Ashley Salvador touts experience, protection of services in bid for re-election to Edmonton council
Ashley Salvador is seeking a second term as the city councillor for Ward Métis, officially launching her re-election campaign Saturday.
Article content
Article content
With the theme 'Moving forward with focus, together,' Salvador is running as an independent, highlighting priorities such as protecting public services, fiscal responsibility, and advancing affordability, safety and sustainability in Edmonton.
Article content
Article content
'Over the last few years, our communities and our city have faced a number of compounding challenges,' Salvador told Postmedia. 'Not only have we been challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the inflation crisis and economic disruption as well. We've been through a lot together as a community.'
Article content
Article content
Salvador said the city's opportunity now is to focus on top priorities such as safe and healthy communities, 'making sure that we're growing in fiscally and environmentally sustainable ways, and making sure that we're building a city that's livable and affordable.'
Article content
With Edmonton's population rapidly increasing, Salvador said smart planning is essential.
Article content
'People are choosing Edmonton. They want to live here because we are a great place to live, relatively affordable, good opportunities, and we need to be able to make decisions today that are going to support that growth in the long run.'
Article content
A key plank of Salvador's platform is protecting public services in the face of financial pressures and structural budget challenges. The city's response to the pandemic was to impose tax and spending restraints, but that led to neglect of public services 'to a level where Edmontonians are not seeing value for their tax dollars,' she said.
Article content
Article content
'So for me, it's about really prioritizing and honing in on what are those key public services that Edmontonians rely on and expect, and how we can get to a place where they are sustainably and predictably funded.'
Article content
Article content
Article content
On affordability, Salvador said important steps have already been taken, including modernizing the zoning bylaw to allow for more housing supply and diversity, while securing federal housing funds.
Article content
'We've seen record numbers when it comes to new homes being built. We need to continue that momentum,' she said.
Article content
'The market alone cannot solve the affordable housing crisis, which is why I'm going to be continuing to advocate for funding for affordable housing, subsidized housing, non-market housing, to support folks who are on the fringes and who are facing increasing pressures.'
Article content
Salvador said she also sees recreation and cultural amenities as part of the affordability equation. The same goes for public transit, she added, noting the city has added around 50,000 new service hours to the bus system over the last few years, but 'we need to go much further' as 'Edmonton has chronically underfunded its public transit system' and it isn't always a viable option for many.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Sun
3 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
MANCINELLI: It's important to bear witness and see evil with your own eyes
Silence in the face of this kind of horror isn't neutrality — it's complicity The Nova Music Festival Exhibition in Toronto in remembrance of the people murdered and taken hostage at the event in Israel. Photo by Peter J. Thompson / Postmedia Recently, I took the time to visit the Nova Music Festival Exhibition, which is currently in Toronto. For me, a strong ally to the Jewish community, especially in the post-October 7 era, as we witness denialism of the atrocities and a disturbing rise in antisemitism across Canada, it was important for me to bear witness. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account I walked into the Nova exhibit expecting it to be heavy, but I wasn't prepared for the way it would reach into the deepest corners of my heart. Absolutely nothing could have prepared me for what I saw and heard inside those walls. The exhibit begins by painting a picture of what that day was like, showing the lights and music reminiscent of a vibrant festival. You can feel the joy, the unity, the freedom that filled the air before the horror began. Then, like a jarring shift in a dream, the mood darkens. You're surrounded by remnants of that day — charred tents, blood-stained clothes, twisted metal, porta-potties where people tried to hide, full of bullet holes. But it's not just the physical artifacts that hit hardest, it's the stories. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Listening to survivors recount what they lived through was gut-wrenching. One young woman described hiding for hours in a field, texting her family goodbye. Another man showed photos of his friends, now gone, whose laughter once filled the air just moments before everything changed. Their voices cracked, not just from pain, but from the weight of needing to be heard. And as someone outside of the Jewish community, I realized how vital it is for people like me to listen. The Nova Music Festival Exhibition in Toronto in remembrance of the people murdered and taken hostage at the event in Israel. Photo by Peter J. Thompson / Postmedia This exhibit isn't about politics. It's about people. It's about lives lost and lives shattered. It's about the raw human toll of hate and violence. The Nova massacre wasn't just an attack on Jews — it was an attack on humanity, on joy, on the right to dance freely under the stars. I saw myself in those young people. I saw my friends. My siblings. And that's when it truly clicked: Silence in the face of this kind of horror isn't neutrality — it's complicity. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. We must speak because every hateful act chips away at the dignity of us all. We must speak because our Jewish neighbours, friends and family deserve to live without fear. We must speak because justice demands it. What makes the exhibit so powerful is its refusal to let you look away. It doesn't sanitize the suffering, but it doesn't sensationalize it either. It simply tells the truth. And that truth demands a response. As Canadians, we weren't untouched by this massacre. Canadians who went to Nova festival to dance with their friends were also victims, including Ben Mizrachi from Vancouver and Alexandre Look, a young man from Montreal, a hero who was murdered trying to save others hiding in a bomb shelter. The Nova Music Festival Exhibition in Toronto in remembrance of the people murdered and taken hostage at the event in Israel. Photo by Peter J. Thompson / Postmedia It's easy to think, 'This isn't my community,' or 'This doesn't affect me.' But it does. Antisemitism, hatred and terrorism are not just Jewish problems. They're human problems. And if we let them go unanswered, we're all at risk of losing something precious — our shared sense of dignity and justice. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. I left the exhibit changed. Humbled. Angry. Heartbroken. But also, more committed than ever to standing with the Jewish community — not just in words, but in action. Sharing these stories. Challenging hate when I see it. And encouraging others to experience this exhibit for themselves. To anyone who isn't Jewish and wonders if this exhibit is 'for them,' let me be clear: It is. In fact, it might be especially for you. Because we need to bridge the gap between witnessing and action. Between sympathy and solidarity. Visit the Nova exhibit. Bring your friends. Bring your questions. And most importantly, bring your open heart. You'll walk out different than you walked in — and that's exactly the point. — Victoria Mancinelli is Director, PR, Communications and Strategic Partnerships, with LiUNA NHL Columnists Columnists Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls
Ottawa Citizen
8 hours ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Which Ottawa parks will councillors pick for alcohol pilot project?
