Updates

The Most Dog-Friendly City in Canada

We know that a dog-friendly city is a people-friendly city! 

Dogs need outdoor places to run, play, and make new friends. So do their owners.

Dogs need safe streets that meet our vision zero commitment of zero fatalities or serious injuries. So do their owners.

We need to continue to get creative and reimagine flexible use of outdoor public spaces, including dog parks. We must move forward with the small and incremental improvements that dramatically increase community connection and livability, such as local parks and recreation opportunities. Many neighbourhood dog owners function as a "neighbourhood watch" and help keep an eye out for one another. The social return on investment considering the small cost is enormous.

From fenced, off leash dog parks such as Braithwaite Park in Garneau (8018 112 Street) to Charles Simmonds Park in Mckernan/Belgravia, we need to make it a priority that every neighbourhood has accessible green spaces, including dog parks. We need to continue to try new ideas such as the off leash areas in ice rinks being piloted in Greenfield and other neighbourhoods that bring neighbours together in safe, designated areas. 

As your councillor, I would continue to champion public spaces that build safe, welcoming, inclusive spaces for all, including our four-legged friends.

PS: We ordered more dog bones, so reach out if you have a dog and would like a tasty treat!

High Level Line: Let's build it!

When I think about exciting projects that will attract tourists, bring energy, and connect people, it's the @highlevelline: A multi-modal thread that connects Downtown and the Southside of Edmonton.

Helping Stop Neighbourhood Crime

As an Edmonton Public School Trustee, I’ve been engaged in a number of conversations over the last several years about eliminating neighbourhood crime, something that I know keeps many of us up at night. I've tried to collate my best tips and tricks and welcome your suggestions that I can add to the list. 

Reminder: During school hours if you ever see suspicious activity around a school, call 780-429-8000 and be connected to the EPSB Switchboard who can assist you. 

Edmonton’s Chief of Police often says “the social determinants of crime are the same as the social determinants of health”. We know that when we have more poverty, folks living rough, untreated mental health challenges, and substance abuse in our city, we are going to see more crime. We know we need to address the root causes of crime and focus more on prevention. While we work as a community to make these shifts, there are plenty of things we can do to keep ourselves and our families safe from worry and build better community safety. 

I want to share a few personal stories from my personal experience working with neighbours around the city. There are many quick steps we can take together to reduce neighbourhood crime.

Edmonton City Plan: Family Friendly Housing

With new district plans, it is essential that we work with all stakeholders to prioritize family-friendly, affordable housing close to schools, parks, playgrounds and amenities. I’ll continue to champion your voice for strong schools and strong communities.

Edmonton City Plan: Strong Schools and Strong Communities

(Published Fall 2021 in my role as EPSB Trustee)

As I reflect on my eleven years as your EPSB Trustee, I cannot state strongly enough how school systems are impacted by municipal context. As I read the proposed Ten Year Facilities Plan update 2020-2029, many interesting questions come to mind.

In 2015, I was EPSB Board Chair and Alberta was in a $5 billion school building boom. We opened 19 new schools, many in suburban neighborhoods outside the Henday.  Five years later with our current economic challenges, I don’t know if we will see an investment like that ever again.

Looking ahead, it makes more social, environmental, and fiscal sense to help families live closer to existing schools and playgrounds...

Launch Announcement (March 15th, 2021)

We were fortunate that our announcement attracted quite a lot of local media attention. 

• Three-term Edmonton Public School Board Trustee Michael Janz running for City Council - (Edmonton Journal, March 15th, 2021)
• Three-term Public School Trustee Michael Janz to Seek Edmonton City Council Seat, Wants Fair Deal for Alberta's Capital City - (Albertapolitics.ca, March 15th, 2021)
• Michael Janz running for City Council in Edmonton's new Ward Papastew - (Daveberta.ca March 15th, 2021)
• Janz Running for Edmonton Council, says Ottawa may be the city-building partner in future: Janz said in an interview with Rage Against the Municipal that he’s reflected over many months about Edmonton’s future and has decided to run. He said he sees the city facing a fork in the road, with one direction pointed at austerity and “managing the decline,” and the other being “to think like owners.” Down that fork, he said, Edmonton asks itself what it wants for its future. “I’m optimistic,” he said about that future, adding that the province may play less of a role in building Edmonton, but that the federal government — which has been investing heavily in cities of late — may at least partly fill the gap. (Rage Against the Municipal, March 15th, 2021)