The annual downtown bicycle counts have increased by more than 15 per cent from 2022 to 2024 (based on six downtown core counters).
The active transportation network's usage increased by 7 per cent from 2022 to 2024. Rider traffic during the colder months from October to March increased significantly by 43 per cent from 2022 to 2024.
Just over six months ago, UCP Minister Ric McIver sent a letter to local bike advocates that the Government of Alberta, “respects the autonomy of municipalities to make decisions about local projects and priorities”. But this was before former UCP Minister Peter Guthrie got kicked out of cabinet for speaking out about Premier Smith’s health care scandal.
In an attempt to divert attention away from allegations of corruption, the UCP recently sent Minister Devin Dreeshen to Edmonton to weigh into active transportation lanes, AKA “bike lanes”. Since the Minister has forced the debate, I do think there’s merit in fact checking a few things.
One question people have been asking me to write about is, “how can we usher back the return of local retail to our neighbourhoods?”
Province will take more than $575 million from Edmonton property owners, almost $50 million more than last year.
With all of the uncertainty and bullying coming from the United States, more and more folks are talking about “staycations”, not only staying in Alberta but right here in our own city. This is a timely opportunity for us to revisit our pre-pandemic haunts and rekindle our romance with the city!
With 250,000 new residents moving to Edmonton in the last 5 years, what are your favourite local tourist destinations that you would want to share with someone visiting Edmonton?
1. Defending the public interest (next steps towards halting the Katz group handout)
2. Fighting for Renters (Bad news from the Hazeldean townhomes)
3. More Public Transit Service Hours
4. New projects underway: walking, biking, and rolling
Finally, a special shout out to the workers of CUPE Local 30 who are out there filling the potholes and fixing our streets in these extreme weather fluctuations. I spent time this week visiting various crews around the city and delivering donuts with their union President, Eric Lewis. Thank you to all the frontline workers keeping our city moving!
Amidst the madness of the USA offering free reign over their government and spending to a billionaire, you might have missed our own dose of local corporate welfare. Every Albertan should be offended.
I’m not talking about the orphan oil wells bailout or the growing scandal around healthcare contracts, or even Dynalife. I’m talking about a new agreement pulled together between the Provincial Government and Daryl Katz’s OEG Sports & Entertainment (OEGSE). Katz is listed in Maclean's magazine as the 29th wealthiest Canadian.
With the big swings in temperature these last few weeks, our roadways are being hit hard. And those potholes have big impacts on our city budget. As a city, we have a lot of roads. In fact, roads are our largest asset and liability.
The good news is that we are completing pothole and roadway repairs more quickly and efficiently than previous years. The bad news, is that unless we curb urban sprawl, we're only going to be adding more roads and making our pothole problems worse.
Sometimes I get asked about why city councillors spend so much energy advocating towards the province. You can’t operate a healthy city in an unhealthy province: Edmonton depends on the provincial government.
A new memo (February 2025) from the assessment and taxation department at the City of Edmonton highlights just how enormous the financial impact of building inwards and upwards is to building a financially resilient and sustainable city.
