Week in Review - October 9, 2015
October 09, 2015
Mayor Iveson was on hand at the Coast Edmonton Plaza Hotel this past Saturday to give the keynote address at the 2015 Women’s Symposium, hosted by WAVE. The Mayor spoke of how the issues of ending poverty and bringing gender equality are issues that must be tied together. He also encouraged more women to run for public office, stating the women in the room needed to “run to win.”
That same day the Mayor was in south-east Edmonton to open a brand new playground in the Lendrum neighbourhood. The Mayor was joined by the Hon. Lori Sigurdson, Minister of Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour, and Ward 10 Councillor Michael Walters at the event – as you can see below, the three of them took some time to break in the new playground amenities!
Rounding out a full Saturday, the Mayor then brought greetings on behalf of the city at the inaugural Harvest Reception. The Mayor made sure to highlight the importance of local food security through the use of community gardens. The event was hosted by Sustainable Food Edmonton in order to raise funds for initiatives like their Little Green Thumbs program, which brings indoor gardens to classrooms so children can learn about how we grow the food we eat.
Committee business also took up the lion’s share of the week’s work. At Executive Committee, there was discussion of a bylaw that sets mandatory separation distances of 500m between liquor stores. After hearing comments from interested parties, the Mayor made a motion to refer the report back to Administration “to look at alternatives for exception to restrictions on separation distances between alcohol sales uses for larger commercial sites in suburban contexts, considering the appropriate planning rationale, including overlays or other alternatives.” This report is expected to come back to Executive Committee in the second quarter of 2016.
Executive Committee also dealt with a report on the impact of bad construction practices in mature neighbourhoods. The strategy to increase density in our city’s core is of ongoing importance – which is why the Mayor took time to post on his blog regarding Edmonton’s evolving infill story. The Committee ultimately decided to pass a motion that requested Administration explore and prepare options for the Committee to consider in addressing residents’ concerns over un-neighbourly behavior that is taking place at some construction projects. This list of options on potential actions is due back in the first quarter of 2016.
City Hall was full of political- and civic-minded citizens this past Tuesday, as the Mayor’s Office and the City-Regions Studies Centre at the University of Alberta hosted the Municipal Issues Forum. The forum featured local federal election candidates from all four of the major parties (Liberal, Conservative, NDP and Green) and concentrated on issues which impact cities like Edmonton. For a snapshot into what was discussed check out our live-tweeting session under the #yegforum hashtag.
On Thursday, Mayor Iveson kicked off the City’s Affordable Housing Awareness Campaign. The campaign will help publicly define what affordable housing is and why we need it in Edmonton, while also helping to bust myths about affordable housing. Mayor Iveson, who has continuously advocated for more affordable housing in our city, was emphatic in supporting more choice in neighbourhoods in order to accommodate the housing needs of all Edmontonians.
Finishing the week, the Mayor was on the Ryan Jespersen Show at 630 CHED to talk about ending poverty and homelessness in Edmonton. Some Edmonton residents have asked why our city cannot be like Medicine Hat and eliminate homelessness entirely, while the Mayor has highlighted the complexities of poverty in Edmonton and ensuring we’re combating the root causes of homelessness.
That wraps up the Mayor’s week! From the Mayor’s Office, have a wonderful and warm-hearted Thanksgiving weekend. If you have time in between the first and second servings of turkey on Sunday, make sure to tune into CBC’s Sunday Edition at 9:05 a.m. to hear the Mayor talk about urban issues. There is definitely pumpkin pie in our very near future as we listen in - Yum!
For More Information
Mayor Don Iveson
2nd Floor, City Hall
1 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, AB
T5J 2R7
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