City Hall E-News - Friday October 28th, 2022
❄️ READ: Snow and Ice Update: Winter 2022/2023
🏊♀️ EVENT: Rollie Miles Rec Design Info Session
🎥 EVENT: No Visible Trauma - Free Screening
🎥 WATCH: Opening The Braithwaite Dog Park
🎥 WATCH: Drone shots from our group bike ride
🧑🏫 DISCUSS: Zoning Suggestions from Dr. Bob Summers
READ: Snow and Ice Winter 2022
I'm really happy to share that I think our voice was heard. The plan for next year looks much better, and here are a few highlights:
Learn more here: https://www.edmonton.ca/transportation/on_your_streets/snow-ice
ATTEND: Let's Build Rollie Miles Rec Centre:
ATTEND: Free Tickets with RSVP: No Visible Trauma
I'm hosting this event at Metro Cinema and I urge you to attend and help spread the word. One of the panelists is Calgary City Councillor Courtney Walcott who is driving up to attend. Courtney recently resigned from the Calgary Police Commission, so I imagine he will have fascinating insights into building a police system in Alberta that we can all be proud of.
🎥 WATCH AND SHARE THIS VIDEO: Celebrating the Opening of the Braithwaite Dog Park
https://www.michaeljanz.ca/celebrating_braithwaite_dog_park
🎥 WATCH AND SHARE THIS VIDEO: Bike Plan & New pathways in South Edmonton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz3_XJekIQ0
🧑🏫 DISCUSS: Zoning Suggestions from Dr. Bob Summers
Recently we had a discussion with Dr. Bob Summers about how to build a fiscally resilient and environmentally sustainable city over the next fifty years: How do we keep our taxes low, fight climate change, ensure our children have choice and options where to live? I wanted to share with you one slide from his presentation (below).
Do you Agree? Disagree? Indifferent?
You can learn more about the City of Edmonton zoning bylaw renewal conversations here, including attending upcoming workshops on various topics:
https://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/urban_planning_and_design/zoning-bylaw-renewal
As a bonus image, I can't unsee this (aptly titled "Sprawl eats farms) as I recently drove through one of the far-flung neighbourhoods outside of the Henday:
City Council recently approved a rezoning across the street from the U of A and it got me thinking about all the underutilized or unused space on the U of A main campus.
The expression I often hear at city hall is “highest and best use of city land” – in other words, land that brings benefit to the community (eg, a park or public space) or land that generates revenue for the city to offset taxes and pay for services (Industrial, commercial, residential in that order)
But what if the University of Alberta could generate revenue and mitigate the housing and climate crisis? The university already has the vehicle: the U of A Properties Trust, an arms length development corporation that pays dividends back into the U of A through innovative developments and land leases.
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.
