I met with the majority of the 32 candidates running for Ward 12 and most of them filled out a questionnaire answering various questions about city politics. Here are two or three answers from each of the candidates on these issues.
City council had to back away from funding some social housing programs to keep property taxes down this year. Would have supported this trade-off?
Laura Thibert
Laura Thibert: Yes, I would support this trade-off. Social housing is important and it benefits all citizens of Edmonton. I would advocate on behalf of the residents of Ward 12 and the citizens of Edmonton to the provincial government to adequately fund social programs and housing.
Yash Sharma: During times of economic hardship, I understand that it is the responsibility of the city council to make difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions.
Yash Sharma
While I agree with fiscal restraint, I believe that there are more appropriate areas where spending could have been scaled back, for example the Ice District. Social housing is becoming more and more necessary, is an arena o r an affluent downtown no one will be able to afford to live in?
Brian Henderson: This is a very hard question. We know that there is a great need for social housing programs in our city and the current city council is and has been passionate on this file.
Brian Henderson
I believe I would have voted against the backing off while at the same time arguing the need for both the provincial and federal governments to take more ownership pertaining to these social programs.
Dan Johnstone: As much as it pains me to say it, yes, I would have supported that motion. I think the city has spent our tax dollars irresponsibly over the past few years and it’s really starting to catch up to us now. In the last few years, we have rushed many capital projects that we couldn’t afford and have spent a lot of money unwisely, and now things like affordable housing, revitalizing older neighbourhoods, fixing failing drainage systems and police funding have been pushed to the wayside.
Dan Johnstone
However, this is not and shouldn’t be put on taxpayers. It’s not their responsibility to pull council out of this financial rut. We need to keep taxes low, and we need a council who will spend our money wisely and responsibly. Plain and simple.
Nicole Szymanowka: Yes, I would have supported this trade-off. Social housing is important, but it is also council’s duty not to put an unfair burden on taxpayers. There is a balance that needs to be struck between providing social services and financial fairness to property owners.
Nicole Szymanowka
Being able to bring the increase down from an initial estimate of 4.9 per cent to 3.4 per cent was essential in a time when the economy is not at its best and households are struggling with finances.
In terms of property tax increases over the past decade, how has city council done? Where do you stand on property taxes?
Field Pieterse: Property taxes for 2016 are up 3.4 per cent. Of this, 2.6 per cent will fund core services and the remainder will fund LRT expansion. Based on the growth of our city, I feel the city has done a relatively good job.
Field Pieterse
Taxes have been reasonable; they are based on population growth and essential services.
Nav Kaur: I think it is important to look at how the city gets its money as the current system of property taxes is regressive and doesn’t work well for the people that live here. To me, it is not a matter of continuing to raise taxes under the current system, but rather to reform this system which negatively affects those who can least afford it.
Ward 12 byelection candidate Nav Kaur
Because we serve other smaller municipalities and towns, we need to ensure that the Big City Charter reflects this, which will give Edmonton and Calgary new ways to generate income and create better tax mechanisms.
What do you think of the city’s bike lane policy?
Preet Toor: Council has wasted millions of dollars on bike lanes. Instead they could have taught motorists to share the road by hosting seminars.
Preet Toor is one of more than 30 candidates running in the Ward 12 byelection.
Brian Henderson: The handling of the Mill Woods bike lanes was bizarre. This is by far the worst decision council has made. I have to wonder what they were thinking. Did any consultation happen with the community? I look in our ward and hear from concerned members regarding the way these are designed. For example, there are no lines dividing cars from bike lanes. In Ward 12, having bikes in the same lane as our bus services is an accident waiting to happen. Newly constructed pathways which see pedestrians, bikes, skateboarders, and joggers all utilizing the same pathway at least offer direction, as do our roadways.
Andrew Gorman
Andrew Gorman: I don’t feel that the bike lanes created were very safe for bikers and it challenged traffic flow in many areas. I believe we should continue building bike paths similar to those we developed in the ’70s and ’80s, such as the 91 street bike corridor that goes from Argyll to 23 Avenue through communities, and is safe.
