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Compare Taproot Survey responses from up to four candidates side-by-side
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Mixed
Which would you prioritize in your role during the budget process?
Liu
Scrutinize the budget in detail.
Candidate comments:
“I believe that councillors need to be well-informed and skilled professionals. To take full accountability, councillors need a full understanding of the budget and plans that guide the City of Edmonton. Councillors should be able to speak with confidence to the budget and stand by their decision to amend, support, or oppose spending.”
Mixed
Which of the following comes closest to your view of the most important function of a councillor?
Liu
Community representative.
Candidate comments:
“Councillors should represent the values and priorities of the community, and while there is space for innovation and novel ideas, the scope of the position must be grounded with the perspectives of the community. The balance of management and vision must be considered as well, however, pointing out that relationships and accountability with city administration is critical to success.”
Mixed
Which would you prioritize regarding property taxes?
Liu
Increase taxes only to keep up with inflation and population growth.
Candidate comments:
“In the current environment, Edmonton needs to find ways to decrease the tax burden while maximizing services. I would prioritize overall affordability with taxes to return maximum value - we can't assume take the position that taxes NEED to increase. Our priority as a city should be to increase residential and non-residential tax base so we don't need increases to our current mill rate.”
Mixed
Which of the following comes closest to your view on 15-minute districts?
Liu
Intervene to incentivize more mixed-use development and local services.
Candidate comments:
“The deliberate design of local communities is vital to community connection and to allow people the option of not requiring long commutes. It also allows residents to age in place and stay in their homes, allows families without multiple vehicles access to local amenities, and encourages entrepreneurs and small businesses in communities.”
Mixed
Which of the following comes closest to your approach to development outside Anthony Henday Drive?
Liu
Finish what's started first.
Candidate comments:
“I would emphasize that finishing a community includes amenities and essential services, and this includes health and education that is outside the scope of the City. That is where the City needs to exert its leverage with developers, and the advocacy for the province to commit to funding essential services for communities outside the Henday.”
Mixed
Which of the following comes closest to how you would guide infill development?
Liu
Slow the pace with stronger regulations.
Candidate comments:
“Edmonton would benefit from objective criteria to guide infill development. That criteria should include proximity to mass transit, considerations on lot size and shape, and maximum coverage of units in a given area. It does not necessarily need to slow down infill, but Edmontonians do need some surety on what can be built and where so that they can plan accordingly.”
Mixed
Which of the following comes closest to how you would incorporate climate change into decision-making?
Liu
The climate is important, but must be balanced with other goals.
Candidate comments:
“The climate crisis needs to be considered in every decision and the City of Edmonton must strive to be a good global citizen, however, the City must also consider scope of scale of initiatives and has to situationally consider climate impact vs. the feasibility of potential projects.”
Mixed
Which of the following comes closest to how you would approach parking in commercial areas?
Liu
Manage availability with tools like demand-based pricing.
Mixed
Which would you prioritize for downtown revitalization funds?
Liu
Grow the residential population.
Candidate comments:
“Increasing the base population of downtown would have a tremendous positive impact. A population that is rooted in the health of downtown and success of community reduces the dependency on events and external factors and increases investor confidence, vibrancy, and community safety.”
Mixed
Which of the following comes closest to your position on public funding for the arts?
Liu
Essential to quality of life and in need of stable funding.
Candidate comments:
“The relatively minimal impact of investment into the arts adds vibrancy and pride into Edmonton. We need to be proud of our home, and arts and culture are a critical driver to enjoy the city, increase engagement with community and festivals, and breathe life into our day-to-day routines.”
Mixed
Which of the following comes closest to your approach to economic development?
Liu
Invest in entrepreneurship and local businesses.
Candidate comments:
“All economic drivers are important - my answer to prioritize small business reflects the barriers that entrepreneurs face in comparison to larger corporations with greater resources. Small business owners also increase ownership and pride in Edmonton in ways that benefit the local economy and culture in unique ways, and communities are often built around these hubs of activity.”
