The Platform
When we invest in our city, we invest in our shared prosperity for today and into the future.
We keep Edmonton affordable and accessible so that we ALL have the opportunity to not only get by—but get ahead.
- We create safe and welcoming communities, where everyone feels that they belong.
- We create a city of opportunity: a sought-after home where families, businesses and risk-takers can thrive.
- We create jobs, help grow businesses and build an inclusive economy that benefits all of us.
I love and believe in Edmonton. And, along with my Council colleagues and City staff, I am tirelessly committed to building an Edmonton for all of us!
We are building acity of joy, opportunity and hope.
We keep Edmonton affordable and accessible so that we ALL have the opportunity to not only get by—but get ahead.
Mayor Sohi works towards a better Edmonton for all each and every day.
See the progress made on each of his platform commitments here:
A1
Develop new methods to give Edmontonians the chance to weigh in on budget priorities.
A2
Review of Municipal service Levels including Neighbourhood renewal, snow and ice, heatwave, and mosquito spraying.
Aerial Mosquito Program was halted; SNIC service levels will be deliberated during budget; Public space litter container servicing levels coming to Committee in Oct based on Cllr's Knack's inquiry.
Community Parks Framework will inform capital budgets for open space amenities to ensure equity in implementation.
A3
Require City Administration to report annually on external consultant costs.
2023 Audit Plan may include additional work on understanding how fees are determined.
A4
Aim to maintain a change in property taxes that is below inflation.
A5
Undertake an internal management position review.
A6
Leverage tax policy to align with city plan objectives.
Reports on how to make Property Tax System more progressive; and Residential Subclasses and Options for 'Other Residential' Phase-Out going to Executive Committee on Nov 23
B1
Direct Administration to add a climate lens to neighbourhood renewal considerations to ensure new infrastructure is built to be resilient to extreme temperatures, flash downpours, and other weather events.
To be included in the Climate Resilience Priorities Report.
B2
Establish a retrofit accelerator to support retrofitting of up to 30,000 homes each year.
City's Permanent Clean Energy Improvement Program will support 2,000 homes.
B3
Encourage corporate waste reduction / Waste Strategy Implementation
SUI Bylaw approved at Public Hearing Oct 4;
Multifamily Business Case approved - new food scraps collection program for apartments and condos starts in 2023
B4.1
Implementing the Electric Vehicle Strategy and amending zoning bylaws to require EV-ready infrastructure in new buildings.
Preliminary work started with EV Expo, testing of hydrogen buses and RFQ for hydrogen charging stations.
B4.2
Work with regional partners to develop a regional zero-emissions vehicle fuelling network.
B4.3
Assess the City’s vehicle fleet to review the overall size and look for opportunities to convert to low/zero-emission vehicles.
60 electric buses, and 2 hydrogen buses to join the fleet; additional charging infrastructure is coupled to new bus barn development (in the PPDM process already)
Land acquisition cost for new bus storage facility approved.
C1
Improve planning and coordination between City departments, utility companies, and private developers to reduce the impact of construction on businesses and visitors.
C2
Strike a permanent Mayor’s Council on Business Growth to identify opportunities and challenges across Edmonton’s business community and take concerted action.
First meeting slated for Oct 20
C3.1
Create a permit & inspection delivery guarantee, benchmarked against comparable cities.
Permit timelines are being reported.
Development Services is working towards timeline guarantees.
For new single-family residential development, Edmonton is already considered 2nd best in the country.
C3.2
Require Administration to report annually on average permit timelines.
C3.3
Create a Business Advocate Office to help businesses navigate City processes and champion their needs and empower the Business Advocate Office to support small and medium enterprises, with an equity lens.
Business Friendly Edmonton programs include: 1 on 1 business support, expansion planning support for companies that what to grow and need more space; Client Liaison Unit helps to expedite permits for large new companies that move here.
C3.4
Include festivals in the City’s review on permitting timelines, whether for festival creation or expansion, to help them save time and money better invested in artists and audiences.
Motion by Mayor: That Administration bring forward an unfunded service package as part of the 2023-2026 budget deliberations for a total of $500,000 to increase support for activities such as subsidization of civic service costs for signature events, expansion of the WinterCity program, micro grants for smaller festivals and events and other event capacity building, as outlined in Attachment 1of Report CS00949. (June 27th)
C4
Grow our industrial tax base.