Steve CP Toor: The bike lanes are convenient for the active folks of Edmonton.
Rakesh Patel
Rakesh Patel: I believe that the bike lane policy is integral to the city’s lifestyle. There should be increased consultations and implementation of global best practices. However, there could be some differences in opinion from one ward to the other. The constituents of Ward 12 will decide how I vote as a councillor. I will also advocate for a new bylaw on bikes for sharing. I have seen similar efforts largely successful with regards to bicycle sharing that is available in many cities in Europe such as Brussels, Amsterdam and few more.
Jeri Stevens: Total ridiculous. Unwise decision. Irresponsible spending of millions of dollars to paint bicycles on roads that are often covered with snow half of the year. We are a northern city and people who drive to work many kilometres are not riding bikes. Council even approved designated bike lanes, in residential areas, where the taxpaying homeowner has no parking in front of their house for visitors.
Jeri Stevens
I communicated my concern many times — wrote and phoned councillors and the mayor’s office, but this did not affect their irresponsible decisions. Spend this money for seniors’ needs, and there are many of them.
Balraj Singh Manhas: City waisted a lot of money on bike lanes already because Edmonton is a winter city and only about four months to use them.
What do you think of the city’s handling of photo radar?
Laura Thibert: I believe photo radar does not serve the intended purpose to deter speeding. We want to ensure we have safe streets for our kids, pedestrians, drivers and cyclists. I believe traffic enforcement should be in the hands of the police department and monitored by police officers.
Moe Banga: Having been a police officer for 25 years, I believe that photo radar is very important to the City of Edmonton when used appropriately. When photo radar has the intended outcome of reducing speeds to those that roads are engineered and designed for, it increases safety on those roads and in those communities.
Moe Banga
However, the public perception should not be that photo radar is only in place to balance government books. I would suggest targeting different areas of the city and community to really create a shift in driver behaviour as opposed to having photo radar hidden or continuously in the same area.
Yash Sharma: Photo radar is a tool. I believe it is a good tool for collecting of funds, not necessarily a tool to encourage public safety. Getting a ticket in the mail three weeks after speeding is not going to slow anyone down at the time. I believe an education campaign and a standard speed (based on the type of road) should be instituted. Currently, I have no choice but to believe that the photo radar situation was intended to make money for the city and in no way resembles a campaign toward safer streets.
Dan Johnstone: I truly believe that our photo radar system is nothing more than a cash grab and a hidden tax. A big part of my platform is tackling the photo radar scheme, restructuring the system and redirecting a majority of the profits to the Edmonton police, and slowly wean the city off its photo radar dependency. We’re going to pull the photo radar trucks out of the ditches and have them completely visible and start promoting actual safety. By redirecting profits to the police, we’re going to have more constables on our streets and in our school zones, which will help with slow response times and bring a sense of safety to our streets. Long gone are they days where we police our streets with photo radar.
Andrew Gorman: This city is equipped with way too many photo radars. They are not effective in identifying impaired or distracted drivers. Law enforcement should not be in the business of making profits but protecting their citizens. I would rather see our officers stopping dangerous or impaired drivers. It is also the fuel for insurance companies to charge high premiums for our city.
Arundeep Singh Sandhu is one of 32 people running in the Ward 12 byelection.
Arundeep Singh Sandhu: I have reservations about photo radar. Speed control and road safety are paramount to the overall safety and well-being of our entire community, but we must achieve this in a transparent, thoughtful way. Combating speeding, and unsafe driving practices require proactive systemic solutions — photo radar is a more reactive solution. We need to look at how we design our roads and ensure they are not encouraging speeding. We should focus on solutions which are proven to change driving behaviours, such as speed boards and police support. Finally, we need to focus enforcement on areas which are most at risk: schools and playground zones.
What do you think of a public-private partnership (P3) model being used to build the LRT to Mill Woods?
Laura Thibert: In order to obtain the funding for the expansion of the LRT, the federal government required the project be a P3 model. It is important to work with all levels of government to ensure Edmonton gets the funding it needs to complete infrastructure projects. I support partnerships between business and government that will move our city forward.
