Here are my latest Edmonton notes!
Mayor Don Iveson won’t seek re-election
On Monday, Mayor Don Iveson announced that he would not seek re-election in next year’s municipal election. In the post, he talked once again about cities being perpetually unfinished.
"This complex, ever-evolving work demands thoughtful, compassionate and constructive civic leadership — which is why next fall’s election will be pivotal and why I feel it’s important to give people who may be considering a run, time and notice to make their plans," Iveson wrote.
While I am not entirely surprised by Iveson’s decision, I will be sad to see him go. I was proud to support Don back in 2013 when he first ran for mayor. I think he has done incredible work on behalf of Edmontonians, and I think our city is that much better for having had him in the mayor’s chair for two terms.
Many people think of transit when they think of Iveson, for better or worse. I think when we look back though, we’ll actually remember him more for his work on the regional file, which began immediately after he took office. We call it the Edmonton region today, rather than the bland and nondescript "capital region," thanks in large part to his leadership.
Thank you Don, and best wishes in whatever you choose to tackle next!
Other recent headlines
- Would a province-wide mask mandate really have been that hard to announce? The new restrictions announced by the Government of Alberta earlier this week are better than the previous inaction, but don’t go nearly far enough, in my opinion. The City of Edmonton announced some changes in response, but did not recommend declaring a state of local emergency.
- I was sad to hear about an outbreak of COVID-19 cases at the Edmonton Convention Centre which has been operating as a homeless shelter since the end of October.
- One of the big stories circulating this weekend is that the provincial government spent $4 million on ads with the NHL earlier this year. So incredibly disappointing, though not at all surprising. I suspect there’s much more to come on this.
- Congratulations to Ryan Jespersen on what appears to be a successful first week back "on the air" with the new show called Real Talk.
For more recent headlines, check out the latest from Taproot Edmonton.
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