what they think can be improved.
On Thursday, Mayor Iveson was in Fort Saskatchewan for the ReEnvision Housing Symposium where members of the Capital Region Board, housing and development stakeholders discussed and received presentations on several exciting topics such as: housing accessibility, innovation in infill projects and the future of social housing. The Mayor was particularly interested in the potential options for future social housing in the Edmonton Metropolitan region, with talk of how to make social housing more sustainable by combining them with developments to include market housing and commercial components.
That evening was also packed with two worthwhile events where the Mayor brought greetings on behalf of the city. The first was the 66th anniversary celebration of the founding of the People's Republic of China, hosted by the Chinese Benevolent Association. Hundreds of residents from the local Chinese community attended the event where the Mayor spoke of the business and trade links between our city and China - with special recognition of Edmonton’s newest air link through Air China Cargo’s new regular service that started last week.
The second event was the Hockey Helps the Homeless reception at Browns Social House. The event recognized the contributions of alumni and sponsors who made it possible for this charity to provide support for the homeless by leveraging Canadians’ affinity for hockey. The Mayor made a point of speaking of the city’s Housing First strategy and how it has been successful in housing over 4,000 people since 2009. There is more work to be done on this front and it is groups like Hockey Helps the Homeless that brings together a community in the battle to end homelessness.
That wraps up the week of September 28 to October 2! The weather is forecasted to be a bit chilly this weekend, so make sure to dress warm and maybe take time to put that favourite soup of yours on the stove (we are partial to butternut squash). From the Mayor’s Office, have a wonderful autumn weekend.
For More Information
Mayor Don Iveson
2nd Floor, City Hall
1 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, AB
T5J 2R7
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