April fools Joke Recap:

As you likely know, Premier Danielle Smith and the UCP have failed to pay their property taxes on buildings in Edmonton. The back due is in excess of $60 million, soon to increase to ~$75 million. Result? Our collective property taxes must rise to fill their gap. On April 1st, we published a post suggesting that I would be seizing Government House for failure to pay taxes. It received a few laughs, a lot of support, and Edmontonians, including conservative UCP voters who wrote me are seeing how objectively unfair their treatment of Edmonton is.

Link to the Joke: https://www.michaeljanz.ca/confiscation_and_sale_for_failure_to_pay_taxes_owed

You can also read the longer form letter Mayor Sohi shared, highlighting a dozen other examples of provincial cutbacks, including the fact that Edmonton must pay $17 million a year (equivalent to a 1% property tax increase) to pay for the care and feeding of the provincial highways, while in Calgary, the Provincial Government, NOT the City of Calgary pays the bill. Completely unfair!

Mayor Sohi Letter: https://www.mayorsohi.ca/advocacy

RSVP: Saturday, April 20th: Sandy and Nora Talk Politics Live Show and Reception:

Reminder to get your tickets! Show at 3PM, Reception at 5PM! 

I think I mentioned in a previous newsletter that one of the first things I do each morning is listen to the DAILY NEWS episode (~10min) from Sandy and Nora Talk Politics. Nora curates five stories that you may not have heard in the mainstream media and highlights why they matter. I believe this podcast is the #2 political podcast in Canada. At a time when independent and local media is more needed than ever, here's a chance for us to show a warm Edmonton welcome. Tickets are very limited and I expect the show to sell out.

Come and listen to a live recording of one of Canada's most popular political podcasts. Sandy Hudson and Nora Loreto will talk about the state of the world: how citizens can get involved and fight to make things better, change policies and influence politicians. To learn more about the show, go to www.sandyandnora.com.

Ticket Link: https://secure.citadeltheatre.com/9090

Suburban sprawl is super profitable for big developers, but how profitable?

Urban Sprawl is bad for the planet, bad for our pocketbooks, and bad for municipal finances. However, some folks are making a ton of money off it it.

We ran the numbers based on assessment and taxation sales data and it turns out, we're talking Billions: https://albertapolitics.ca/2024/03/guest-post-michael-janz-says-sales-data-indicate-suburban-sprawl-has-created-profits-of-1b-for-edmonton-developers-over-a-decade/

We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to curb urban sprawl coming up this June at City Council via a tool called "substantial completion" which I wrote about at michaeljanz.ca/housing

SPRING TUNE-UP! Bike Day at Strathcona Community League Saturday April 13th

It’s Spring! Ready to ride? But maybe you need a chain lubed? A seat raised? Is there a clicking noise when you pedal? Is your tire flat? 

With support from Bike Edmonton, we are welcoming community members to come down to the Hall (10139 87 Ave) on Saturday, April 13 between 9am-11am to get your bike looked at by our volunteer mechanics. 

Reading from around town! 

Bloomberg: Austerity hurts all of us. Housing Crisis, Packed Hospitals and Food Lines: Even in Canada?

From Montreal to Vancouver, some residents are losing faith in a longstanding social safety net that is central to the country’s identity.

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2024-canada-services-benefits-data/

Globe and Mail: Emergency rooms are overcrowded because of the provincial governments failure to manage housing, addiction, and mental health. Here's a cheaper and kinder solution:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-emergency-room-homeless-patients/

EDMONTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS badly need NEW SCHOOLS!

In the interest of working together and ensuring that you are aware of Edmonton Public's infrastructure needs I am sending along copies of our approved Three year Capital Plan and Ten Year Facilities Plan. 

Quick highlights: 

• EPSB will grow by about 6,000 students per year for the next ten years.
• The Division will reach 176, 000 students by 2033, which is a 53 percent increase
• EPSB needs 50 schools built in the next ten years to address our space shortage and plan for the future. 
• The Three Year Capital Plan aims to try and address the significant need for new student spaces to be funded over the next 3 years and beyond. 
• The Three year plan includes a request for roughly 21,000 new student spaces, with a value of approximately $1.5 billion and features 19 new schools, 1 addition, 4 replacement projects and 5 modernizations.