Dan Backs to Run in the New Ward 4, Supports Airport Vote
News Release
For Immediate Release
August 22nd, 2010 2:00 PM
Today in Edmonton, former MLA Dan Backs announced that he would be seeking election as an Edmonton City Councillor in the new Ward 4 of NE Edmonton. 'I have worked with many community leaders in the past. I am on many volunteer lists. When I returned from working on a pipeline project in the north this spring, I helped with some bingos and other events. Many people asked me to run for City Council. They said my work wasn't finished yet. I was honoured and eventually decided to run.'
'I went to Little Italy and with a sandwich from the Italian Supermarket, I sat down with the statue of Frank Spinelli in Giovanni Caboto Park. I always thought that Frank was a great leader when he was alive and know well the great deal of good he did for many Edmonton families. I had a bit of his fine wine on occasion together with former Mayor Laurence Decore, who I campaigned quite a bit for. I decided, sitting at that park table, to seek civic office.'
Dan will:
1. Seek to have the city concentrate on it's core services of Fire, Police, Transit Recreation and Planning.
2. Support the revitalization of The City Centre Airport. 'Chartered Crew flights to the oilsands and other northern sites should be from the most convenient airport. Thousands of oilsands workers live in the north of Edmonton. Transportation should be focus on ease and convenience.' ' I urge all Edmontonians to sign the Petition to keep our historic airport open and to reopen both runways. I have gathered over 450 signatures myself.'
3. Eliminate eyesores such as the junkyards along the LRT and right in the middle of Hollick Kenyon community. 'We have had a great deal of money spent on beautification along the LRT south of the river. It's about time the same happens on the northside.'
4. Push to honour our military veterans by providing them with free metered parking in Edmonton. 'MLA's and Councilor members get these passes, it's about time veterans do too. Many other cities provide this to veterans ' it's time for Edmonton to do the same.'
5. Work to improve regional transportation. 'People have trouble getting from their NE communities by bus to the base or to jobs at plants in the region. The region must address this. We must also push the province for early completion of Anthony Henday.'
6. Improve transit safety,' Many women, children and seniors take the bus and the LRT. They must be confident that it is safe to do so,'said Dan.
7. Work to have the Gorman Centre LRT station go ahead quickly. 'This should have gone ahead this year. It was a blunder by council not to use the federal stimulus money and matching provincial funds to build this. Now the area structure plan is in limbo.'
8. Find new parking for Clareview and Belvedere LRT stations. 'Charging for parking is not a solution.'
9. Support solutions for the homeless. 'One solution is ensuring a vital Alberta Hospital.'
10. Push for a greater role for community leagues and pilot some covered community rinks.' 120 days of use for a fabric covered community rink with artificial ice versus 40 days for an outdoor rink makes the covered facility worth a try. People are crying for more rink time.'
11. Institute long-term low tax for NE Greenhouses and food producers. 'We must keep them,' said Dan, 'The City shouldn't always be trying to tax them out of existence.'
LET'S WORK TO BUILD A BETTER EDMONTON
ROLE OF CITY COUNCILLOR
A city councillor is part of the group that sets policy development for the city as a whole and for the Edmonton region. Each councillor is elected from different parts of the city and may focus on issues impacting his or her ward in contrast to the city-wide responsibilities of our elected Mayor. Each councillor has one vote on the issues, proposals and developments brought before the city council and has the opportunity to lead with the power of his or her ideas.
I believe the first priority of City Council is to ensure that the basic services expected by our residents are efficiently and fairly delivered to all communities. Policing, fire protection, snow removal and other core service functions must be first-rate. Council must guard against grandiose and costly schemes. Taxes must be kept down so that Edmontonians can reasonably afford to own homes in Edmonton. Those on fixed incomes, such as our seniors - who want to stay in their homes - are now struggling with recent tax increases. We must seek efficiencies and reject the frivolous when directing the use of limited taxpayer dollars.
