EDMONTON – With weeks to go until the civic election, several Edmonton mayoral candidates are making campaign promises.
Kerry Diotte, Don Iveson and Karen Leibovici took part in a mayoral forum Tuesday afternoon.
“I’m running because I’m concerned about the direction in which this city is going,” said Diotte.
“I actually think that right now, Edmonton is the most underestimated city in North America… and I think we’re tired of that,” said Iveson.
“You need a mayor that has the experience and the leadership abilities, and gets things done,” said Leibovici.
The candidates all had the opportunity to make remarks, and then answered audience questions on municipal issues. (They also spoke to Global News about civic issues that have a provincial government role. Those raw interviews are posted at the bottom of this story.)
While at the forum, Leibovici advocated her plan to help seniors clear their sidewalks of snow during the winter.
“It’s to allow the seniors who don’t have the ability to remove the snow from the city sidewalk the peace of mind that we’re not going to be ticketing them at the end of the day,” she said.
She would like to see the city work with seniors groups to implement a plan that won’t cost taxpayers additional money.
“There’s various ways that we can approach the situation. I don’t see it being an increase to our budget at all.”
Iveson suggested taking a broader look at the issue.
“If we’re going to help people with low mobility, I think we need to be inclusive because there are folks who aren’t seniors who have challenges shoveling their walks.”
While he admits the logistics of his approach still need to be ironed out, Diotte wants to take the plan further.
“All sidewalks – we could look at that. That’s something I want to explore. I’ve got it in my brochure, so I’ve talked about it.”
In 2011, a City report found the cost of clearing all sidewalks in Edmonton would be about $19.3 million. Where would the mayoral candidates find that money?
Diotte says the City could keep the tax rate at inflation, avoid cuts, and still find cost savings to fund projects like this.
“That’s the old… ‘you either raise taxes or cut services’ – I don’t buy that. There are many, many savings here.”
Iveson says council could look at a sidewalk clearing program if Edmontonians wanted one, but it couldn’t be done with existing resources.
“Well, you could either cut some other service that Edmontonians already rely on or you could come up with new revenue to do it,” he said. “There’s no magic pot of money.”
Leibovici says some municipalities do fund plowing of all sidewalks, but she says Edmonton likely isn’t there yet.
“What I would suggest is that what Edmontonians want right now is for us to fulfill what we promised what we would do. And when you look at our residential plowing program, we’re not where we need to be.”
The forum – hosted by the Edmonton Hong Kong Canada Business Association (HKCBA) – was held at the Chateau Lacombe and was moderated by Global Edmonton News Hour anchor Gord Steinke.
Two of the three councillors now running for mayor have made their campaign donor lists public.
Leibovici released her donation list last week, revealing she’s received about $365,000 in donations.
“What we want to see is more openness and transparency in government, and whether we do it after the election or during the election, we have to show who’s contributing and believing in us,” she said.
Iveson made his campaign donor list public on Tuesday, revealing he’s raised just over $318,000.
“In the last election, I released my donors ahead of time because I think voters should see where the money that powers these campaigns comes from,” he explained.
Diotte says he’ll wait to make donations public until after the election.
“In some ways, I think it’s like saying ‘who are you going to vote for in the election?’ Maybe some people who support me would rather give money and not have it out that they are supporting any particular candidate,” he said. “When it comes out later, it’s fine.”
Global News Provincial Affairs reporter Vassy Kapelos asked the candidates about several provincial issues with civic implications, including the MSI funding structure, big city charters, and cuts to post-secondary education.
You can watch their interviews below:
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