City Council Candidate Brendan Van Alstine is pleased to announce an official endorsement of his campaign from current City Councillor Dave Thiele.

“I am pleased to support and endorse Brendan because of his deep-rooted involvement in his community, his passion for this city, and his proven ability to lead positive and visible change.

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to collaborate with Brendan on a number of issues including improved city transit, sustainable city development, and the role that these initiatives play in building safer, more vibrant communities.”

Dave Thiele, Current Edmonton City Councillor

Councillor Thiele participated in the 2007 and 2008 editions of the TRUE Transit Challenge, a week-long event created and organized by Brendan where city councillors give up their cars for a week to ride ETS.

An ETS guide from 1980 recently surfaced on Connect2Edmonton, and it’s worth a look for those interested in seeing how Edmonton’s transit system has changed over time. While the diagrams are interesting in their own right, it’s a little hard to tell exactly what’s happened over the past 30 years without doing a little digging. Do that digging, and you’ll be left with a question – where have all our buses gone?

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[Ed: This is the first in a series of posts from campaign team members. First is Monika Penner, Volunteer Coordinator. Monika's always looking for new volunteers.]

I joined Brendan’s campaign because he is deeply committed to addressing issues I believe are important not only to the communities of Ward 7, but to Edmonton as a whole. His experience and vision in addressing issues of safety are especially important to me as someone who confronts these issues in my daily work.

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Our first batch of signs are officially off to the printers. While lawn signs are a mixed bag of pros and cons, we’re proud to note that our signs are printed locally and are, thanks to the city, recyclable. We’ll also try to collect as many signs as possible for recycling or future reuse.

If you have space for a sign, we need your help to show your neighbours your support. To get Brendan’s name out there, please request a sign and/or download a window sign – and while I’ve got you, can you spare a donation or lend a hand?

Thanks so much for your support,
Brian Gould, Online & Print Coordinator

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Daryl Katz, owner of the Edmonton Oilers, wants a new downtown arena. This is hardly news. Certainly Mr. Katz has a bold vision for a new arena district and has spoken about his desire to help revitalize Edmonton’s downtown core. I share this goal and can see the potential for an arena to make a positive contribution; however, the discussion around the new arena is still lacking, and I’m not yet sold on the funding plan.

Most troubling is the absolute lack of discussion about what would become of the existing Rexall Place, which is not only situated in Ward 7, but is also only a stone’s throw from my own neighbourhood. With a new arena, it’s likely Rexall would close, or would at least become much less active. Rexall Place (along with its parking lots) sits on 20 acres of land with an existing LRT station and is, for better or worse, the main anchor for 118 Avenue. While it’s certainly possible to imagine a better use for the site, a vacant arena is not it.

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When Statistics Canada released information about Canadians’ travel habits in 2008, I was disappointed – yet not surprised – to see Edmonton singled out as the most car-dependent city in the country. While both fuel prices and environmental concern are on an upward trend recently, neither seem to have made much of a difference with regard to transportation in Edmonton.

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With less than 3 months until the next Municipal Election on October 18th, 2010, my team and I have worked hard to update the website to better engage in a dialogue with you, the citizens of Ward 7 and of Edmonton. We’ve added links at the top so that you can connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Connect2Edmonton (which will host its own election forum later on). Most important is this blog, where I will add detail to my election platform. Please check back here throughout the run-up to the election and consider lending a hand. I want to make sure that I am hearing your opinions and concerns so that I can better represent you through the election, and, I hope, afterward as well.

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