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Danny Heikkinen
Nobody looks at their property tax bill and is happy to see a 20% increase over the last 4 years of this Edmonton City council. We certainly aren't getting more value or better services for those dollars! Council must cut spending in superfluous areas to help freeze the constant tax hikes. You shouldn't be getting priced out of your own home in Edmonton.
Affordability issues are constantly looming. With smart responsible planning, we'll get through this. Here are some points to consider:
The city must ensure that the public can enjoy their neighbourhoods and public spaces without experiencing crime or chaos.
Cities should be passing evidence-based bylaws that have data-driven metrics and deliverables so City Council can prove that the bylaw is effective in solving the problem it's trying to fix.
The single-use bag bylaw is a perfect example where the city has no idea how much waste is being kept out of landfills, yet they continue to force businesses to charge customers for something that was once included as a normal business expense. Not to mention the absurdity of asking and making patrons pay for a paper bag in drive-thrus.
The city must perform a thorough review of all relevant bylaws, and immediately repeal those that are burdensome on citizens and troublesome for businesses.
We need to do a better job of keeping our streets and sidewalks cleared and maintained. The City of Edmonton must stop funding bike lanes. We are a winter city and prioritizing the clearing of bike lanes over vehicle lanes has to end. 1% of our population uses bike lanes. Take that money and put it into the infrastructure that we all use daily that benefits 99% of the population. Properly maintained roads and infrastructure means you get to your destination faster and with less wear-and-tear on your vehicle - saving you money in the long run.
The backbone of Edmonton's economy is comprised of small businesses, which not only employ hundreds of thousands of individuals but also play a vital role in keeping wealth circulating within local communities. Excessive regulations and red tape are overwhelming small businesses, making it difficult for them to compete with large multinational corporations and stay profitable. I will do more to promote our local entrepreneurs:
Did you know there are 200 capital projects underway in the City of Edmonton? Many of which are experiencing cost-overruns, delays, and setbacks. I think we can do better. We need to focus on less projects at once to make sure they are being kept on a tight schedule to minimize the disturbance and discomfort it causes our citizens. This helps keep projects from going over time and over budget.
The Homelessness situation in our city is only getting worse year after year. Prior city councils have just deflected the responsibility to other levels of government - a lack of funding, international issues, or any other variable out of their control. If we want funding from the provincial or federal governments, we need to come up with a realistic solution and how to execute it. We need to work with our law enforcement agencies and first responders to ensure everyone is staying safe on public transit and in public areas like bus stops. It's time to stop talking about it, and time to start doing something about it.
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