By purchasing fuel-efficient, domestic cars for municipal fleets; investing in buses, and trains,. As your councilor I will advocate and push for:
• development of integrated public transit strategy.
• development of bicycle and walking paths as part of active transportation.
Public transportation is right for the environment, and for democracy. It is a public service that allows people to participate in the community. In large metropolitan areas, a much higher percentage of immigrants commute by public transport than Canadian-born users. Women have different transit needs than men and rely more heavily on public transportation. Transit renewal and growth contributes to good jobs in unionized transit systems, and in the local manufacturing of buses, trains, and streetcars.
Furthermore:
Fair Wages and a Made in Canada Purchasing Policy:
There are goods and services that municipalities need to purchase from the private sector. One area the City of Edmonton can make a big difference is by adopting made-in-Canada and ethical purchasing policies.
For example the City should make a commitment to purchase high-quality Canadian buses and transit vehicles. This would support Canadian manufacturing jobs and economic development.
The City should also join the growing “No-Sweat” movement. Instead of purchasing apparel and textiles mane in low-wage factories, the City could ensure that public sector uniforms and all textile product they buy would not be made by exploited workers. The contract should establish an agreed upon set of labour rights. The City should also agree to purchase “Fairly traded” products.
