Over the past few weeks, I’ve been meeting with several different organizations, attending meetings, door knocking, and responding to emails about the Old Strathcona Public Realm Strategy.
I wanted to share a bit of what I have been hearing and manage expectations about timelines. You can read and review the full draft plan here: https://www.edmonton.ca/sites/default/files/public-files/Old-Strathcona-Public-Realm-Strategy.pdf?cb=1713376450
Edmontonians are not receiving a fair deal from the provincial government. If the UCP reversed reductions and funded Edmonton fairly, your property taxes could be ~7% lower.
Plus, more reading and videos from around town...
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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Special Long Weekend edition - Spring into exciting things to do and read around Edmonton!
In 2023 as your City Councillor we convened a number of exciting events. If you missed out, video links are below! To make sure you don't miss out on others this year, make sure to sign up for my email newsletter at michaeljanz.ca/updates or search for me on what's left of social media!
It was really promising to see the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce pull together a sold-out room today of community and business leaders around a "housing first" strategy, building on the best-practices already demonstrated by Murray Soroka (Jasper Place Wellness Centre) and Bridge Healing creator Dr. Louis Francescutti. I want to share a few highlights...
We are building towards a city of two million people– but we can’t afford to be a city of two million cars. Here are ways we are making transit our transit system better.
On Thursday, November 9th, I had the privilege of sitting in on the 10th annual Vital Signs report to the community about the health and well-being of the Edmonton community. This report is a partnership of the Edmonton Community Foundation as well as the Edmonton Social Planning Council, and many other partners. Read on to learn more about their work as well as see some very challenging infographics.
Reminder, please share these events or this newsletter with a friend and encourage them to subscribe at michaeljanz.ca/updates