A COMPREHENSIVE VISION FOR NORTH EAST EDMONTON
Development goals should ensure that our city plans for bright, livable and safe neighborhoods where seniors can stroll and children can play. Community organizations play a crucial role and we must encourage their growth. Ongoing support for community leagues, sports organizations, and senior centres is crucial for Edmonton's success. The design and location of various amenities such as the nearby community hall, the local hockey rink, accessible playgrounds and playing fields cannot be limited to a multiplex approach if our goal is to enhance public safety by developing each neighborhood's sense of place and encouraging local neighbourhood activity.
Edmonton's transportation networks need to be efficient. Improving public transit and road systems are key to positive developments for our city. A majority of Edmontonians are drivers; unfortunately many people on the North End must drive across the city in order to get to work. This impacts road congestion, the amount budgeted for fuel costs, and decreases quality family time. Development of Edmonton's infrastructure must be more comprehensive in terms of it's relation to business development or land management. Designing the city with an eye toward decreasing the time our average commuter must spend in traffic is crucial for limiting congestion. For example, the new Horsehills Technical and Industrial Park in the poorer soils north of Manning Drive is well placed to provide well-paid jobs to the many people in the North End. I have been calling for such a 'Nisku North' for many years and first campaigned for such in 2004. Especially since this leaves the good soils south of Manning intact, it has tremendous potential to service the new Heartland development but also will provide an area for new technological development. Such forward-looking ideas would position the Northeast as a center for the development of alternative energy use and as an incubator for sustainable development technology; NAIT and Grant McEwan having campuses nearby would not be an unreasonable development if this vision became reality.
I favour revitalizing the Muni, our City Centre Airport, as a proper regional airport. Based on my observation and my conversations with NE residents, many of whom work in the oilsands, crew change flights to the oilsands would be much easier for the majority of these workers. We must ask the question: why do we force people drive all the way to the International airport when we have a functioning regional airport in our midst? Records show that in 2008, over 80,000 crew change passengers used the Edmonton International airport while under 7,000 were allowed to book flights from the Muni because of artificial restrictions. These passenger numbers are forecast to increase dramatically as employers avoid Highway 63 to Fort McMurray and as the oilsands development intensifies. Besides the potential that the Muni has for improving the travel logistics for our oilsands workers, thousands of Edmonton taxpayers work at or near the Muni. Due to its location, this airport needs to be considered as the best place for the 4,000 Medevac flights per year - at a potentially huge cost savings to the taxpayer. In terms of environmental reclamation alone, one could argue convincingly to keep and enhance this jewel of a regional airport.
A good Councillor must look at trends in his or her area and ask the hard questions that may have been overlooked at the municipal level. An example might be the uneven development in the location of services to those with disabilities. For too long the bulk of such housing has been given to the NE and this must end. We take pride in our care for those who - through no fault of their own - have a need for supportive or subsidized housing. All Edmontonians should be concerned about the quality of care provided to our most vulnerable citizens, and all parts of the city should have their fair share of social housing and group homes. It is good public policy to have these facilities spread throughout the city and region, proving what we know to be true - that all Edmontonians are just as welcoming and compassionate as our residents in the NE.
A Councillor must also be careful about inappropriate development. I led the fight in 2006 against locating a new 2,500-prisoner Remand Center near Clareview and Evergreen, because it was not the right place for this facility and would have hurt our communities.
In terms of soil and land management, we must consider solutions from those who have successfully maintained a balance. We could look to Europe for examples; Holland has a population of 18 million in an area roughly equivalent to the area from Edmonton south to Red Deer and still manages to retain much of their land for agricultural use - even exporting peas and carrots to Canada. Other such models exist that could be considered by Edmonton's City Council as a way to retain our good lands nearer the river in the NE for use by future generations of Edmontonians - while retaining and enhancing value for it's present residents.
The issues discussed above are merely a part of my total vision for Edmonton and the NE. Please visit the website in the coming months as this information will be added to as the campaign progresses.
Let's work to build a better Edmonton. I'd appreciate your support for Dan Backs for City Councillor.