Anthony Henday / 137 Ave industrial area infrastructure upgrade and other industrial priorities coming to council late Nov.
C5
Promote Edmonton as a hydrogen hub, applying our considerable expertise to accelerate adoption.
Accomplishments: hydrogen convention; hydrogen fueling station EOI released Oct 13
C6
Champion Edmonton as a construction hub for green energy to the region, the province, the country and the world.
Downtown District Energy report coming to Council in late October; DE Feasibility Study - Village At ICE District Lands Q4 2023
C7
Establish the Edmonton Innovation Fund with a focus on transparency, fairness and predictability.
Proposed phase 1 of Edge Fund coming to Council October 31th
D1.1
Create a Mayor’s Arts Advisory Committee to understand the evolving needs of the arts and culture sector.
Preliminary conversations with Arts organizations and individual artists.
D1.2
Convene arts organizations and businesses to promote Edmonton artists, arts and culture to attract tourism and business to Edmonton.
Learnings captured from Mayor's State of the City round tables (Arts and Culture/ Tourism round table session May 11, 2022)
D2
Recommit to “Connections & Exchanges,” our 10-year arts and heritage plan.
The annual report on Connections and Exchanges was provided to council on May 30th.
D3
Seek Urban National Park designation for the river valley to give us access to federal funds for trail upkeep while maintaining the independence to make decisions about and manage the space.
D4
Create a new category in Edmonton’s Economic Recovery Grants that specifically provides grants to help venues and festivals cover the costs of opening safety and building confidence with their audiences.
Festivals and Events Covid Recovery Grants (City of Edmonton, Launched: April 2022)
D5.1
Examine property tax incentives that support the arts, such as incorporating a performance or studio space into a commercial space.
D5.2
Work to find more accessible spaces for cultural community events.
D6
Create an Arts Recovery fund to help artists recover from the pandemic.
Arts Presentation Fund for Covid Recovery (EAC, Launched: Spring 2022)
D7
Create a Night Time Economy Director position.
That Administration to bring forward an unfunded service package as part of the 2023-2026 budget deliberations to enable the identification of the best model to support the night-time economy outside of daytime working hours in terms of effectiveness, accountability and transparency and considers designated night-time economy approach, including but not limited to a Night Mayor, as one of the potential options. Due Date: 2023-2026 City Council Budget Deliberations
D8
Establish a new provincial park (Big Lake Park)
E1.1
Create, with the Indigenous community leaders and governments, an Indigenous Elders Council to provide cultural and Indigenous knowledge guidance to the city.
E1.2
Create, with Indigenous community leaders and governments, an Indigenous Leadership Council to meet on a regular basis with city leadership to assess the state of city and Indigenous relations and address emerging issues.
E2
Support the search for unmarked and mass graves of Residential Schools and the Camsell Indian Hospital in the Edmonton region and advocate for other municipal regions to do the same.
E3.1
Create a Reconciliation Council with the city with Indigenous community leaders and governments to identify and incorporate those Calls to Action from the TRC Report, which fall within the city’s governing powers to implement and incorporate as policy direction and programs. This work has begun with the Indigenous Framework, but can be expanded and resourced.
Additional resources were dedicated to the Indigenous Framework implementation and other actions related to reconcilliation as part of the Community Safety and Wellbeing Framework.
E3.2
Establish an annual review process and committee with Indigenous community leadership and governments to ensure the identified Calls to Action goals and objectives are moving forward.
E3.3
Establish a process and a 4-year Indigenous Peoples report of concerns, needs, and recommendations as a guiding document for the city.
Indigenous Framework Annual Update recieved on May 30th
E4
Annually celebrate Indigenous achievements and the city's relationship with Indigenous peoples
E5
Create a committee that includes City Council members, Administration, the city police, and members of the Indigenous community leaders and governments to address Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls.
E6
Expand operational support to the Indigenous Relations Office and move its reporting directly to the City Manager or City Council
Indigenous Liaison Officer Position Established in the City Manager's Office (2022)
E7
Include Indigenous history in city programming, archives, city promotional materials, and tourism.
E8
Accept and Incorporate the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a framework for right relations.
F1.1
Identify vacant commercial and residential buildings for conversion into affordable housing.