Stephen Wutzke
Stephen Wutzke: It’s a good idea. When you know you are terrible at getting things done, it makes sense to outsource that responsibility to someone competent. However; I’m not super impressed with the quality of drawings I’ve seen. I’m skeptical of the company we’ve chosen, but I’m willing to reserve judgment until I’ve had a chance meet with the people and the organization.
Nav Kaur: The City selected TransEd Partners as a part of an 18-month selection process for the P3 Partnership. While I think it would have been ideal to have built this LRT line using solely public funds and models, the LRT needed to be in Mill Woods yesterday. The challenge posed by the federal government tying infrastructure funding to a P3 model limited the options the city could take. Capital projects should be planned through a long-term strategic process, developed and funded in concert with federal and provincial plans. Edmonton, and Ward 12 in particular, will have a unique opportunity to work with a minister of Infrastructure and Communities who knows our issues, and we must urge our new minister to create public funding mechanisms to develop bold new capital initiatives, most notably in public transit.
Are you in favour of building more and more LRT or should we concentrate our transportation spending on widening, expanding and upgrading our roads?
Irfan Chaudhry
Irfan Chaudhry: I think we can do both. As the city has committed to building an LRT line (and now has funding for phase one via a P3), funds promised from the federal government can also be used to help manage established infrastructure. For example, Yellowhead Trail, 50 Street and 75 Street have all been earmarked as priorities for the current council to address, so it is important to not lose sight of established transport routes while at the same time building new ones.
Moe Banga: I believe that integrated modes of active and public transportation are required for Edmonton moving forward. I would support the building of LRT but also consider Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), expanding roads to relieve congestion (only when required), and looking into building effective bicycle infrastructure to create more transportation choices.
Balraj Singh Manhas
Balraj Singh Manash: LRT supposed to be the first priority for affordable and environment friendly transportation for Edmontonians. Specially in winter and other seasons as well, the public can save a lot of time and money and reduce traffic jams.
The city puts one per cent of all capital costs on major projects into a fund to create art for that project. Do you support this policy?
Terry J. McKinnon
Terry McKinnon: Absolutely not. It puts an entire city department in charge of finding the next best waste of infrastructure dollars. The people don’t want another chrome plated pile of rabbit turds to remind them the city likes shine over substance.
Rory Koopmans: Absolutely not. Let artists pay their own bills, cut them right off.
Arundeep Singh Sandhu: Absolutely, I support this policy. It is important that we, as a city, collectively support local arts and culture. Funding public artwork makes art accessible to all Edmontonians to enrich their lives. Arts and culture are essential elements for vibrant, thriving, diverse communities, and enhance the quality of life of all citizens. Just as the infrastructure benefits the local community, the arts funding should benefit our local arts community here in Edmonton, Alberta. We are the capital of our province and this is an excellent opportunity to showcase our talents.
Nick Chamchuk
Nick Chamchuk: In light of the “silver balls” on the Whitemud, (looks like a monster from a transformer movie vacated), and $2.4M for artwork for a billionaire’s arena, which we financed, the public has little appetite for expensive artwork right now. Maybe down the road, but in tight fiscal times, no. But perhaps $60,000 here and there, or better yet, get philanthropic business owners or citizens involved to get us through this current slowdown. No to one per cent.
The city is building out the Blatchford neighbourhood on the old airport lands. Should the city stress building social housing as part of that development?
Rory Koopmans
Rory Koopmans: The city should shut down that development on the entire site and return it to status as a working airport for both commercial and passenger traffic.
Danisha Bhaloo: Yes it should. Blatchford is in a very good location for social housing because it is more or less central, there is good access to transit, and because the property is owned by Edmonton we have the flexibility to incorporate innovated housing options.
Danisha Bhaloo
Various plans have come forward to redevelop Rossdale and the Epcor power plant as a community/tourist centre. Which ones do you support and how crucial is this project to downtown’s future?
