Latest news with #AshleySalvador
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Yahoo
Edmonton councillor calls on minister to reverse photo radar cuts after 20th traffic fatality of 2025
Twenty people have been killed on Edmonton roads so far this year, prompting alarm from a city councillor who blames the increase in part on the scaling back of photo radar. Edmonton police on Thursday announced a motorcyclist was killed earlier this week by colliding with a concrete barrier in a south Edmonton industrial park near Highway 2 and Highway 19. The 40-year-old's death brings Edmonton to 20 traffic fatalities for 2025, approaching the total deaths in all of 2023 (27) and 2024 (26). 'The unfortunate reality is that 20 individuals have died on our streets this year alone,' Interim Chief Devin Laforce said in a news release. 'These are our friends, our family, our coworkers.' The grim milestone comes less than one year after provincial Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen reduced the number of photo radar speed enforcement locations by 70 per cent. The announcement — made at an Edmonton barbecue restaurant, where an aproned Dreeshen decried the tool as a 'cash cow' — prompted concerns from Edmonton city councillors and Calgary's police chief, who accused the minister of being 'unprofessional' and making light of road fatalities. On Thursday, Edmonton Coun. Ashley Salvador said the changes — which banned city-operated photo radar in all but school, playground and construction zones — effectively eliminated photo radar as a speed enforcement tool. The City of Edmonton ended photo radar enforcement in school zones effective July 1, citing the cost, which was subsidized by revenue from photo radar on roads where it is now banned. 'Given what we've been seeing on our streets, given the surge in fatalities, I do think the province needs to reconsider their approach,' Salvador said. '(Photo radar) is a known tool that is backed up by data and evidence to help support traffic safety as part of a larger suite of tools. As a growing city, we need all the tools we can get to support safety in our neighbourhoods.' Edmonton police were not able to provide statistics Thursday on how often speed was a factor in this year's traffic fatalities. In May, police said speed was a factor in nearly half, including three people killed on Edmonton roads in a single weekend. Laforce said Thursday that police are focusing 'significant resources' on traffic safety, including education campaigns 'to remind Edmontonians that speeding on our roadways is not without immense risk and potentially tragic outcomes.' The service has not taken a position on the elimination of photo radar but has called for the power to seize vehicles clocked going 50 km/h above the speed limit. 'Regardless of the province's automated enforcement guidelines or the city's decision to scale back the tool, the EPS will continue in its ongoing traffic safety efforts using more traditional direct policing measures,' EPS spokesperson Brooke Timpson said in a news release. 'We will also work collaboratively with our numerous traffic safety partners to maintain and prioritize the safety of the public using its existing response and specialized traffic resources to ensure that those individuals choosing to engage in dangerous or other unlawful behaviours are held accountable.' Timpson added, 'The public should not interpret the scaling back of (photo radar) as implicit approval to engage in high-risk or other unlawful driving behaviours.' Salvador said she hears from constituents increasingly 'alarmed' by behaviours they're seeing from drivers. While the city has other tools to limit dangerous driving — including education campaigns and infrastructure improvements — limiting enforcement 'makes the rest of the strategy hard to deliver on,' she said. 'So it's a significant loss.' Dreeshen's office did not respond to a request for comment by press time. Edmonton has signed on to the Vision Zero strategy to eliminate road deaths and serious injuries by 2032. jwakefield@ @ Related 'Absolutely concerned': Edmonton mayor, councillors react to Alberta photo radar plan Edmonton police chief pleads with drivers to slow down after three fatal weekend crashes City of Edmonton ends school photo radar, citing costs and issues beyond speeding You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun
Global News
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Global News
Edmonton city council explores budget to tow vehicles during winter parking bans