Ottawa is launching a four-month pilot project allowing personal alcohol consumption in public parks. Article content The initiative, which starts July 1, was approved last week. Councillors will be able to propose in which — if any — parks or portions of parks in their wards they would like to see a project, or veto the idea if their communities are not interested. Article content Article content Under the Liquor Licence Act of Ontario, municipalities have the authority to designate public places where the consumption of alcohol is allowed under bylaws, which has prompted municipalities to consider amending their bylaws. In Toronto for example, 27 parks were authorized for alcohol consumption between August and October, expanding to 45 parks last year, with seven additional parks added this year. Article content Article content Based on councillor responses to a Postmedia survey about which parks they would like to see a pilot project, few are showing much enthusiasm. Of Ottawa's 24 councillors (minus George Darouze, whose Osgoode ward seat is now vacant after he departed for Queen's Park), nine councillors responded. Article content Article content Some were interested in giving the idea a try, some said they needed more consultation with residents and city staff, while others were full-out opposed. Article content Menard asked the city about doing a pilot project in March 2024. He was the only councillor responding to the survey to suggest a park in his ward for the project. Article content Councillors have to do their due diligence with city staff to determine which parks make sense for the pilot based on recommended criteria, such as parks that are well-lit and have bathrooms and water available, Menard said. Article content Article content 'Right now, we think the Great Lawn at Lansdowne would make a good candidate as a pilot, but we have yet to exchange full information with city staff on this,' he said. Article content Article content 'There are other parks in the ward we are considering as well, but this will be subject to discussion with community associations and city staff before a determination is made in advance of July 1.' Article content 'I am not prepared to speculate until I see which parks meet the criteria and do some outreach with our community associations,' Troster said in response to the survey.
Winnipeg Free Press
9 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
India is preparing to launch its delayed census, including controversial questions about caste
NEW DELHI (AP) — India will start counting its vast population in a mammoth exercise starting next year. The first census in 16 years will be conducted digitally and include controversial questions about caste for the first time since independence. The Home Ministry announced plans to conduct a two-stage count ending March 1, 2027 in a statement Wednesday night. India's last official census in 2011 counted 1.21 billion people. The country's population is now estimated to be well over 1.4 billion, making it the world's most populous country, according to the U.N.'s Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The once-in-a-decade population survey was originally due in 2021 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and logistical hurdles. Here's a look at what goes into India's census and why it matters. The census shapes welfare policies and representation The official count of the country's people is used to allocate many of India's welfare programs and other policies. It could also pave the way for redrawing the political landscape of India as seats are added to the lower house of Parliament and state legislatures to represent a larger population. Under the 2023 Women's Reservation Bill, a third of those seats will be set aside for women. A massive count The Indian census is said to be the largest peacetime mobilization in the world. Almost 2.7 million people were hired to implement the 2011 census, visiting more than 240 million households. The Home Ministry said the new census will be carried out in two phases and conclude by March 1, 2027. The government will spell out the details and schedule of the exercise later this month. They'll collect information about houses and their occupants, such as sex, age, marital status, religion, mother tongue, language, literacy and economic activity — as well as caste. New questions about caste are controversial The next census will be the first to consider the caste status of most Indians. Caste is an ancient system of social hierarchy in India and is critical to Indian life and politics. There are hundreds of caste groups based on occupation and economic status across India, particularly among Hindus, but the country has limited, or outdated data on how many people belong to them. Since independent India's first census in 1951, it counted only Dalits and Adivasis, members of marginalized groups known as scheduled castes and tribes. But India also has quotas that reserve government jobs, college admissions and elected offices for a swathe of lower and intermediate castes that are recognized as Other Backward Classes. India's current policy caps quotas at 50%, with 27% reserved for OBCs. A count of these groups will likely lead to calls to raise the quotas. Successive Indian governments have resisted updating caste data, arguing that it could lead to social unrest. The announcement on the census comes months ahead of a crucial election in India's poorest state of Bihar, where caste is a key issue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party runs a coalition government in Bihar.
