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Well said in this EJ column today...

"Nickel’s history of voting no to anything controversial, being on the wrong end of lopsided votes and his antagonistic campaign style all suggest he would struggle mightily as mayor to build consensus for his policies.

You can imagine council descending into near-daily dysfunction, trying to be led by a man who breaks the rules he agreed to, then claims he’s the victim when someone calls him on it.

To me, that’s not the behavior of an underdog or rebel, but rather a shrewd politician trying to game the system he’s long been a part of for his own ends."

www.google.com

Keith Gerein: Mike Nickel has long been council's contrarian. He may struggle to be its captain

Mike Nickel is currently Edmonton’s third longest-serving city councillor.
www.google.com www.google.com
 
TAS said:
Well said in this EJ column today...

"Nickel’s history of voting no to anything controversial, being on the wrong end of lopsided votes and his antagonistic campaign style all suggest he would struggle mightily as mayor to build consensus for his policies.

You can imagine council descending into near-daily dysfunction, trying to be led by a man who breaks the rules he agreed to, then claims he’s the victim when someone calls him on it.

To me, that’s not the behavior of an underdog or rebel, but rather a shrewd politician trying to game the system he’s long been a part of for his own ends."

www.google.com

Keith Gerein: Mike Nickel has long been council's contrarian. He may struggle to be its captain

Mike Nickel is currently Edmonton’s third longest-serving city councillor.
www.google.com www.google.com
Click to expand...
Couldn't have said it better myself.
 
TAS said:
Cheryll Watson is open to a lunch time zoom session - no minimum numbers required.

Does a 30-45 minute session during the noon hour work for this group? If interested, please let me know.
Click to expand...
I'd love to attend one of those depending on the day!
 
Yes Please, I'm interested!!
 
Story on Sohi's economic platform.

www.google.ca

Keith Gerein: Sohi fights for space as most 'business-friendly' candidate: Groundwork

In Formula One, a sport I’ve just recently begun to watch, drivers will often start the race jostling for position, hoping to claim the inside lane ahead of…
www.google.ca www.google.ca

Interesting that he is proposing the same $100M opportunity fund Calgary has been doing for a couple of years.

From article:
"In an exclusive interview, he shared a few of his newest proposals with me, the most intriguing of which is an idea to create a $100-million innovation fund over 10 years similar to one operating in Calgary.
Sohi also wants to create a business advocate office, a “one-stop-shop” that would simplify how companies engage with the city. And he proposes to establish a Mayor’s Council on Business to ensure industry concerns are heard directly."

Sohi, like Nickel, also talked about reducing permit times etc. for businesses - why couldn't they do this while they were in office? This is not a new issue.

Finally, Sohi commented:
“I know of mayors who have spent considerable time focusing on economic growth and promoting their city’s businesses to outside partners, and they have done some great work in attracting new investments,” he said.
 
Last edited:
Some good ideas this election campaign. Here is food for thought from Michael Oshry
www.michaeloshry.ca

Oshry for Mayor

www.michaeloshry.ca www.michaeloshry.ca
It's part of his Small is Beautiful Infrastructure Plan - he makes case city is involved in too many big projects.

As Mayor, Oshry would move to accelerate Blatchford by shifting the City out of the role as lead developer, and open up development to the private sector while maintaining the existing environmental regulations and objectives. Inviting the private sector to play a bigger role allows for new investment attraction, better risk management by getting the taxpayers ‘off the hook’ with future development challenges, and in no way compromises the City’s ability to set regulatory standards that must be met. It also does not diminish our role as the owner of the land the City still earns from the sale of the land - or from the potential tax dollars to come from land that is fully developed. By stepping away from the role of developer, no more public dollars are risked on the build-out.

Accelerating development of Blatchford, with room for 30,000 people and 12,000 households supports a more sustainable Edmonton. For all the talk of concern about urban sprawl, the biggest tragedy is that only about two dozen homes have actually been built in our most significant infill site over the past 10 years.

And with almost $200 million invested by a city that does not have cash to spare, it is also bad governance. The City needs to recoup its investment and realize the benefits, not just from land sales, but from having more than 12,000 households paying taxes in the centre of the City. With so little progress, the City is also missing out on millions of dollars in property tax revenue, while the land remains dormant.
 
I also think Sohi is a better choice, but getting the City out of their current position in blatchford (as Oshry suggests) is a very good idea.
 
Oshry is also the only candidate listing Rossdale development as a priority with a strategy.

Edited from his site:

"We will achieve significant redevelopment at West Rossdale over the next five years, by:

Activating the private sector. The City’s own investment should be minimal and paid for with proceeds from land sales in Rossdale and from selling suburban landholdings. We will prep the site, invest in important public amenities and do everything possible to attract critical private sector investment partners, as well as adding dedicated administrative resources to champion this development.


Renew the spark at our amazing power plant building. We will work with the Government of Alberta, Invest Alberta, Explore Edmonton and Innovate Edmonton to develop a workable plan to redevelop this iconic and historic building.

Ensure a CRL or a similar funding mechanism is put in place to cover the City’s commitments and to ensure all tax uplift from new development in Rossdale is kept in Rossdale until the redevelopment is complete.

Create “A Fast Start” development plan by inviting key stakeholders and all Edmontonians into the process, including (but not limited to):Full integration of the Indigenous community in a manner that honours and recognizes the people who first gathered at Rossdale and maximizes opportunities for Indigenous economic development.Using this opportunity to advance the River Crossing infill development goals.Maximizing the tourism potential of the site with access to recreation, food and dining and integration with the broader river valley ecosystem and all its activities. Maximizing connections to the riverfront, and in turn making room for the ideas of others who are seeking to improve access and activities in Rossdale, like the Prairie Sky Gondola.

Achieve some early wins starting in the summer of 2022 with pop up programming such as: Concerts.Coffee shops and beer gardens.Supporting the Edmonton Riverhawks.Expanding Indigenous cultural events, such as hosting a Pow Wow.Power plant tours.
 
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