Why I Ran As An Independent in the Last Provincial Election
In 2004, I was honoured to be elected as the MLA for Edmonton Manning. I had often been characterized as a 'Decore Liberal' and was in fact an active organizer and campaigner for Laurence Decore and Bettie Hewes in the eighties and early nineties, both in city and provincial elections. Laurence and Bettie had led a dynamic group of Albertans that won the Edmonton Mayor's seat for Laurence and expanded to very nearly beat Ralph Klein in 1993; this would have been a good provincial government. Alas, Laurence did not get a second chance to serve due to being stricken with terminal cancer. He had to resign. Many 'Decore Liberals', who refrained from active involvement in the Alberta Liberals after the controversial leadership win of his successor in 1993, returned to offer strong support to my campaign in 2004.
When considering my rationale for running as an Independent in the last Provincial election, I saw that mine was essentially an independent campaign in 2004. I had many high profile supporters and key community members helping, largely due to my prior volunteer activity and board and fundraising work. No recounting of the 2004 campaign is complete without mentioning the impact of the loss of my Mom. When my dear Mother passed on, I shut down my campaign for a week and even offered to pull out of the race in deference to her memory. My family and especially my Father said to carry on because she would have wanted that. Dad and I agreed to make no public issue of her passing in order to keep my mother's funeral as dignified as possible. Mom's funeral, attended by hundreds of friends and family, was beautiful and as we had hoped, undisturbed by media coverage. When my campaign restarted, many friends and supporters rallied for me and we made a great push to the end of the election. I sensed my Mom was with me through those days. I won the election being still very grief-stricken. Obviously I owe special thanks to my many friends from the construction and oilsands industries, the Alberta Building Trades, the Alberta Liberal Women's Commission and my extended family for that win.
I took on the job of MLA with great energy. I never missed a day in the Legislature or Committees, traveled for speaking engagements in Alberta extensively, and vigorously worked for the interests of NE Edmonton residents. I also wrote and coached other members on their speeches and advised them in their critic areas. I took particular pride in being the go-to-guy for honouring our Military. Rarely did I work less than 70 or 80 hours a week, with some noting that I was one of the hardest working MLA's.
In 2006, I was renominated unopposed in Edmonton Manning to run for the Alberta Liberals. I ran a number of successful town hall issue meetings and fundraisers. I was able to maintain a busy event schedule even during a period of significant stress caused by my Father's increasing frailty due to the loss of my Mother and his advancing cancer, and my own ordeal with complicated and significant emergency dental surgery.
Certainly the key event that explains why I eventually ran as an Independent is the well-known action by Kevin Taft, who called me in on a Monday morning with the completely unexpected message that he would not sign my nomination papers, asking me to leave caucus. Details about this event that aren't widely known are those that I feel I do need to carefully yet honestly share with the public at this time, as I am asking them to consider supporting me now.
Allow me to recap the watershed event as I recall the highlights: There was no reason given for Taft's sudden decision. I noted my utter shock at the time, calling the move 'bizarre'. Mr. Taft stated that his decision was final. Other MLA's called to express their shock and dismay at this action, and some demanded an explanation. I learned of an unclear explanation that was offered through the use of innuendo, implying that I was 'hard to get along with' and had 'personality differences' with other MLA's and staff. There were no specifics or facts given. I was never given any opportunity to defend myself.
My constituency executive met, and in the face of Taft's apparently irregular decision, voted to reaffirm my nomination. They also voted to request a meeting with the Leader and Party brass for the purpose of pointedly requiring Mr. Taft to explain his action taken against me. A meeting was eventually held, and interestingly, Kevin Taft chose not to be present. The AL Party President and Executive Director attended in his place, but could not give any explanation for why I'd been ousted, merely asserting the Leader's power to take such actions. Both were no longer in their positions two years later. Indicating in the strongest manner a lack of faith in the Leader and his mode of conduct in relation to me, the constituency executive voted a second time to reaffirm my nomination. They were later removed.
