Shelley Tupper

Infrastructure – As we welcome more people to our city, more demands are placed on our infrastructure and is felt in the way of traffic congestion. This has a direct impact on our quality of life when we spend more time in traffic we are spending less time with our families, it wastes fuel (which indirectly is money).  Also, as we idle in traffic, the quality of air we breathe is diminished.  We need to continue to maintain and upgrade our roadway network, find ways to expand our LRT system, and make our existing transit system more user-friendly.

Safe Communities – I believe that one place to start is by encouraging people to be active and take pride in their neighbourhoods.  Programs like Neighbourhood Watch, Community Patrols, Neighbourhood Empowerment Teams, Capital City Clean Up and Front Yards in Bloom all contribute to making a community clean and respected.  I also believe that the Community Liaison Officers from the Edmonton Police Service, are a powerful resource for communities as well.  In 2011, council approved funds for the construction of the Northwest Campus, which will house a new Arrest Processing Facility, and the Alex Decoteau Training Centre, in conjunction with a new Northwest Division Station. The training centre will include the provision of a back up police dispatch/911 centre and an incident command centre for major investigations and/or events. The training centre will also be available for other City and outside agency training needs.  Once on council, I plan to push for this important facility.

Strengthening the relationships with Capital Region Board - I have always believed that cooperation is an important principle – it’s how you get things done at the community level and how to get things done throughout the Capital Region especially when it comes to transit issues. I think that vitally important to continue to work with our neighbours to improve services and work toward long term goals such as extending the LRT out to St. Albert, the International Airport, Strathcona County and Stony Plain. These issues will need cooperation, not only amongst neighbours but also with all levels of government. I am used to fostering cooperation through my community and I plan to take the same spirit to City Hall.

With regards to all of the above three priorities, the big challenge is to meet those objectives within our means.  Fiscal accountability and transparency must be the cornerstone of all civic policies.  There is only one taxpayer to pay for three levels of government and citizens must know that they are getting value for their hard earned tax dollar.  I plan to lead by example and I commit to making all of my expenses incurred on council business available to the public – with receipts and statements posted online.  I plan to work toward making more information available to the public in a user-friendly format through the OpenGov initiative.

What makes Ward 2 unique?

Ward 2 is the home of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, RCMP K Division Headquarters, the Alberta Aviation Museum, the Via Rail station, Telus World of Science, Kingsway Mall, Westmount Mall, and the Edmonton Humane Society.

The Yellowhead Corridor runs through the Ward.

The Canadian National Railway’s main line runs throughout the Ward. The Walker Yard has also formed an important part of our transportation infrastructure for decades.

The ward also has two of ETS’s six maintenance garages.

The Northwest LRT line is currently under construction between Downtown and NAIT.

The Kingsway Business District is well established.

We have Ross Sheppard High School and the Edmonton Islamic Academy.

Senior Citizen Recreation Centres of Central Lions, Operation Friendship, Native Seniors and Calder Seniors where the members have been working hard at fundraising and applying for grants to renovate and expand their well utilized facility.

The Grand Trunk and Peter Hemmingway Leisure Centres offer pools and amenities, fitness centres, outdoor tennis courts, indoor ice arenas and surrounding parkland.

The former site of CFB Griesbach is being transformed into a beautiful residential community, and the Blatchford project will evolve over time as well. In addition there is substantial Industrial, commercial and residential land available for development.

Ward 2 is also the home of Fruits of Sherbrooke that turns rescued and donated local fruit into jams, jellies and chutneys. A local gardening group got thinking about fruit that was being wasted in their neighbourhood from apples to raspberries and rhubarb.  Fruit rescue is about minimizing waste, building community and teaching the basics of food production.  The group also provides volunteer opportunities to adults with the Winnifred Stewart Association help pick and clean the fruit.  In recognition of their efforts I nominated the group in 2012 for a Good Neighbour Award in the city wide Achievement category and in May of 2012 they proudly accepted their award at City Hall.

What are two criticisms and two compliments that you have for Kim Krushell in her job as Ward 2 councillor?

I don’t feel it’s appropriate for me to criticize someone on their way out when they can’t defend themselves on the campaign trail.

I will say that she spearheaded the establishment of the Universal Bus Pass system for Post Secondary Institutions, which has been a great benefit to thousands of students.

Also, at the recent Edmonton in Bloom Awards, city staff commended her for challenging them each year to improve both locally and nationally.  The results speak for themselves, as our city looks great!  Green and clean!

Why would you vote for Shelley?

When I read about Shelley's goals they seem like they sound like she is trying to make them sound good for me but I think she's copying most councillors to win the election.