This morning, Mayor Iveson met with federal NDP leader Tom Mulcair and his wife, Catherine Pinhas, at City Hall to discuss Edmonton’s priorities.
The discussion between the Mayor and Mr. Mulcair focused on two main issues - investing in affordable housing and transit. Mayor Iveson thanked Mr. Mulcair for his support to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's recommendations and he likened an increased investment in social housing as a “form of reconciliation” that is sorely needed. Edmonton will soon have the largest urban Indigenous population in Canada, putting us in a unique position to lead these reconciliation efforts. Mr. Mulcair spoke about his party’s $500 million commitment to create incentives for 10,000 new affordable housing units and his long-term plan to reinvest $2.2 billion in current federal affordable housing programs over the next four years.
The NDP platform states that the Edmonton Metropolitan region will receive $2 billion in new federal funding over the next 20 years. The NDP claims this funding will be enough to build 40 km of LRT in our City, along with 100 new trains and 100 new buses. The Mayor is encouraged by the possibility that this funding could assist Edmonton in realizing its top public infrastructure goal - fully building out the LRT network.
The Mayor thanks Mr. Mulcair for reaching out to discuss Edmonton’s vision. This is the Mayor’s second meeting with a federal party leader during the federal election and he welcomes invitations from other leaders to meet at City Hall and discuss Edmonton’s priorities.
To see where all major parties stand on key municipal issues, visit: http://www.citiescan.ca/policy_tracker