Mixed
Which of the following comes closest to your approach to development in the river valley?
Liu
Accelerate development at select locations.
Candidate comments:
“The more people that are invested and care about the river valley, the greater its long-term livelihood and success in Edmonton. There is a balance between conservation and accessibility, and strategic development to support valley visitors who will enjoy, and in turn, support the conservation of the valley needs to be carefully balanced.”
Mixed
Which would you prioritize regarding aging recreation amenities?
Liu
Extend the life of existing facilities and avoid closures.
Candidate comments:
“Full disclosure - I don't know enough to answer this fulsomely. My answer is based on an assumption that existing facilities are well-used (or otherwise may be well used if maintained adequately), but truly I need more information about viability, cost of repairs/upkeep/replacement, and demand mapping.”
Mixed
Which action would you be most likely to advocate for on homelessness?
Liu
Build and operate more permanent supportive housing.
Candidate comments:
“Disclaimer that while the City may BUILD more supportive housing, it's not our scope to operate it (without funding changes). I would prioritize housing connections of all kinds, and within the City's scope, that is to provide infrastructure and space for housing programs to support people not just in supportive housing, but in market and below-market housing (with appropriate supports).”
Mixed
Which action would you be most likely to advance to alleviate the housing crisis?
Liu
Lower costs and remove barriers for private and non-profit builders.
Candidate comments:
“The City should leverage other builders, with a strong preference for non-profit builders. I don't believe it helpful for the City to compete with industry professionals, and our fiscal reality likely would not permit additional city-led development in the present time.”
Mixed
Which of the following comes closest to your view on political parties at the municipal level?
Liu
Members of council should be free from party affiliation.
Candidate comments:
“The benefits of political parties are for the party, its large donors, and the provincial government - not the general public. Which corporations donate the maximum $5K and how do they benefit? For the province, municipal parties decrease civic engagement from 13 individual voices toa single party perspective - all the easier to minimize voices of Edmontonians and prioritize ideology.”
Mixed
If the provincial government intervenes in a municipal matter, which would you prioritize?
Liu
Stand up for Edmonton's autonomy.
Candidate comments:
“Edmonton's autonomy is critical to be able to internally review processes as well as negotiate with the province from a position of strength. There is no doubt that the province exerts heavy influence, but when it is clear the government is not acting in good faith (an example being their interference with bike infrastructure), that needs to to addressed directly.”
Mixed
If the City of Edmonton faces public pressure to fund services under provincial jurisdiction, which would you prioritize?
Liu
Redirect public pressure to secure sufficient provincial funding.
Candidate comments:
“The City stepping outside its scope, while well-intended, has lead to unsustainable services and further polarized the city vs province narratives. Edmonton needs to focus resources appropriately and clearly articulate those unmet needs with data, best-practice guidelines, and engagement. We can't bandaid these gaps, and the frontline suffers from unsustainable and inconsistent funding.”
Mixed
Which of the following comes closest to your view of the City of Edmonton's responsibilities regarding Indigenous relations?
Liu
Be guided by the Indigenous Framework in all decisions.
Candidate comments:
“The Indigenous Framework represents an important lens that is consistent with TRC principles. Accepting guidance from the Framework demonstrates the City's commitment to basic consideration and respect of this land and the Peoples who came before us.”
Mixed
Which of the following comes closest to your guiding principle for council's relationship with the Edmonton Police Commission?
Liu
Scrutinize commission decisions and demand greater transparency.
Candidate comments:
“As the largest resource draw on the City of Edmonton's finances and an integral part of a well-functioning city, it is vital that the police and the Police Commission have public accountability. If Commission decisions CANNOT stand up to public scrutiny and transparency, as other civic services must be accountable, that would lead to serious erosion of public trust.”
Mixed
Which of the following comes closest to your approach to Edmonton's role in the metropolitan region?
Liu
Pursue collaboration on specific projects.