It may be July, but Edmonton city council discussed ways to better deal with illegally parked cars during winter parking bans on Wednesday as city councillors prepare to take their summer break at the end of the week. 'A big component of making sure we're doing parking enforcement is making sure that the crews can do the work that they need to do,' Coun. Erin Rutherford. 'And giving people a ticket doesn't move the car.' The parking bans are also issued in the spring when crews are directed to sweep streets. City councillors discussed a report prepared by city administrators for the community and public services committee. One of its recommendations was to potentially increase enforcement funding by $100,000 or more when parking bans are declared because of snow or ice buildup on roads in the winter. City council also debated the merits of allowing the city to contract companies to two vehicles that are violating a parking ban to a nearby street so that crews can clear the road. Story continues below advertisement '(Edmontonians) want to know that we are working as efficiently and effectively as possible,' Coun. Ashley Salvador told reporters. 'In order to do that, we do need folks to move their vehicles off the street.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy During the winter season, the city can declare a parking ban on specific streets with just eight hours notice to try to clear roads to make them safe for travel. The ban is usually implemented in phases to target different kinds of streets at different times and comes with temporary parking restrictions. City administrators said contract towing services have not been available since the city had a one-time funding boost to parking ban enforcement in 2022-23. Currently, there are five bylaw enforcement officers who issue tickets during parking bans and there is no budget for towing. One of the other changes councillors are considering is to reduce the cost of tickets issued for violating parking bans from $250 to $150 if the budget to tow vehicles is brought back. Story continues below advertisement The discussion about how to enforce parking bans is set to be discussed again in the future once city council resumes after a summer break. –with files from Global News' Jasmine King
CTV News
29-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
‘We know there's a will': Residents rally against Highlands infill
Highlands residents rallied in their neighbourhood, calling on the City of Edmonton to put a pocket park in a transit loop that may be rezoned for infill housing. (CTV News Edmonton/Darcy Seaton) Residents rallied in Highlands Saturday afternoon against a proposed infill development in the area. While the area has seen infill development pop up in recent years, there is one piece of land community members aren't willing to part with. Highlands resident Yvette Cioran said she'd like to see the transit loop on 112 Avenue and 61 Street turned into a 'heritage pocket park.' 'This park is very relevant to the story of Edmonton,' said Cioran at the rally. 'It's an extension of the streetcar story.' HIGHLANDS RALLY Yvette Cioran is pushing for a transit loop in her neighbourhood to be turned into a pocket park, commemorating streetcar history in Edmonton's Highlands. (CTV News Edmonton/Darcy Seaton) Back in the day, a streetcar stopped in the northeast Edmonton neighbourhood. The line was a connection for people in the area to get downtown. Residents received notices in the mail from the city saying it was looking to sell the property that currently serves as a cul-de-sac and transit loop. The city is also looking to rezone it for housing. Cioran said she reached out Ward Métis councillor Ashley Salvador, Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood MLA Janis Irwin as well as the mayor about her idea for a park, but said she has yet to hear back. 'I'm doing my best to reach out,' said Cioran, adding that she did hear back from city administration, but they said none of their departments saw a use for the site. Cioran's vision for the pocket park will commemorate the history of the streetcar, similar to Alexander Circle in Glenora. 'It could be the start of something really great and I'm hoping that people can get behind it so we can save this beautiful little park.' HIGHLANDS RALLY Highlands residents rallied in their neighbourhood, calling on the City of Edmonton to put a pocket park in a transit loop that may be rezoned for infill housing. (CTV News Edmonton/Darcy Seaton) Residents reached out to the Edmonton Railway Society about refurbishing a streetcar to put in the park. A representative said it could cost upwards of $100,000. 'I think that's doable,' said Cioran. 'I think there's a lot of people in living memory (whose) faces light up when you talk about the streetcar, and I think those people would be more than happy to donate to this.' A public hearing on infill development and rezoning will be held at city hall on Monday where Ward pihêsiwin councillor and mayoral candidate plans to move a motion for a moratorium.
