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.