Preet Toor: We can convert the Epcor power plant to an energy museum that shows Alberta’s historic relationship with coal, oil, oilsands and natural gas. Along with the museum, we can also build something more commercial, an upscale dining, entertainment and shopping district along with four-season recreational hub for hikers and snowshoers.
Lincoln Ho
Lincoln Ho: I have seen a few plans for the site, one including canals, another a cable car or funicular down to the area, and another one converting the plant to a retail/commercial centre. I’m not in support of the projects I’ve seen for the site as it is simply not a highly accessible area. The city needs to fix transportation to the area before any investment is made.
If council has done one thing wrong in the past 10 years, it is:
Rakesh Patel: Allowing Uber to operate without intense consultation with Edmontonians. In neighbouring Calgary, Uber is not allowed. In Paris, it has been banned. In New Delhi, it is under review after complaints from the residents. I understand the majority of the councillors and the mayor voted in favour of Uber. In the absence of representation from Ward 12, the will of the constituents of Ward 12 has been ignored.
Steve CP Toor is one of 32 people that filed papers on nomination day for people running in the Ward 12 byelection.
Steve CP Toor: Not protecting the taxi drivers before Uber came to Edmonton. It was inevitable that they were well on their way, however the proper actions were not taken when it was time and now it is too late.
Field Pieterse: The stripping away of our “City of Champions” identity. Unknown to many Edmontonians, the slogan was given to the city from the 1987 mayor Laurence Decore after the devastation of the 1987 tornado. The essence of this slogan was how Edmontonians came together and survived after the devastation of the natural disaster. The indecisiveness of the fate of the City of Champions slogan was costly and ridiculous for the city. Perhaps the money could have better spent on informing residents about the true meaning of the slogan which may have promoted city pride, created community cohesiveness, and motivated residents to ultimately keep the slogan.
Nick Chamchuk: That’s easy. They have failed to keep track with the changing opinions and tastes of the electorate, and we’ve seen remarkable changes occur lately on the political stage in Canada as a result. I predict half of the sitting councillors will join the ranks of the unemployed in the next election. Plebiscites and expensive opinion-gathering mechanisms aren’t the answer either, as some of the younger, less-informed hopefuls suggest. They lend to abuse by tech-savvy (special) interest groups. Council is seeing what they can “get away with” though continual compound tax increases, and citizens have had enough. In addition, they have lost some of the “green” momentum we’ve always had, and I intend to forward that area, if elected.
Lincoln Ho: There are many to list, but specific to Ward 12, it would have to be proposing to develop the remaining rural southeast lands. There are other options the city could have chosen for the land other than for a new suburb. In the last 10 years, the city has completely given all remaining rural land for residential development and that speaks volumes about what council thinks about sustainability and expenditures on servicing these outlying areas. There are already condo units on the southern edge of the city in the Heritage Valley. Building entire new communities doubling the south side means an extreme burden on city resources. If council is not willing to have more police funding in constantly robbed communities like Ellerslie, or invest in other essential services, they should not have allowed further expansion in those areas.
With the innovation the city has in waste management in bio fuel production, our importance as an energy capital, and agricultural communities around central Alberta, the remaining land could be used for other purposes. The rural southeast could have urban farms mixed in with clean renewable energy park. With 2300 hours of sunlight annually, a solar electric or solar thermal farm could be built. Edmonton could become a city which sells energy onto the grid and service surrounding communities. This could become a model other cities could follow, such as Calgary where Mayor Nenshi has committed to halting suburban expansion.
Jeri Stevens: Every candidate/councillor has promised to reduce property taxes and that is not happening. It is difficult to see where their commitment is in making responsible decisions and not spending recklessly. For example, the city keeps collecting more and more property taxes from multiple new developments — so why increased taxes regularly? It would appear that excessive bureaucracy, poor management, no concrete long-term panning, and irresponsible spending is the cause. Councillors need to listen to the residents and consider their input seriously.
