Edmonton Headlines: Thursday, May 11, 2017

I am not seeking re-election for Ward 5 #yegcc. It has been my pleasure to serve the citizens of the ward and the City of Edmonton.

— Michael Oshry (@michaeloshry) May 10, 2017

Edmonton is going to have at least three new city councillors in October. Ward 5’s Michael Oshry announced he isn’t going to seek a second term. He squeaked out a win back in 2013 in what was also a wide open race without an incumbent.

There are a few people who’ve mentioned they want to run in Ward 5, but there’s still lots of time to officially get into the race, and an incumbent councillor stepping aside could increase the interest. Edmonton’s other wide open races are in Ward 4, where Ed Gibbons has been the councillor for 16 years, and Ward 9, where Bryan Anderson was a councillor for nearly 20 years.

Keep an eye on Dave Cournoyer’s election tracker for links to announcements and websites of people announcing their intentions for city council in 2017.

Just to Edmonton’s east… Strathcona County has a third woman join the race for mayor. All of them already have a good track record of holding and running for office (including the current mayor, of course).

Meanwhile… not everything in Edmonton-area politics is good or exciting. Some elected officials just can’t seem to get along, follow rules, or agree on things. Those include: Fort Saskatchewan council undergoing a review; the Edmonton Catholic School District with a long list of problems; and Strathcona County council censuring one of their own after he recorded private council meetings.

Nobody said politics would be easy.

Fast and Furious

If you’re a regular reader of Edmonton’s daily newspapers, you’ll be forgiven for thinking photo radar is the worst thing to ever happen to our city.

It is, however, often used as an effective tool to slow people down and can save lives. An excellent case for this is being made right outside of city limits, as Spruce Grove reviews its own photo radar program. In a report to council, it’s being cited as reducing car crashes by 20 percent and the amount of people speeding by more than half.

Edmonton will have one more area to slow down come September. Junior high school zones are official now, and will mean speeds of 30 km/h in front of those schools just like we’ve already for elementary schools. And while we’re at it, all neighbourhoods should be 30 km/h.

In slightly slower news, Edmonton’s new downtown bike network is getting closer to opening for everyone to use. Even the Edmonton Sun’s grumpiest staff can use it.

Provincial news

Why is there such a push from some in the Edmonton media to demand police release homicide victim names as quickly as possible? An eloquent point for some patience is made in the op-ed pages of the Edmonton Journal by someone who’s lost a son to murder.

That all said, Alberta should soon have a consistent policy for all police forces when it comes to releasing the names of people killed by someone else.

There’s a new video that’s been locally produced to help children who may need to testify in court.

And the provincial government is putting more money into a program that helps get people from Indigenous communities into the trades.

Public engagement

There’s a special meeting of the Audit Committee today, at 3:45 p.m. You can see the agenda online. The meeting will stream live.

There’s a public consultation tonight about the Whitemud Creek boardwalk and staircase replacement, 4-8 p.m., at the Brookview Community League.

The City continues its information sessions on a new public engagement strategy, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., at the South East Edmonton Seniors Association.