CTV News
17-06-2025
- Automotive
- CTV News
City to add more tow trucks, lower fine amounts for parking bans
Edmonton city council supported a move that would see increased towing and lower fines for vehicles not moved during seasonal parking bans. CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson reports. Tow trucks and smaller fines on their way during seasonal parking bans More tow trucks and smaller fines are on their way for Edmonton drivers who don't move their vehicles during seasonal parking bans. City council is trying to find the right formula for effective snow clearing and street-sweeping of its more than 12,000 kilometres of roads, balancing enforcement with education. The city has issued at least 2,200 parking tickets in three of the four winters Edmonton has had a seasonal parking ban system. Ashley Salvador, the councillor representing ward Metis in east Edmonton, said Monday the city wants 'to be able to clear streets both in the winter and spring in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible.' 'In order to do that, we do need folks to be getting their vehicles out of the streets,' Salvador told media at city hall. The winter of 2023-24, though, was an exception. The winter was mild enough that the city didn't issue a parking ban on neighbourhoods roads. Besides, the city had reduced the number of bylaw officers that year to five from 15. There's also been no city money for tow trucks the last two winters. City councillors are moving to change that, giving initial approval to spend $100,000 on tow-truck contracting next winter, paid for, eventually, by property taxes. They also support reining in the parking fine from $250 to $150, with a further discount for early payments. 'If we scale up enforcement, we need to match it with a fine amount that is reasonable and not punitive,' Erin Rutherford, city councillor for the north-central ward Anirniq, told media. Residents can sign up for the city's email/text parking ban warning service.
CBC
02-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
City of Edmonton renewal investment shortfall sits at $1.5B: report
City of Edmonton administration and council will discuss next week how to balance growing the city while maintaining existing infrastructure, after a new administrative report found a shortfall of $1.5 billion for the 2023-26 capital budget. The city has $34 billion worth of infrastructure and assets, including roads, recreation centres, parks, pools, fire halls, transit and community spaces. But only 54 per cent of funding is going toward maintenance and renewal, the report says. Ward Métis Coun. Ashley Salvador said the report was not surprising. She has put forward measures like a dedicated fund to mitigate underfunding renewal. "Over time, if we're not taking care of all of our infrastructure and assets, we start to see potential service declines. We see that infrastructure falling into disrepair, which ultimately is more costly for Edmontonians," Salvador told CBC News. "We can have a dedicated fund in place to predictably and sustainably take care of our existing infrastructure." Salvador said Edmonton, like other North American cities, has spread itself thin, sprawling "quite quickly." But she said the city didn't have "an adequate line of sight as to how we're actually going to pay for all of that infrastructure." The municipal government needs to understand the full life cycle costs of all its assets when it builds new facilities, roads and communities near the edge of the city, she said. "We need to be able to not only build them at the outset and pay for the growth of those assets, but have sustainable funding," Salvador said. In March, city council voted to support the creation of a dedicated renewal fund. Provincial funding Ward Dene Coun. Aaron Paquette has concerns over provincial cuts to infrastructure funding for municipalities, saying the Alberta government "massively reduced" the amount provided. "For us, that's meant over $1 billion lost in unconstrained infrastructure dollars," Paquette said. Unconstrained funding can be used without specific restrictions or limitations. Paquette said, at this point, nothing essential will be immediately impacted, but mitigating costs will help future taxpayers. "The reason we have this deficit is through provincial cuts and through, obviously, inflation and some of these tariff discussions," he said. "But it's our job to sort of accommodate for that and provide policy and direction that, again, will shield residents." In an emailed statement to CBC News on Friday, Minister of Municipal Affairs Dan Williams said the provincial government is stepping up to meet the challenge and ensure Edmontonians "have access to world-class public infrastructure." Williams said the city received $179 million through the Local Governance Fiscal Framework, an increase of more than 13 per cent from last year. He noted that, in this year's budget, the provincial government increased amounts paid through its Grants in Place of Taxes program to 75 per cent, with plans to increase amounts to 100 per cent next year. The program lets the Alberta government give municipalities grants instead of paying property taxes on its properties within those communities. The move came after municipalities across Alberta voiced concern to the provincial government over the impact of cuts to grants in place of taxes in recent decades. Williams said the City of Edmonton will receive roughly $28.6 million in funding through the grant, up more than $10.5 million from last year. The provincial capital plan currently sits at $26.1 billion. It includes $1.6 billion for LRT expansion projects, $190 million for the expansions of Terwillegar Drive and Yellowhead Trail in Edmonton and $106 million to revitalize downtown Edmonton.
