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Municipal Politics

For those politicians with further interest or ambition, I do think there is gap that needs to be filled Federally now or in the near future, but all the travel and spending time away from home is not for everyone.
 
Greenspace said:
Council voted 9-4 to declare a housing emergency.
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Conflicted on this. City council needs to find a way to shift responsibility to the province and federal government for this issue (especially the international drug supply and lack of housing). Making this a municipal emergency risks making it Edmonton council's problem. Also seems to take focus away from other critical issues.
 
occidentalcapital said:
Conflicted on this. City council needs to find a way to shift responsibility to the province and federal government for this issue (especially the international drug supply and lack of housing). Making this a municipal emergency risks making it Edmonton council's problem. Also seems to take focus away from other critical issues.
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I agree. The City should NEVER take on any role not spelled out by the Province as a municipal responsibility. Nor should it belly up dollars because the Feds want to help and tempt the city politicians to misappropriate taxes for services (housing) that is not a city responsibility. City involvement means Edmonton taxpayers are seeing increases in property taxes for services we are not responsible for.
 
occidentalcapital said:
Conflicted on this. City council needs to find a way to shift responsibility to the province and federal government for this issue (especially the international drug supply and lack of housing). Making this a municipal emergency risks making it Edmonton council's problem. Also seems to take focus away from other critical issues.
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I still don't understand how declaring a housing emergency means it's all the city's problem. The city is saying we have a problem within our boundaries that is out of control that we don't have the capacity or resources to solve - we need help and the economic forecast says things could get worse. And the stats of people on the brink of losing their place of residence is about 3% of our population - or another 30,000.

The city also declared a climate emergency, but that doesn't mean the city is responsible for all climate change initiatives.
 
I have to wonder whether she'll stay in provincial politics but I don't see any rush for her to step away quite yet. It certainly won't happen prior to a decent hand over/transition to her successor and from there I think there'll be a search for a "star" candidate to replace her in Edmonton-Strathcona. Neither she nor the party will want those to overlap and they may not want a by-election in the latter part of the current term...
 
kcantor said:
I have to wonder whether she'll stay in provincial politics but I don't see any rush for her to step away quite yet. It certainly won't happen prior to a decent hand over/transition to her successor and from there I think there'll be a search for a "star" candidate to replace her in Edmonton-Strathcona. Neither she nor the party will want those to overlap and they may not want a by-election in the latter part of the current term...
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Yes, they do have the time for a smooth, well planned out transition. There is no rush for any upcoming election, nor does she have any other pressing plans that we know of.
 
Council to consider new Public Spaces Bylaw​

January 19, 2024

City Councillors are set to discuss a proposed new bylaw that would consolidate the rules governing public spaces.

The Public Spaces Bylaw provides clarity around competing uses and acceptable behaviour in public spaces. The change creates a single consistent bylaw around the rules governing public spaces. The consolidated bylaws are:

The changes build on Council’s work to improve experiences in public spaces, while reflecting insights from Edmontonians and practices from other jurisdictions. City Administration conducted a full-scale review of bylaws governing transit and other public spaces in 2022, studied similar bylaws in other Canadian municipalities, and sought feedback from Edmontonians.

The proposed bylaw would give Edmontonians new opportunities such as allowing food truck vendors with a valid business license to operate from legal parking locations on public roadways, and allowing operation of Micro- or Mini-drones (under 250 grams) within designated areas.

Other provisions are designed to improve experiences and uses of public spaces, for example new restrictions around the use of sound amplification systems. The bylaw will also add clarity around rules for signage, stickers, decals or posters in public spaces.

Several additions or adjustments have been included to improve public safety:
  • What is considered a weapon in public spaces will now include pepper spray and devices designed to provide an electric shock.
  • Panhandling is not permitted on a roadway to ensure the safety of all public space and roadway users.
  • Restricted dogs are not permitted to enter an off-leash area.
  • A lifejacket must be worn on any vessel on the North Saskatchewan river or other naturally occurring body of water.

The Public Spaces Bylaw will first be discussed by Council at a non-statutory public hearing on February 2 and If passed there will be a three month period before the bylaw comes into force. It would take effect on May 13, 2024. This will allow time for public education and internal implementation work.​

Media contact:
Justin Townell
Integrated Communications
Office of the City Manager
587-873-7099​
 
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Yonge Dundas renaming has faced a ton of backlash. Interested to see how this one plays out in terms of perceived “need” for the rename and how people respond to the new/unique name.
 
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