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Edmonton Journal Civic Election Candidate

QuestionnaireAmarjeet Sohi, 46 Running for Councillor, Ward 12

E-mail  amarjeet@sohi.ca

Website www.sohi.ca

Twitter @SohiAmarjeet

Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amarjeet-Sohi/98092156242

What are the three biggest issues in your campaign?

Your number one issue, and why?

Public transit has a tremendous impact on our city, and it is definitely a major priority. Our system had 68 million riders in

2009 (almost 200,000 per day), many of them students, seniors, newcomers, or those who cannot afford the $9,000 per year it

costs to own a car, on average.

Transit helps make our city more affordable and more sustainable - we will never meet our environmental goals without a

robust transit system.

We have made great progress over the last three years: selecting a route to bring the LRT to Mill Woods; improved bus servicein new neighbourhoods; a direct bus from Mill Woods to Century Park; and a new transit centre in the Meadows. I'm proud of 

my track record, but we need to keep the momentum going to make LRT to the southeast a reality.

Number two issue, and why?

Building safe communities.

I firmly believe that the key to community safety is to focus on prevention. If we address the root causes of crime, by building

supportive, inclusive communities and investing in support services, we can make our neighbourhoods safer and healthier.

This term I sat on a task force that developed a new vision for a safer Edmonton - making schools the hubs for reaching out to

youth; providing services where and when they’re needed most; and partnering with communities to understand their needs.

On the Police Commission, I advocated for more resources and neighbourhood-based policing.

I have also supported better services for youth, newcomers, and cultural communities for a more inclusive city. And I've

supported initiatives to improve traffic safety.

This approach is working: crime rates are down for consecutive years, and communities are engaged. Continuing this work is

one of my top priorities.

Number three issue, and why?

Community-based services – recreation centres, libraries, parks, trails –are important to the high quality of life Edmontonians

expect and deserve.

By 2013, my vision for the southeast includes youth, families and seniors using thriving rec centres and libraries, timely

emergency services, and fast, efficient transit serving new and established neighbourhoods.

With the support of my colleagues, over the last three years I've achieved important progress for the southeast:

- Approval of new rec centre and library in the Meadows;

- Approval of a new stand-alone library at Mill Woods Town Centre (to be built in the next 2-3 years)

- New fire stations in Ellerslie and the Meadows to bring response times up to par 

- Many other community projects.

These are lifeblood services for our communities, and I commit to seeing these projects through to completion.

LRT or Road construction: which should be a higher spending priority for council, and why?

LRT construction. Transit plays an essential role in our city, for thousands and thousands of Edmontonians. The LRT is the

 jewel of our system: it is fast, safe, and sustainable. LRT helps to take cars off the road, reduce emissions, and make Edmonton

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more affordable.

It also promotes the kind of development we need to keep our growth balanced and our economy vital.

We need to continue to invest in LRT expansion, but we cannot do it alone. We need the continuing support of all levels of 

government, and I'll continue to advocate for this.

That doesn't mean we'll stop building roads. We've invested millions in major road improvements, and millions more to rebuild

crumbling roads in older neighbourhoods. But LRT is key to Edmonton's future, and I strongly support investing in it.

City council has turned down a motion to hold a non-binding plebiscite on keeping the City Centre Airport as a

general aviation facility. Should the new council reopen the airport issue?

"No," .

Our decision to re-develop the airport came after almost two years of study, consultation, and public hearings. All Edmontonianshad the chance to share their views. We invested hundreds of hours researching the airport issue and talking to citizens. Theprocess was open, transparent, and fully democratic.

Edmontonians elect their Councillors to make big decisions – about taxes, budgets, services, policing, roads and transit, and, yes,development. We have sworn to make these decisions in the best interests of the entire city, and not of any single interest group.This is our deepest responsibility, and we take it seriously.

Council voted to re-develop the airport lands because we believed that this was in the best interests of the city as a whole, andbecause the re-development is in keeping with the vision we’ve shared with Edmontonians for the past three years.

To reverse that decision more than a year after the fact would expose the city to great financial liability, but more importantly,

would undermine the strong democratic process we followed in making the decision.  

Do you live in the ward where you're running?

Yes

How important is social media to your campaign?

4 out of 5

What is your favourite blog? 

ShareEdmonton is a great source of election info

What is the last book you read?

Edmonton Stories

What is the last piece of music you listened to?

n/a

What is your favourite beer? Answer this question to humour Mark Suits, Edmonton Journal beer blogger

n/a

Favourite place in Edmonton, outside your home?

The bus. I take the bus to City Hall almost every day, and it gives me the chance to talk to people from all walks of life about their priorities, their concerns, and everyday issues. I wouldn't trade that for anything

Three fantasy guests you'd like to have dinner with, and why? Can be living, dead or fictional

no answer 

What type of car do you drive? Make, model and year

no answer 

What is the best advice you ever received 

Treat everyone with respect, no matter your differences.

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