My Reflections on the Mayor’s Open Transition Memos
On Friday, September 24, 2021, Don Iveson released a series of Open Transition Memos in advance of finishing his term as Mayor. I appreciate this act of transparency; many outgoing mayors would not have released these sorts of details publicly.
I read the memos with great interest and scrutiny, using this collaborative lens. All five priority areas identified are well aligned with key planks of my Community, Economy, Climate platform. I will discuss how the next city council can execute and build off the ideas proposed.
The memos are a great start.The true magic will be in their execution. To tackle the grand challenges facing our city, two things need to happen:
Council needs to actively work together to take decisive action.
We need to rebuild our relationship with the provincial government.
One way to build a trusting and productive relationship with the provincial government is through a shared advocacy approach, where councillors and the Mayor alike make direct connections with MLAs, joining forces over specific files (i.e., regional economic development in the southeast). Much of the focus around how the city interacts with the provincial government has been based on the Mayor’s ability to build bridges. However, by broadening the relationship with the province to more people on City Council, we can strengthen the city’s position on numerous files and build longer-lasting relationships that can persevere through times of council and provincial government turnover.
Community
What’s proposed in the memo for supportive housing is largely consistent with the distributed approach to housing I’ve outlined in my platform under Housing for Everyone. Indeed, big ideas like social impact financing that the Mayor proposed are innovative and could help address the affordable housing funding shortage in the city. Cities absolutely need to find new ways of generating revenue so as not to be limited to the inelastic tool of property taxes, but the fundamental challenge facing Albertan cities is that the power to explore new municipal income sources lies squarely with the province.
I was disappointed when the provincial government tore up years of work that went into developing Big City Charters, which aimed to provide municipalities with greater autonomy in a number of areas including revenue generation. This will continue to be a major pain point for the next City Council to address. I would like to see the next City Council present financing alternatives other than taxation to the province, such as municipal bonds and smart financing as a means to renew the conversation about City Charters.
Economy
As I reviewed the memo, I was intrigued by the Mayor’s thoughts on opportunities for economic development in Edmonton, especially his suggestion to form a major logistics hub. It parallels my idea to create an ‘economic hotzone’ in the Southeast for targeted investments in research and development (e.g., at the Edmonton Research Park).
I’d love to explore how a southeast economic hotzone could drive new activity through rapid permit approvals and creative tax incentives that catalyze innovation and development. Leveraging assets in the ward such as the LRT, the ward’s proximity to the airport and the Beaumont region, along with access to major trade corridors like Highway 2 and Anthony Henday Drive can support this big — but important — idea.
One particular consideration when it comes to regionalization that I found to be missing from the memos is ensuring all of the people are engaged in the conversation. For example, we simply cannot have service regionalization conversations without labour representation at the table, nor can we exclude local MLAs if we want to truly have an aligned approach between the city and the province.
We have an opportunity to use strategic documents like the City Plan to implement priority-based budgeting and reduce the tax burden for residents and businesses alike. Paired with economic diversification and focused regional development, I envision a prosperous future that will benefit all Edmontonians.
Climate
The memo outlines in detail the importance of climate action for our economy, infrastructure, and community wellbeing. I agree, and would like to expand.
The current council has laid the groundwork for Edmonton’s climate future through the 2021 Community Energy Transition Strategy and Action Plan. This strategy and action plan intimately ties economy and climate together. My platform recognizes the value of this work, and I believe that the next City Council must follow through to implement this roadmap. Climate action has everything to do with cities and we are at a critical moment in history for a just transition. The cost of not taking action is simply too great — for our planet, community, and the economy.
It is incredibly important to me that as we do this work, we do not forget about the JUST part of a just transition. As our city continues to grow and becomes more diverse everyday, we need to ensure all perspectives and voices — Indigenous peoples, newcomers, racialized communities, and working class folks — are heard when we talk about climate adaptation and mitigation. To ensure some of these voices are meaningfully represented, I would love to see bodies form, like the Indigenous Leadership and Elders Council proposed in my platform, and play an active advisory role in collaborating and implementing the transition plan.
To bring this vision to life not only requires a climate-friendly approach but also an economic development mindset, looking at the region as a whole.
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Edmonton is growing into a world class metropolis of 2 million people. We will need strong, outcomes-focused, and — perhaps most critically — collaborative leadership to navigate the challenges we will face along the way. The new Council will need to build mutual trust and respect at all levels including at their own table and with the provincial government.
I am a results-based problem solver that has been helping communities achieve better outcomes for themselves for the past decade.
I look forward to doing the same for Ward Karhiio and Edmonton as a city councillor.
