News Release
Re: A Fair Deal for Edmonton
To Premier Danielle Smith,
As Alberta’s Capital, Edmontonians deserve nothing less than a respectful, collaborative partnership with the province. Municipalities carry the heaviest load on homelessness, addictions, mental health, public safety, and infrastructure – and in Edmonton, there are additional challenges which I know the Province knows well.
We share taxpayers and we share responsibilities – we need to find a better way forward.
Respect Alberta’s Capital City
Edmonton is Alberta’s capital. We are a complex, growing city that acts as a service hub for a much larger region and for much of the North. A disproportionate part of the most vulnerable Albertans seek assistance in Edmonton -something that is evident in the addiction and overdose statistics of your own government.
We benefit from shared understanding and shared goals – and we do have many. We also share a desire to ensure Alberta’s capital presents its best face to the world. We lose traction when the province overlooks the governance of City Council, and seeks to impose its will unnecessarily over the City’s own direction. Such actions devalue the votes of our citizens and are unnecessarily paternalistic.
We can do better – and it starts with the Province agreeing to a more cooperative approach, demonstrated by signing an Edmonton Accord — a legislated commitment that the province will consult before imposing policies that materially affect our city. This accord would substitute for your mandate letter to the Municipal Affairs Minister by:
Ensuring pre-consultation with Edmonton before mandates are imposed;
Sunset clauses and review periods on major changes; and
A dispute resolution mechanism to avoid costly standoffs.
This accord can also set the stage for a better relationship across a number of key areas including homelessness and shelters, mental health and addictions, infrastructure, and revenue.
Homelessness & Shelters
Too many Edmontonians live without safe shelter or access to housing that meets their needs – and this is an area where the province should be leading but isn’t doing enough. We need to:
Increased multi-year funding for shelter operations and supportive housing;
Investment in day shelters and warming/cooling centres that offer safety and connections to services, not just night beds; and
Wraparound health and social services tied to housing to create pathways out of homelessness.
Mental Health & Addictions
Edmonton cannot solve this crisis alone. The province must expand:
Accelerated development of detox, treatment, recovery and transition housing;
Outreach and harm reduction programs that reduce hospital and EMS strain; and
Shared planning and accountability with the City at the table.
Infrastructure
We need predictable, inflation-indexed provincial grants for roads, transit, utilities, and community facilities. These must be multi-year and negotiated with Edmonton, not imposed through red tape or clawbacks.
Traffic Fine Revenue
Traffic safety revenues should fund safety in the communities where they are collected. In a year in which we are seeing a spike in fatal collisions, we urge the province to:
Return Edmonton’s fair share of fine revenue;
Respect municipal authority to set enforcement priorities and practices; and
Ensure revenues are transparently reinvested in road and pedestrian safety in the jurisdiction where they are collected.
Conclusion
Edmontonians need a fair deal, not a takeover. We call on the province to respect local democracy, take the lead it should on its key issues of homelessness and mental health, restore infrastructure funding, and return traffic fine revenue, with no interference on how it’s managed locally.
As Mayor, I will hope we find common ground, but I will defend Edmonton’s autonomy, negotiate aggressively for provincial investment, and hold the province accountable to the spirit and intent of an Edmonton Accord.
Respectfully,
Michael Walters
Candidate for Mayor, City of Edmonton
Pinoy Edmonton News 