My response to this situation further explains why I decided to run as an Independent. A number of people strongly advised me to take legal action, and in fact we reasoned that I certainly had solid grounds to do so. In retrospect, maybe I should have. At the risk of appearing to have an ax to grind, I feel that I must share my perspective and even some of my best guesses about why I was so suddenly ousted by Kevin Taft, without an explanation, and without due process. My family and I, who were focused primarily on the recent death of one parent and the illness of another at the time, were deeply hurt by the actions taken by Kevin Taft. I was appalled by some of the innuendo floated to the public, and chagrined that some in the media reported such innuendo as fact without evidence or at least asking for my comment. My commitment to public service has always been sincere. I feel honour-bound to comment here that at times public service does create unintended risk to one's family, and perhaps a lesson for those engaged in political life is contained in my observation at the time: my Dad, who was very frail, seemed especially hurt by the public perception created by the event itself and by the response of some in the media. Dad died six weeks after Kevin Taft's action. Although the situation of my ousting could have consumed my energies, I was intensely preoccupied not only with Dad's funeral but also the funerals of three Uncles who passed away shortly thereafter.
I have some guesses about why I was ousted from the Liberal Caucus in 2006. Again, at the risk of appearing to remain bitter about what happened to me as a sitting MLA, I feel a responsibility to be clear and accountable to the public. Although not wanting to revisit things past in order to blame or accuse, the public should know that I never had a harsh word with Kevin Taft, nor did he as Leader ever reprimand me. Caucus approved every question I put forward in Question Period. It is important to me that the public knows I was never advised that I was in conflict with other members. I never criticized the Leader publicly nor did I break caucus confidence (which are usually reasons for disciplining MLA's).
Why, in 2006, were Kevin Taft's actions against me propelled forward fairly suddenly? I assumed then as I do now that this was connected to the fact that I was outspoken on a number of issues. I was especially vigorous in pressing the temporary foreign worker issue, as there were skilled trades out of work in Alberta while some companies were importing overseas workers. I was exposing and highlighting this practice through Question Period and daily reading of petitions into the record. Thousands of Albertans supported me in this (in writing). One day Mr. Taft came to me in the hallway and expressed concern about a complaint he received from an oil company CEO, telling me that this issue could affect his fundraising. He didn't tell me to stop and I replied it wouldn't be honest to do so. He said no more. Later, I learned that he explained to some of my constituents that his arbitrary action against me was due to the fact that he had received complaints about me from his corporate donors.
In addition, Taft had also asked me to tell the Building Trades to stop selling Conservative memberships during the leadership campaign that led to Premier Stelmach's win. I told Taft I had no power over this but that some representatives had offered to reciprocate by encouraging a few thousand Liberal memberships. He was taken aback at the possibility of the Liberals being flooded with memberships. Readers who follow local politics will understand that when I later read some blogs, obviously from the Leader's inner circle, asserting that I was campaigning at that time for Ed Stelmach's leadership, I thought these were silly. Still sillier, other rumours alleged that I was plotting to take Taft's leadership.
After Taft's action to remove me from the Caucus, he moved to put one of his chief bagmen in as his candidate in my riding, who placed fourth in the 2008 election.
I continued to work hard as an Independent MLA. Members in the government urged me to seek joining them, as did influential NDPer's.
I actually enjoyed being Independent. I had a bigger budget, and, speaking candidly, I didn't have to listen to hours of foolish internal debate. I could concentrate on representing my constituents and Albertans. I feel I spoke effectively on many pieces of legislation and received regular questions in Question Period. My Private Member's Bills luckily drew high and I was able to pass my Anti-Red Tape Bill with all party support and significant private sector support such as the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (under Danielle Smith's directorship at the time) and social service leaders. My Temporary Foreign Workers Bill was cut short literally by days by the calling of the 2008 election.
I eventually decided to seek the PC nomination in Edmonton Manning. One can get things done in government and I had come to like and respect Premier Ed Stelmach's honesty, integrity and sincerity. In the nomination process, I sold enough memberships to handily win the nomination in most Edmonton ridings. There were irregularities that I protested. When I wasn't returned monies due me for unsold memberships - and not wanting to go to other ridings that were offered - I decided to take my chances, stand up for my constituents and run as an independent. I believe that I ran one of the most successful independent campaigns in living memory but it was, alas, not good enough. I retain good relationships with most members of the Legislature and many Members of Parliament.
Thank you for taking the time to understand my most recent experiences in elective office and related to recent campaigns. I look forward to working effectively as an Independent City Councillor without party constraints.
