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Feb 19th City Hall E-News¶
City Hall News: February 19th, 2023
- DEBRIEF: Event Recap: Love in the Time of Fentanyl
- TWEET: Orphan Wells vs. Edmonton
- ACTION: Noisy vehicle tickets proposed to increase this week
- READ: Widening Whyte Ave Sidewalks and adding Bus Rapid Transit
- READ: Update on tax subclassing (via Councillor Erin Rutherford)
- EVENT: The Gathering Storm documentary screening
- EVENT: Beautiful Minds, fundraiser for the CMHA
- REMINDER RSVP: TransitCamp2023
- Provocations from around the web...
Our Question of the week: Where do you look for your news, in particular, local Edmonton news?
Just hit reply and let us know your answer. We've been sending these weekly newsletters out and are getting a ton of positive feedback about them, so we plan on keeping them up. We would be much obliged if you shared this week's newsletter on your social media or forwarded it to a friend in your neighbourhood with an opportunity to subscribe.
One of the first places I get my news is The Pulse by Taproot Edmonton. You can subscribe for free at https://edmonton.taproot.news/pulse. For provincial news, my friend Dave Cournoyer has a fantastic Substack which you can also subscribe to for email news. Here's his latest commentary on the provincial election 100 days away: https://daveberta.substack.com/p/rachel-notley-is-the-alberta-ndps
DEBRIEF: Love in the Time of Fentanyl¶
Thank you again to everyone who volunteered, attended or supported in any way this incredibly powerful evening. We had over 515 RSVPs and had to put up signs at the door that we were sold out. Hundreds of folks received Naloxone training, made a new friend, shared laughter and tears, and we raised thousands of dollars for 4B Harm Reduction. If you didn't have a chance to attend, I've shared links to watch the films for free online at www.michaeljanz.ca/littof. You can catch the summary of the event here from CBC: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/harm-reduction-event-aimed-at-breaking-down-addiction-stigma-inspiring-action-1.6752765
Must Read: this deep dive from CBC Taylor Lambert encapsulates so many of the strong points made by respondents to the film. We don't have enough recovery beds, recovery can't work if you are dead from poisoned supply, we must address the lack of housing and the material conditions that lead to addiction. Despite soaring death rate from opioids, Alberta steers away from harm-reduction approach: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-approach-opioid-crisis-1.6750422
TWEET: Orphan Wells vs Edmonton¶
It's getting real frustrating to watch social disorder, homelessness, amputations, and death rise over the last four years while the wealthiest province in Canada with Billions of dollars in surplus continues to ignore the root causes. City Council frequently incorrectly gets the blame for what are failures by our provincial government to address the health care crisis of their own creation or neglect. And then to hear that the UCP are providing billions in subsidies to orphan well owners, a move that even those marxists at Scotiabank condemned? Here's what I tweeted: UCP to abandoned well owners: $Billions. UCP to Edmonton: ~12 sheriffs. (https://twitter.com/michaeljanz/status/1625568694104629248) I've said it before and I'll say it again, we aren't asking for a special deal, just a fair deal for Edmonton. Please send a letter to the Premier here: www.michaejanz.ca/investinedmonton
ACTION: Noisy vehicle fines set to increase this week to $1000 and doubling per offence with proposed Bylaw¶
I have petitioned about this at www.michaeljanz.ca/noise and I've been pushing for these changes. I expect them to pass, but the real magic will be when we can install automated enforcement for noise detection. Edmonton Journal: https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/council-to-vote-on-new-1000-noisy-vehicle-fine-in-edmonton-this-week
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READ: Widening Whyte Ave Sidewalks and Adding Bus Rapid Transit¶
Provide your feedback on the new Old Strathcona Public Realm Strategy online or in person March 2nd. "We need to think about as a city what is our goal? If we want vibrant businesses in these areas … taking in the parking stalls and putting in the patios — doing things that actually bring people and keep people in the area — pay way more dividends in terms of business vibrancy," he said. Janz said he lives on the street and is excited for the changes. "Whyte Avenue could be the kind of street where people really come as tourists, come take part in festivals, go to patios," he said. "I think there's a really exciting opportunity here to make Whyte Avenue more vibrant for everyone." https://globalnews.ca/news/9486024/edmonton-whyte-avenue-changes-bus-lane-parking/
READ: Tax subclassing changes proposed¶
"First, I'm struggling to see the benefit. The report outlines that there will not be reduced rent as a result of this change. In fact, Council attempted to phase this out before and stopped because they were not seeing rents going down as a result. Additionally, the property owners on rentals have the ability to deduct building operating costs - including property taxes - from their income tax. Lastly, this shifts the costs onto those residential properties outside this subclass at a time when affordability is top of mind and property taxes are already going up to keep pace with inflation and enhance critical services to Edmontonians. Now is not the time to add on to the real pressures many are facing to get by." via https://www.erinrutherford.ca/updates-blog/taxsubclasses
EVENT: The Gathering Storm documentary screening¶
The documentary The Gathering Storm is about the right to housing, and the work of Jasper Place Wellness Centre to make it a reality for more people. RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/gathering-storm-documentary-screening-tickets-554368048757
EVENT: Beautiful Minds fundraiser for the Canadian Mental Health Association¶
Join me at the Beautiful Minds (Fundraiser for the Canadian Mental Health Association Edmonton) 7PM, Saturday February 25th, 2023: https://cbo.io/tickets/purchase_tickets.php?slug=cmhaedmonton&form_name=BeautifulMinds
RSVP REMINDER: Transit Camp 2023 March 18th¶
A Community Summit on safer, more frequent and better public transit. Saturday, March 18th | University of Alberta. RSVP: michaeljanz.ca/transitcamp2023
You are invited to be a part of a community conversation about advocating for better public transit in Edmonton. You will be joining employers, business leaders, academics, community advocates, seniors, parents, students, and a cross-section of the Edmonton Community.
There have been major changes over the past year to public transit. How are we doing?
- Has the Bus Network Redesign proved successful?
- Are people returning to public transit post-covid?
- How are safety concerns on the LRT being addressed?
- How can we grow public transit ridership, reduce traffic, and meet our climate goals?
- What investments were made in the 2023 municipal budget?
- Is there a future for public transit in the age of Uber, Google and Elon Musk?
Provocations from around the web:¶
- Are parking lots ruining your city? *"One of the easiest steps toward making your town stronger is by preventing one of its most important resource, land, from being wasted. Parking minimums stymie growth in towns. Citizens of Fayetteville, Arkansas realized this, and inadvertently began a movement by removing parking minimum