If council has done one thing right in the past ten years, it is:
Stephen Wutzke: Uber. The pro Uber bill that just passed was hands down the best thing they have ever done. In a nation plagued with relentless socialism, it’s nice to see the free market win for a change. This decision made me think “wow, maybe these folks aren’t complete terrible after all.” The cab industry isn’t dead. They are just going to have to work harder to provide a better experience for their passengers. People will pay for safety and security. You’ll see. This will separate the wheat from the chaff. The good, honest and decent cabbies will get more fares and make more money in the long run, The bad cabbies that fill their cars with smoke and harass young girls will find another line of work. The quality of cab service will go up and the good cab drivers will get more work. In the long run, this will work out for everyone. If you are a good cab driver in Ward 12 just hang in there, be extra nice and professional with your fares and wait. This will all work out for you in the long run. Good service sells, so does safety. Trust me.
Irfan Chaudhry: The development of our downtown. Although there will be many growing pains as a result of increases in traffic, congestion, as well as other (un) anticipated issues, the long term impact a vibrant downtown will have for Edmonton will be amazing. My 10-month-old son will grow up in an even better Edmonton than I have.
Brian Henderson: I truly believe that the neighbourhood renewal program has been a great success and I have witnessed this while out talking to the constituents in Ward 12. As part of my platform when going door to door, I have asked about their approval or disapproval and the response has been overwhelmingly in favour of the program.
Nav Kaur: Council has made significant strides in the areas of homelessness and poverty in our city. The 10-year plan to end homelessness and the end poverty strategy are both game changers, and show the importance of supporting our most vulnerable citizens. Through the 10-year plan’s housing first strategy, which is also being implemented by the provincial and federal governments through Homeward Trust, Edmonton has housed over 5,000 people and is recognized as a national leader in its work toward ending homelessness. There is still more work to do, with the 2014 homeless count finding over 2,300 Edmontonians still without a home, and 120,000 people identified in the poverty task force as experiencing poverty.
Nicole Szymanowka: Edmonton’s 10-year plan to end homelessness. This is a huge success and shows our city’s ability to achieve important progress when we set goals and work together to achieve them. Council’s work with the Edmonton committee to end homelessness has resulted in measurable success. The year-four update from the committee showed 2,325 people who were previously homeless have since been put in homes. Ending homelessness is absolutely something Edmonton needs to keep pursuing and council’s work on this issue has proven results.
Danisha Bhaloo: Edmonton has done a good job of promoting economic diversification. Our city’s economy is not exclusively dependent on the energy sector and for that reason we have not felt the impact of the current economic downturn to the extent that Calgary has.
Should smoking be banned from all public parks?
Rory Koopmans: Absolutely not. In fact it should be brought back to interior city buildings that have separate sealed and ventilation entrances. Government at the municipal level has to stop being so left wing or communistic/controlling and meddlesome in people’s loves.
Dan Johnstone: Yes, smoking, both first-hand and second hand has been medically proven to cause/instigate many, many health issues and it’s something that is no longer being tolerated by many cities around the world. I strongly believe that the use of any tobacco products should no longer be allowed on any public property.
Terry McKinnon: I’d much rather have an understanding that smokers just be courteous around children and non-smokers, but if they really can’t, then the bylaw is sadly necessary.
Moe Banga: I believe smoking should be banned from all public parks unless there is a dedicated area only for smokers.
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Do you live in Ward 12 now? Do you think it’s important that a candidate live in the ward?
Preet Toor: Yes, I have lived in Ward 12 for 25 years and I understand what we need as a community and I will continue to serve our community and advocate its needs. If I get elected, I promise you that I will put community needs in the forefront; neither my own self interest nor my family’s. Of all the 32 candidates many don’t even live in Ward 12, and yet they claim to understand our needs. Many other candidates are being backed by political parties. Do you think they will push their party agenda or listen to the non-partisan voice of the Ward 12 residents? And then there are some candidates running to gain name recognition for their current or future endeavours.
Moe Banga: I have lived in Ward 12 for over 35 years. I think it is truly important for a candidate to live in the ward as they will be familiar with the people, problems and issues of the area. Being an elected official is truly being the “voice of the people.” Would you let someone who did not live in your household make decisions for your household? Likely not.