State of the City Address

As you drive around Edmonton, in virtually every corner, you see evidence of the things that make this city so strong - the people, communities, parks, schools, culture, business and enterprise, to name just a few. In so many ways, we are a city with unlimited potential.

On May 13th I delivered my State of the City address and outlined the tremendous changes that have taken place in Edmonton over the last few years and the opportunities that lie ahead.

Edmonton is growing into a major metropolitan area and planning for this growth is an overriding priority for City Council. We have to make sure we are doing our very best for every citizen in Edmonton whether we're talking about new jobs, new transit options, downtown revitalization or how to find community-based solutions to issues like homelessness and crime prevention.


Preventing crime before it happens

Overall, Edmonton is a safe city with an excellent police force and a network of strong and active communities in which people look out for each other. Still, I've been concerned recently about some signposts that we simply cannot ignore such as graffiti, transit safety, litter, homelessness and panhandling. The time has come for us to do more to prevent and address these elements of community disorder before they become much more serious.

In my State of the City address, I laid out plans for a committee made up of community and business leaders to get to the heart of these issues. Over the summer, I will be working with my Council colleagues to establish this committee so it is ready to begin work in September and report back to Council by the spring of 2009. With the right people on board, we will be able to develop solutions that work for Edmonton.

If you are interested in finding out more, you can read the State of the City address, or watch the webcast, by visiting www.edmonton.ca.


Seniors’ Community Coffee Parties

To mark Seniors' Week and the outstanding contributions Edmonton's seniors make to our city, I would like to extend an invitation to all seniors to join me, and my Council colleagues, at one of our community coffee parties being held Wednesday June 4th or Thursday June 5th at the following locations:

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

• Westend Seniors Activity Centre, 9629 176 Street, from 9-10 a.m.
• Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton (SAGE), 15 Sir Winston Churchill Square, from 2-3 p.m.