EDMONTON, Alberta: (April 1st, 2024) Edmonton City Councillor Michael Janz gave orders to commence the seizure and sale of Government of Alberta property in order to offset the over ~$60 million in property taxes that Premier Danielle Smith and Jason Kenney have failed to pay over the last five years, despite numerous warnings.
"It's a real shame that it has come to this, but we're starting with Government House. Next, we might proceed with confiscation and sale of the $30 Million dollar "War Room", or, ultimately the provincial legislature." said Councillor Janz.
Since 2019, Premiers Kenney and Smith have failed to pay the grants to cover the property taxes on Government of Alberta buildings. Since over 60% of the provincial government property is in Edmonton, this disproportionately harms Edmontonians who pay higher taxes to offset this provincial cutback.
In Estimates last week, Minister Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver indicated that, unlike the hundreds of millions set aside for the billionaire owner of the Calgary Flames for a new rink, the provincial government had no plans to pay their back taxes owed to Edmontonians.
"We urge the premier to pay her outstanding property taxes so our capital city afford to pay for the high-quality public services for Edmontonians."
As background, in December 2023, Councillor Janz penned an oped about the provincial tax arrears in the Edmonton Journal that he urges you to read and share: https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/michael-janz-alberta-govt-needs-to-pay-its-property-taxes-too
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The Alberta Government is attacking our freedom to read. Help fight for your freedom and tell Premier Smith that now more than ever we need more freedom to read, not less. You can't be strong and free without the freedom to read.
Here is my statement in support.
As the price of gas skyrockets, this newsletter is about how I am pushing to reduce traffic and congestion while making public transit better. Read on how you can help...
But first... Have you seen this fantastic video from Translink? While they might look ‘empty’ at times, bus lanes can move more people than regular traffic lanes, creating a more efficient and sustainable transportation network.
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Hawrelak park soft reopening is tomorrow - Friday March 13th! Grab your family and go down for a walk in our central park. The official welcome party and grand opening will be May 30th. (Learn more)
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Expect to see more infill for sale, not rent.
I've heard from a number of builders recently that they are moving away from the small scale rental and moving towards small scale units built for sale as individual units.
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