The biggest issues Canadians face going into the federal election this fall are commute times and affordable housing, says Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi.
Nenshi was in Edmonton on Thursday for the annual meeting of the mayors of Canada’s 21 largest cities. The mayors will plead with federal politicians for a fairer distribution of tax revenue to help cities deal with growth and build infrastructure,
“Those glittering officer towers with all those great head office jobs, they could be anywhere,” Nenshi told Edmonton AM host Mark Connolly.
“We’re not anywhere near the oilsands,” he said. “Those jobs could be in Houston, Shanghai, Dubai, and the important thing is they’re in Calgary and Edmonton.
“The reason they’re there is simply because people want live here, and people can hire the staff they need because people want to live here.
“But if you’re stuck in traffic all the time; if there’s no investment in the things that make city life worth living — arts, culture, sports, and rec, what happens?”
Nenshi said the mayors are not asking for handouts.
Taxpayers in his city send $4 billion to the provincial government and $10 billion to Ottawa more than they receive back in services, he said.
“When you see (Edmonton mayor) Don (Iveson) and me out there with our hats out, we’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for a tax rebate.”
