Edmonton City Council must follow Burnaby’s lead and advocate for Peace for the Palestinian people.
Edmontonians have been vocal about the need for peace and justice for the Palestinian people, but we continue to see very little action from the Federal government towards stopping the genocide.
Edmonton City Council must follow Burnaby’s lead and advocate for Peace for the Palestinian people
Edmontonians have been vocal about the need for peace and justice for the Palestinian people, but we continue to see very little action from the Federal government towards stopping the genocide.
Last week, Burnaby City council unanimously voted to pass the motion, Advocating for Canada’s Role: Peace for the Palestinian People, which calls on Mayor Mike Hurley to advocate for establishing a “full two-way arms embargo with Israel and transform the Gaza temporary resident visa (TRV) program to support the safe reunification of Gazan-Canadian families.”
Edmonton City Council must follow suit. Based on conversation with Palestinian community members and leaders in the peace and human rights community, a motion such as this will help put further pressure on the Federal government and Prime Minister Carney. I understand other municipalities are also putting forward similar motions, and I hope they all do so.
If re-elected, in solidarity with and supported by the Edmonton Palestinian community, I will be putting forward a similar motion for a vote for debate in November.
MOTION:
That Edmonton City Council write a letter to the federal government:
From City News Vancouver: https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2025/08/27/city-of-burnaby-calls-for-arms-embargo-on-israel/
Earlier this month, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, said that famine was occurring in Gaza City, and is likely to spread to the southern cities of Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah without a ceasefire and an end to restrictions on humanitarian aid.
Pope Leo XIV demanded Wednesday that Israel stop the “collective punishment” and forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza as he pleaded for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the besieged territory amid preparations by Israel for a new military offensive.
I invite you to send similar messages from your community, your faith organization, yourself - any pressure we can bring to bear on the Federal government will be critical to stopping the genocide as soon as possible.
In Edmonton, I’ve received hundreds of emails of concern about the EPCOR automatic metering manufacturer who is complicit in withholding water in Israel. While EPCOR is looking for alternatives, in the interim, this motion will help reflect the voices of constituents about their concern related to peace for the Palestinian people.
I welcome your feedback. Please sign up for my newsletter below to receive updates on this or any other future action.
The proposed Edmonton City Budget will be released on Monday (November 2nd, 2026) via edmonton.ca/budget
As City Council heads towards our budget debates later this fall, we get another opportunity to show how serious we are about our economic resilience and our commitment to keeping taxes reasonable while we serve Edmontonians. I’ve thought long and hard about this and I’m happy to share my plan to keep Edmonton on a sound fiscal path.
New data from the City administration highlights that there are almost no shelters and an incredibly limited amount of affordable housing in the region outside of Edmonton. While the capital region has a combined population of close to 1.5 million, the 1.1 million Edmonton taxpayers are covering the region's costs.
I have put in a request to have Nakba Day recognized as a protocol item under Council Recognition this coming May:
Nakba Day is commemorated annually on May 15. It marks the beginning of the destruction of the Palestinian homeland, and the mass displacement in 1948 of the majority of the Palestinian population. Nakba means ‘catastrophe’ in Arabic and is the word used by Palestinians and others to refer to this historic moment.