I’m proud to serve as the City Councillor for Ward 5. Edmonton’s history as a humble, hardworking and creative city drives my work to preserve our core services, find innovation across government, and empower our businesses and residents to succeed. As we’ve navigated the COVID-19 pandemic together, we’ve seen firsthand how inclusion, safety and resiliency are vital to the long-term success of our city – which need to be addressed as part of all decisions City Council makes to ensure Edmonton can continue to be prosperous.

Since my election, I’m pleased to have undertaken roles on the Edmonton Police Commission, River Valley Alliance, REACH Council for Safe Communities, as well as served a term as Chair of the Community and Public Services Committee, and Vice-Chair of Council Services Committee, and Vice-Chair of the City Manager Recruitment Committee. From 2018-2020, I represented the City of Edmonton on the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) Safe and Healthy Communities Committee. I’ve also served as Council Advisor on the City Design, Indigenous Relations, and Arts and Culture Initiatives. Taking on these varied roles and responsibilities as a Councillor has allowed me to understand the complexities that make Edmonton unique, realize efficiencies in our local government and find solutions to long-standing challenges in our communities.

Born and raised in west Edmonton, my optimism for our city continues to grow – I’ve chosen Edmonton to raise my family and look forward to continuing to serve my community. I am a graduate of the University of Alberta and attained a Master of Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. 

Prior to my time as a City Councillor, I was an entrepreneur, educator and worked in various orders of government. My partner Nick and I enjoy spending time exploring our beautiful river valley -- by foot, bike and, occasionally, canoe.

What steps do you believe are necessary for Edmonton to achieve balanced growth between greenfield and infill development as outlined in the City Plan?

This is a complex question, but in short, Council and City administration need to look at the policies and regulations that support the City Plan to create that balance. It's a nuanced conversation, but details like this are important to understanding how goals are achieved -- or not. 

How will you support Edmonton’s competitive advantage and market affordable housing? How do you see fees, levies, taxes and municipal cost control playing a role in housing affordability? Note: CHBA-ER refers to “market affordable housing” as housing that is market priced and meets the general requirements of affordability based on household income. Market affordable housing may include market rental housing and market home ownership.

Market affordability, as well as livability, remains one of Edmonton's chief advantages, even as housing costs have escalated across the country. In order to support Edmonton maintaining market-affordable housing, I think councillors have to understand how fees, levies and cost control interact with pro formas and ultimately affect home values. This is a tough conversation when paired with the ongoing discussion of service levels. For me, the "how" is in the details -- can we partner with community organizations, for instance, to provide ongoing maintenance in neighbourhoods? Are there regulations in place that are impeding or restraining housing affordability? Understanding the challenges is as key as driving solutions.

What steps do you believe are necessary to reduce red tape and support business investment in the residential construction industry?

This is as much about identifying specific challenges as it is about reducing red tape, but at a high level, the City needs to clarify its own role between customer service and regulation. Both are important functions, but I'm concerned they are often confused.

Do you support welcoming a diversity of housing types throughout Edmonton?

Yes -- if we want to build a city where people can live in all stages of life having diverse housing types throughout the city will support this goal, as will building "15 minute" communities and diverse transportation corridors.

How do you envision City Council expanding infrastructure capacity to support future development as outlined in the City Plan?

Carefully. I need more specific examples, but ultimately, infrastructure investment requires a lot of capital and operational support. The investment in infrastructure assets is exceptionally important for the future growth of our city -- if done strategically and with a long-term operational plan to support the investment. There are various ways the City can accomplish this, but we'd need details about specific project types.

Do you support the goals of the Community Energy Transition Strategy? How do you envision the City of Edmonton achieving these goals?

Yes -- climate change is real and an increasing challenge to the livability of cities across Canada and around the world, which increases the costs associated for everyone. The City of Edmonton is responding to these challenges with the Community Energy Transition Strategy. How we collectively achieve these goals depends on a number of levers -- incentives, rebates, and grants are one form, as are levies and regulations. Depending on the goal, and the scale of implementation would depend on the tool you use. What's important to note is that not all goals can be accomplished using the same tool, and that collaborating with community and industry will move us further along in these goals, even if it requires more work upfront.

Is there anything about your platform that you think CHBA-ER members should know?