New mayor Sohi has 'very productive' first meeting with Jason Kenney

Premier Jason Kenney and Mayor Amarjeet Sohi meet on Nov. 3, 2021. (Source: Amarjeet Sohi/Twitter)

EDMONTON -

Edmonton's mayor met with Alberta's premier on Wednesday, for the first time in his new role.

Amarjeet Sohi posted a picture of he and Jason Kenney, both masked, inside the legislature.

"I shared with him the urgent need for supports to ensure Edmontonians experiencing houselessness have a safe space to keep warm this winter while we work on a long term solution to end houselessness," Sohi tweeted.

Kenney didn't post about the gathering, but he did congratulate Sohi on his victory on election night.

A political analyst has said Edmonton's new mostly-progressive council will have a tough time working with the United Conservative government.

But Kenney and his municipal affairs minister have committed to working cooperatively, regardless of ideological differences with the former federal Liberal.

“I think it’s important for us to avoid turning municipal politics into partisan exercise, and I respect the choices that voters make,” Kenney said on Oct. 19.

Sohi shared more about Wednesday's conversation in a follow-up tweet, but there were no specific agreements mentioned.

"We discussed finding solutions to the opioid crisis that is tragically costing our people their lives. We committed to work together to ensure our economic recovery brings more jobs to Edmonton and we talked about the importance of anti-racism work to ensure all Albertans feel safe," Sohi's wrote.