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Welcome to E-Link! 

This online newsletter is a new way for me to stay in touch with Edmontonians on key issues, activities, events and initiatives.

And because of the season, I am using this first message to send out Christmas and holiday greetings. 2006 has been an incredible year in terms of growth, opportunity and prosperity in Edmonton. We are so fortunate to be part of this city during this exciting time. At the same time, we see so many Edmontonians who do not share equally in this time of good fortune, and as always, our community will come through with incredible generosity to ensure a warm, happy holiday for all.

For my part, I want to say thanks to the people of Edmonton for their support, encouragement, good ideas and incredible community spirit - all of which I have been fortunate to experience over the past year.

I hope you enjoy this monthly newsletter.  Please use the links at the bottom to send me your comments, encourage others to subscribe, or let me know if you don't want to be on this mailing list.

Finally, I want to wish everyone a Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas and a great holiday season.

First-Time Home Buyers Program

 

First-time home buyers in Edmonton will get a break, through a unique, made-in-Edmonton program that will put up to 1,000 new homes on the market and help ease Edmonton’s housing crunch for first-time buyers. It’s an important “smart-growth” solution for a community that is being transformed by growth.

The Neighbourhood First-time Home Buyers Program will target building on 20 sites deemed "surplus" by school boards. Housing will be built only on the space where a school building was once planned - protecting surrounding green and recreation space. Neighbouring communities will have input into the overall design of the housing. A pilot phase will get underway sometime in 2007.
 

Watch for details at edmonton.ca/firsttimebuyers.

 

Municipal Sustainability

 

Out of each of your tax dollars, municipalities get to keep about 7 cents. Out of that, the city funds all municipal services – police, ambulance, roads, sewer, water, waste management, transit – but that 7 cents isn’t keeping pace, especially in this boom time.

Alberta’s Progressive Conservative leadership contest has finally helped to bring this issue to the forefront. And it is incredibly encouraging that Premier Stelmach has committed to providing municipalities with more funding: $1.4 billion over three years and committed for 10 years.

It is my hope that this financial commitment – along with efforts to improve long-range planning mechanisms, relationships and to formalize roles between the cities and the Province – will begin to lessen the growth pressures on municipalities.

 
Contact Us

Visit our website at edmonton.ca or call the Mayor’s Office at 496-8100.
 
         

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