Polls are open for the final time on Monday, October 18, at 9am. Visit your local polling station (search form, map) to vote, preferably well before polls close at 8pm. Bring ID with proof of eligibility. If the address on your ID is out of date, a recent bill is good insurance. Your employer must provide you time to vote.
I began this blog with a post highlighting why I chose to run. Today, in my final post before Monday’s election, I want to highlight my vision for my the ward and for the city. A large part of this vision is to see all of 118th Avenue restored from Abbotsfield all the way to NAIT (and, potentially, onto the airport lands) as a north side “main street” with vibrant shopping, arts and community districts, and smaller scale equivalents elsewhere in the ward.
To get there, we need to start in our communities. We have come a long way in the neighbourhoods that bound on 118th Avenue, after decades of neglect. Refreshed infrastructure including new sidewalks, roads and decorative features have made areas like Beverly and Alberta Avenue more walkable. New businesses, restaurants, festivals and other events such as farmers’ markets have started to coax residents from their home and onto the avenue. (continue reading…)
This blog post follows up on the campaign pledge announced in my recent video “The Car-Free Campaign.”
Transit, bicycling and walking are not only great ways to save the city money, but they’re great ways to save Edmontonians money – something I know from first hand experience. And so, as a car-free Edmontonian with no intention of changing should I be elected, I pledge to donate at least half of my vehicle allowance to charity. Councillors are allotted approximately $6,500 per year (or approx. $20,000 over a three year term based on current vehicle allowances). (continue reading…)
As a car-free Edmontonian, I often spend time thinking about the roles that walking, biking, and taking transit play in moving people around our city. My bike has been particularly helpful on the campaign trail: it’s an inexpensive, efficient, and reliable way to get around. I often use transit to fill the gaps, but we need to improve service: extend the LRT, overhaul the route network, increase frequency, and extend service hours.
As part of my commitment to keeping transit as accessible as possible to all Edmontonians, I pledge to donate at least half of my council vehicle allowance to the ETS Donate-a-Ride program and to other local groups to help fund their transportation needs. Find more on the campaign pledge contained in this video here.
The Brendan Van Alstine campaign employs a very conservative policy when it comes to election sign placement on public land, based on the city’s strict guidelines. If you are concerned about the placement of one of our signs, please contact our campaign. If a campaign continues to maintain an illegal sign, you can call the Community Standards Branch on 311 – or 780-496-3095 (traffic control) or 780-496-3100 (compliance). (continue reading…)
I declared my intentions to run for councillor in Ward 7 on July 23, 2009, one day after the new wards were confirmed by city council. The reason was simple: I want to represent the area that I live in – the area where I know the issues best – and I wanted it to be clear why I was running in Ward 7 before the political musical chairs began.
Three out of the five candidates running in Ward 7 live here. Tony Caterina and Scott McKeen do not. Here is what they have said on the issue and where they live; the rest is up to you. (continue reading…)
Brendan is pleased to add to his growing list of official endorsements with this campaign endorsement from David Eggen. He’d love to add your words of support to that list.
“Brendan is smart, responsible and knows what’s right for the healthy future for our city. I look forward to working with Brendan now and when he is city councillor.”
David Eggen
David Eggen is the Executive Director of Friends of Medicare and a Former MLA for Edmonton-Calder
Ward 7′s neighbourhoods are changing for the better, and we need to embrace and own that change to build communities that work for us. At the same time, we need to preserve what makes our part of the city special.
You can also find video from the candidate’s forum on Tuesday night posted on the city’s website. Brendan’s opening comments begin at the 25 minute mark.
As a proud resident of Alberta Avenue, I have had a front-row seat to Ward 7’s inspiring rebirth. As a board member of my community league, local social worker, regular volunteer at The Carrot, and transit advocate, I have worked with you to make our neighbourhood and city a better place to live.
We’ve come a long way, but to go further Ward 7 needs a councillor who lives in and understands our community – someone with a positive and proactive vision and the courage to move forward. On October 18, I hope you’ll lend me your vote.
[Ed: This is the third in our series of posts from campaign team members. Next is Bryan Saunders, Publicity & Media Coordinator. If you are interested in an interview with Brendan, contact Bryan at BSaunders@BrendanVanAlstine.ca]
When Brendan first told me that he would be running for city council, it hardly came as a surprise.
After all, I’ve known Brendan for about 3 years now, and have always been awed by the passion that he has for his community. (continue reading…)