- The Mayor made a motion requesting an update of the Affordable Housing Investment Plan for the 2023-2026 Budget Cycle. - Report was received at the June 27 Community and Public Service Committee meeting.
F1.2
Create a better framework for housing development with consistent communication between partners.
- Homeward Trust will be updating their plan to End Homelessness - City of Edmonton's Auditor report required the City of Edmonton to create a strategy for their houselessness response. Administration accepted the recommendation and will report back in 2023 - City of Edmonton is updating its Affordable Housing Strategy and Affordable housing Investment Plan and Needs Assessment.
F2
Advocate to the provincial and federal governments to reestablish support for safe consumption sites and harm reduction facilities.
- The Mayor made a motion for administration to work with stakeholders to provide recommendations on making an application for CDSA 36(1) exemption, as well as an intergovernmental advocacy strategy. - Councillor Erin Rutherford made a motion focused on Drug Testing that asks administration to explore drug testing.
F3
Create a new Edmonton Mental Health Action Plan.
- Community Safety and Wellbeing strategy committed resources to updating the Edmonton Mental Health Action plan and incorporating the Suicide Prevention plan.
- Have met with stakeholders about the possibility of a community-led plan.
F4.1
Work with marginalized communities and law enforcement to find opportunities to repair trust.
- Community Safety and Wellbeing Strategy was passed by council with a pillar that includes anti racism.
- Council has invested in multiple multidiciplinary approaches to enforcement. The Community Outreach Transit Team (COTT) is an example of this work.
F4.2
Bring together law enforcement and social service agencies to identify ways to ensure the right resources are deployed to the right situations.
- Transit Safety Plan included a tripartite governance structure and Community Transit Outreach Team.
- As part of the CSWB strategy council approved funding for Joint Dispatch Center
F5
Co-develop a plan to address hate- and race-based violence with the community.
- Anti-racism Strategy approved February, a call is out for the board to set up the external anti-racism body. We assume this body will further this work. - Acknowledged the UN Decade for People of African Decent. Admin is getting a contractor to develop an Anti-Black Racism Action Plan.
F6
Address issues in city bylaws and other tools to respond to symbols of hate.
- Public Places Bylaw 14614 - Hate Symbols Provisions. motion made by K. Tang. Coming to council in November.
F7
Adopt a community-focused approach to naming and renaming city buildings, spaces, and statues.
F8
Create a Statuary and Monuments committee to identify statues and monuments that do not represent the best of our collective history, and identify opportunities to create new statues and monuments that include our whole history.
G1.1
Capitalize on the Zoning Bylaw review to find opportunities to create 15-minute communities that support walkability and recreation.
-Engagement for the Zoning Bylaw Renewal is underway.
G1.2
Preserve and enhance community-level recreation facilities.
Asked for Rollie Miles package to be included in budget,
G1.3
Invest in community parks and greenspaces so every Edmontonian is within a 10-minute walk from a park.
G2.1
Re-evaluate the public transit network redesign with an equity lens to ensure the system is accessible to those who need it most.
- Bus Network Expansion Opportunities - Transit Funding Model Options report to Exec Committee on May 23rd. - Mayor made a motion: That Executive Committee recommend to Council that administration develop unfunded service packages for the 2023-2026 four-year budget deliberations to reallocate Valley Line Southeast precursor bus service (Route 510X) hours to conventional bus service considering Attachment 3 of Bus Network Expansion Opportunities - Transit Funding Model Options (CO00803).
G2.2
Reduce transit costs for populations in need.
- Active and Public Transportation - Safety, Accessibility and Equity Apr 13/22 (report postponed) (motion made by Councillor Paquette.
- Ride Transit and Leisure Access Programs (Motion made by Cllr Knack) Report coming to committee October 28th.
G3
Address food insecurity in partnership with community organizations by establishing Community Food Coordinators at the City.
A multisectoral group on food security will be reconvened Edmonton Community Coordination of Food Resources Committee (ECCFRC);
G4.1
Use the Zoning Bylaw Review to find new opportunities for more child care facilities.
G4.2
Build collaborative processes between agencies, private providers and institutions to increase the number of affordable child care spaces.
G4.3
Identify locations for child care in city-owned space.
G4.4
Create an Edmonton Child Care Strategy.
- We have engaged extensively with Early Childhood Learning and Care group through End Poverty Edmonton. We are still waiting for a report from Administration on the Committee recommendations.
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