Mayor Don Iveson delivered the state of the city on Wednesday, and much of his speech focused on council’s plans for working with the new provincial government.
With the majority of Edmonton seats going to NDP candidates in the election, there is some concern that the city will be overlooked when it comes to major government decisions.
It’s not the first time Edmonton has been under represented in the provincial cabinet. Under previous PC governments, Edmonton residents elected MLAs from the Liberal Party. As a result, only two cabinet members from the government were looking out for the city’s interests.
“The last time this happened, Edmonton was gutted. While other parts of the province got attention, Edmonton bore the brunt of public service cuts,” Iveson said in his speech. “Our local economy suffered because a lot of purchasing power got yanked out of it due to layoffs. We had lots of skilled people, nurses, educators; even trades people leave the city and the province, as a result. We stagnated for a long time. And then we spent years catching up.”
But Iveson says the city shares many of the priorities of the new government, including pipelines.
“I’ve been a vocal supporter of the TransMountain expansion since day one. It’s an essential project for Alberta, for Canada and for Edmonton. Let’s not forget, one end of that pipeline is here in the Metro Region. It has huge significance for industry and families in this part of the province. And that’s a message I bring with me, whether I’m meeting in Ottawa or Vancouver.”
“Our local economy is already fairly diverse in terms of the different industries you find here. But it’s still quite dependent on energy.”
“We’re not looking to cut our throats by tossing our energy sector overboard and saying, ‘We don’t want that anymore, we want these industries over here instead.’ To us it’s not an either-or choice.”
He also pointed out that as mayor he has already worked with two different prime ministers and four different premiers before Kenney from across the political spectrum.
“Within my first few months of first being elected Mayor, I was off to Ottawa advocating for transit funding with members of Mr. Harper’s Cabinet – including Mr. Kenney. We went there clear in our purpose, but honestly not sure what to expect, and we came home with a cheque for a new LRT expansion – the Southeast Valley Line.”
And now he’s hoping Kenney’s government will stand with the city by maintaining existing government commitments, including funding for improvements to Terwillegar and Whitemud Drive, building the Lewis Farms Rec Centre and Library, and LRT funding commitments.
He says the city will also be looking for funding to drive Edmonton’s economic growth in the future, including money for post-secondary and health assets.
“In 2018, Metro Edmonton generated 100 billion dollars towards Alberta’s GDP. That’s almost a third of Alberta’s economy. We’re home to one-third of Alberta’s population, and we have one-third of all employment in the province. In fact, one could argue that our region has held up the province during the downturn and recession. And we have led the way in its fragile recovery.”
Iveson wrapped up his speech by encouraging residents to contact their MLAs and the new government ministers and ask them about their plans for Edmonton.