Candidate comments:
“Given the current status quo of the EMRB's dissolution and the lack of engagement in resuscitation of the body, it would be more logical for Edmonton and regional municipalities to engage on an ad hoc basis for specific issues. There are other methods of engagement that can occur without the structure of an EMRB replacement, and reconvening this body should not be a top priority.”
Mixed
Which of the following comes closest to your view on how major projects have been delivered?
Liu
Performance is unsatisfactory because project management and execution are poor.
Candidate comments:
“I don't think I can conclusively answer WHY performance is unsatisfactory, but my overwhelming sense is that the day-to-day experiences of Edmontonians needs to be a higher priority in the design and execution of major projects. Engagement seems to be an afterthought to planning - if the City seeks engagement and proceeds with projects in spite of public feedback, the rationale must be clear.”
Mixed
Which of the following comes closest to your approach to building new capital projects?
Liu
Build only if private partners or other orders of government contribute.
Candidate comments:
“The tax burden on Edmontonians is becoming untenable for many residents in the City. That infrastructure needs to be maintained is a given, however, the decisions on how to proceed on a limited budget requires more scrutiny. On principle, City dollars that can be used to amplify funding from other sources should be return greater value on expenditure,”
Mixed
Which of the following comes closest to your position on roadway expansion?
Liu
Investing in transit would be a better use of funds than expansion.
Candidate comments:
“My answer assumes that much of traffic congestion has to do with commutes from one place to another (e.g. home to work, home to school). If those A-to-B commuters had reliable, efficient transit options, those cars would come off the road and leave greater capacity for remaining vehicles. Roads are still critical in this model, and in reality, this is an AND question and not an OR situation.”
Mixed
Which of the following comes closest to your approach to strengthening council accountability?
Liu
Maintain existing mechanisms.
Mixed
Which action would you be most likely to advocate for to improve community safety?
Liu
Press other orders of government to deliver health and social services.
Candidate comments:
“"Press" is not my chosen verb, but the City does bear the consequences for inadequate levels of health and social service support. We can't just vacate the space though, and we need to create the environment and infrastructure to support comprehensive healthcare, push the increase of housing supply of all types, and focus on affordability so that the social sector has tools to support people.”
Mixed
Which action would you be most likely to advocate for to improve street safety?
Liu
Reduce vehicle traffic by incentivizing other modes of transportation.
Candidate comments:
“This question really should have an "all of the above," as the issue of street safety, especially around back to school time, is vital to the health of our city. As Edmonton grows, the gross number of vehicles will likely grow as well and tax the capacity of our road infrastructure. Development will address some of that volume capacity, however, alternate modes of transport need to be be an option”
Mixed
Which action would you be most likely to advocate for on bike lanes?
Liu
Build more than is planned.
Candidate comments:
“I would truthfully build DIFFERENTLY than what is planned. The actual goal is safe, efficient multi-modal transport. Edmonton cyclists will not benefit from continuing bike vs car discourse, and prioritizing multi-use paths that facilitate all types of transport (strollers, scooters, bikes, walkers) in ways that don't impact drivers will lead to longer term success of safer transportation.”
Mixed
Which would you prioritize for snow clearing?
Liu
Spend more to improve clearing of roads.
Candidate comments:
“I would add the comment that we can clear sidewalks and pathways differently. As a cyclist, I would feedback that clearing to bare pavement not always helpful, and I would propose that we look at reasonable levels of snowpack on pathways to improve cycling safety, vs. cleared paths that result in ice coverage.”
Mixed
Which would you prioritize for high-capacity transit?
Liu
Prioritize bus rapid transit (BRT).
Candidate comments:
“BRT as a proof of concept for mass transit, and also considering the decreased costs in this time of fiscal challenges, may be a good compromise to more costly LRT options. With ongoing growth, particularly in planned communities south of Windermere, residents must have reliable transportation options aside from solely private vehicles.”
Taproot Survey
Where do you stand on issues raised by voters in the 2025 municipal election?