Why do people move to the city? Education? Sure. Love? Always. Entertainment, friends, sports, culture, food, theatre? All of the above. But beyond that, for opportunity and jobs.

As your councillor, attracting businesses and high paying jobs will be one of my main focuses. Step one: cut all the red tape.

Have you ever applied for a permit? One restraunteur I know spent close to one year to get his permits. He was frustrated and absorbed over $40,000 in delay costs. That’s not business friendly.

How about a building permit? Something so simple can take over six months here but less than two months in neighbouring towns.

I want your ideas to succeed! You bring the projects, we’ll help you make the most of them. I want to enable your genius and drive!

Did you know that currently the property taxes for Edmonton businesses are roughly 70% more than surrounding towns, like Morinville, Sherwood Park, Spruce Grove, Stoney Plain, and Leduc?

This is why Edmonton loses many businesses to these outlying areas. The cost then gets added to the homeowner to cover shortfalls.

Most Edmontonians want council to focus on the basics: fixing potholes, clearing the streets, cutting the grass (and don’t forget the weed eating!), picking up the trash, etc.

Current council is focused on pet projects and virtue signalling, like declaring Edmonton to be in a climate emergency. Let’s stay in our lane and do the core services to the best of our ability.

How about holding contractors to budgets and timelines? What about having the materials needed to fix groundwork on hand before work begins so traffic isn’t disrupted for months?

Let’s fix one bridge into downtown each year, not all at once!

The city’s role is not to police our day to day lives, it’s to provide efficient services and keep the communities running. As your councillor, I vow to refocus on the core services and make the most out of our tax dollars.

Let’s do the basics well and avoid the distractions!

**** Note: If you have questions about climate concerns, please reach out to me directly for common sense solutions that don’t cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.

*** Fun fact: Work on Edmonton’s High Level Bridge started in 1912. That year, steel workers went on strike demanding 50¢ for a 10-hour work day. Today, over 28,000 cars use the bridge daily.

Have you ever been to a city meeting or “public consultation” where it seems that the decisions have already been made?

As your next councillor, I am all for responsible development. But I will:

• Advocate for decision making that includes meaningful engagement with the citizens
• Advocate for responsible, integrated development like high-density housing in the downtown core or near LRT lines
• Make a motion to pause the current zoning bylaws and revisit area structure plans

Decisions should be made with the people who live there — not for them.

*** Contact me for common sense solutions.

How do we address homelessness? By talking with people on the front lines, there are four types of homeless people:

• Those fallen on hard times: folks dealing with job loss, health issues, or personal hardships. These people need our help, and I’ll be first in line to give it to them.
• Those choosing alternative lifestyles: individuals who simply wish to live outside of society’s norms but genuinely avoid crime. Most of these folks stay to themselves and their street families.
• Those struggling with severe addiction: individuals who reject help and pose issues for society.
• The criminal element: those who exploit others and make life miserable for everyone.

I believe we need to focus on the last two groups. Criminals get a pass these days because it’s easier to be inconvenienced than it is to deal with the problem. Punishment is likely the best solution.

For those who want to get better, it is hard to become healthy when you’re surrounded by like-minded people. City-owned and operated group projects—like the Morning Star apartment house near Capilano Mall—have been disastrous for the neighborhood and detrimental to the people living there who want genuine help.

Rumination—the repetitive and negative thoughts about one’s own problems—is only exacerbated when living with others facing the same issues. That’s why the city should NOT build any more of these projects.