Ward papastew

Below you find the answers of City of Edmonton 2021 municipal election papastew candidates who have responded to three key climate questions submitted to all candidates with an email address on the City of Edmonton electoral data base by June 30th, 2021 (listed in alphabetical order by last name)

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Haruun Ali 
- website - climate platform (note: there may be more than one on the candidate's site)

Question 1: Do you support a 2030 target of 45 per cent reduction in Edmonton greenhouse gas emissions from 2010 levels, as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)?

I support a 2030 target of a 45 percent reduction in Edmonton's greenhouse gases from the 2010 levels. I believe that the first step into completing this goal is for the City of Edmonton to become a leader. I am an advocate for us to start the charge by going net-zero greenhouse gas emissions for City Operations by 2035. Another way we can achieve this target is by changing environmental requirements for newer buildings across the City. 
  

Question 2: Which policies would you propose or support to reach the 45% greenhouse gas emission reduction target?                     

- Massively invest in public transit to reduce the number of vehicles on the road.  - Investment's in shared solar panel systems for neighborhoods. - Invest in wind turbines and other green energy creation methods.  - Make it easier for people to use the city without the need for a vehicle.  - Partner with the electric vehicle industry to ensure that Edmonton has the infrastructure to support electric cars.  

Question 3: Are there any areas of special interest to you that you feel could contribute significantly to reducing Edmonton’s carbon footprint?

Public transit intrigues me because there are over 700,000 cars here in the City of Edmonton and ETS has an average ridership of 13% (pre-pandemic numbers). I believe that if we create a transit system that works and is free, we can convince more people to use public transit which in the longer term will save Edmonton both environmentally and economically. Another good solution is to redesign streets around the city to prioritize public transit, bikes and people rather than cars so that we are making it convenient for people to use these methods of transportation. 

Kirsten Goa 
- website - climate platform (note: there may be more than one on the candidate's site)

Question 1: Do you support a 2030 target of 45 per cent reduction in Edmonton greenhouse gas emissions from 2010 levels, as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)?

 I do, and I support the commitments in the City of Edmonton’s current Climate Resilience policy C627 adopted in April 2021. This includes a 50% reduction by 2030 and requires considering every decision within the context of our GHG budget and climate goals. . 
  

Question 2: Which policies would you propose or support to reach the 45% greenhouse gas emission reduction target?                     

In order to meet these targets we are going to have to make a lot of changes. The areas that I propose we target are:

• Energy retrofits for all buildings. We have the technology to convert existing buildings (houses and other buildings) to net zero, which means that they are so efficient and that they have so many solar panels on them that they produce as much energy over the course of a year than they consume. We need to cooperate with the other levels of government to eventually be retrofitting 30,000 - 40,000 buildings per year. This intervention is so great for our economy. Retrofitting jobs cannot be outsourced. This policy would create huge economic spinoffs for Edmonton.
• Zoning to allow for pleasant, walkable density all over the city. Courtyard housing, attractive, thoughtful medium rise buildings, and backyard houses are just some of the types of housing choice that have been missing from our city for years. Changing our zoning is cheap for the city to do, supports schools and businesses, and allows people to age in place. It also is great climate change action, as it reduces the length and number of car trips that people need to take to go about their daily lives.
• Greening the grid. Solar electricity is much, much cheaper than it used to be, and it is only getting cheaper. We should remove barriers to putting solar panels on buildings all over the city. A climate-friendly Edmonton will be a solar-powered one.
• Transit, transit, transit. Electric transit, that is. We have been slowly starving transit of funding for decades now. We need to invest heavily in transit, including creating pleasant, safe bus stops, giving transit the right-of-way in many circumstances during peak hours to make it a more desirable option, and investing in the number of routes, and their frequency. And yes, all diesel busses should be converted to electric as soon as possible, reducing poisonous diesel fuels and fighting climate change at the same time!
• Great biking and walking, everywhere. People should feel safe walking and biking to run errands and to travel to work and school. Street and crosswalk designs that make people feel relaxed and safe crossing the street is critical to getting people of all ages and abilities to choose the healthy and natural act of walking as a form of day-to-day transportation. Likewise, safe, separated bike lanes are critical to making people feel safe enough to take their bike to the store or to a restaurant.  

Question 3: Are there any areas of special interest to you that you feel could contribute significantly to reducing Edmonton’s carbon footprint?

I am especially enthusiastic about great transit and energy retrofits for buildings. 

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Byron Vass
- website - climate platform (note: there may be more than one on the candidate's site)

Question 1: Do you support a 2030 target of 45 per cent reduction in Edmonton greenhouse gas emissions from 2010 levels, as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)?

Yes, I support this target.
  

Question 2: Which policies would you propose or support to reach the 45% greenhouse gas emission reduction target?                     

There are a number of current policies and plans in the city that can be utilized as the framework to reach these targets. Specifically, I look at the Energy Transition Strategy and Action Plan as the framework to reach this goal. A great focus would be on accelerating the rate of retrofitting buildings. This can be done by providing additional incentives for larger building retrofits and offering secured loans to low-income individuals that cannot afford the upfront costs for home retrofit grants. There is also huge potential in utilizing our spending power through procurement to reduce the green premium on more environmentally friendly building materials (with which we purchase a lot). Finally, we need to not only invest in active and public transit options, but we need to ensure we are making it easy for new riders/active transportation users to make the shift out of their vehicles.                       

Question 3: Are there any areas of special interest to you that you feel could contribute significantly to reducing Edmonton’s carbon footprint?

I’ve worked in the environmental sector for the last 10 years. In that time, I have been focused on waste management which I currently see huge opportunities for improvements in not only reducing our carbon footprint but also encouraging a more circular economy that reduces waste.

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