'I will work hard to protect their jobs:' Mayor Amarjeet Sohi intends to keep City of Edmonton services public

Author of the article:  Dustin Cook
Publishing date:Dec 26, 2021 

Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi in conversation with Postmedia Edmonton on Dec. 18, 2021. 

PHOTO BY LARRY WONG /Postmedia
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Newly-elected Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi will be fighting to keep jobs and services public as the City of Edmonton looks to reimagine itself out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a year-end interview with Postmedia two months into his term, Sohi called for services within the city’s jurisdiction to remain public and not be contracted out as Edmonton looks for ways to save money and position itself for the long term.

While a plan to outsource more than 100 bus cleaning and maintenance jobs was abandoned in November , the city is still advancing 17 actions through its “Reimagine Services” project.

Some involve contracting out work, including privatizing operations of three municipal golf courses as well as the newly-approved Lewis Farms Recreation Centre. An on-demand transit service is also being privately delivered in conjunction with the new bus network.

With other potential private partnership opportunities swirling around in transit operations and waste collection, Sohi said he doesn’t believe privatization is the way forward and he vowed to defend the jobs of city employees. Sohi served as a public transit driver in Edmonton before his election to city council in 2007.

“Our city employees provide a very valuable service to Edmontonians. From running rec centres to providing fire services, transit, libraries, policing, community programs, they give their best to our city. I want to ensure them that under this council and under my leadership as mayor, I will work hard to protect their jobs,” Sohi said..

“I don’t believe that privatization of public services actually saves money. It actually costs more in some cases and in some cases you see a clear reduction in the quality of service,” he added. “Yes, we need to make sure our city is run as efficiently as possible … but my fundamental belief is that we need to make sure our workers have job security, that they feel the organization values them, that we value their work and that we don’t create uncertainty for them.”

This doesn’t mean there isn’t room to look for new partnership opportunities or to work with non-profit organizations, Sohi said.

“My position is pretty clear, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t look at innovation within the organization. We need to have flexibility to foster innovation in the workforce and look at different ways of doing things, but that doesn’t mean privatization,” he said.

The Reimagine Services actions will be presented back to council in 2022 with further details about implementation plans and potential cost savings.

Sohi also raised some concerns with the city’s track record on completing infrastructure projects on time and on budget, pointing specifically to the $1.8-billion Valley Line Southeast LRT project that is now slated to open next summer, a year and a half behind schedule.

Although the vast majority of projects are generally on time, Sohi said these major LRT projects need to meet that same standard. He said he will be working with city staff to figure out why these problems are occurring and how to address them as the city continues to expand the transportation network.

“The delay is frustrating but it’s not going to cost us more money. Moving forward we need to make sure that we are building our projects on time and on budget.”

Looking ahead to 2022, Sohi said the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to be one of the biggest challenges the city will face and that economic recovery will be crucial. Council’s decision to approve a 2022 tax levy increase of 1.91 per cent — the lowest in the region — is a step in that direction to keep costs low for Edmontonians, Sohi said, pointing out that economic recovery will have to work hand in hand with action on climate change and community safety.

“I think that’s the right approach. Keeping taxes affordable, fees affordable and continuing to invest in people, in communities, and tackle those big issues of climate change, the social issue of houselessness and inequity that exists in our city,” he said.

One of the first major decision points for council in the new year will be determining what to do with $14.4 million that was reallocated out of the 2022 police budget to be used toward community safety initiatives. City staff are slated to report back in the spring with recommendations along with an update on the work done on the priorities laid out by the Community Safety and Well-Being Task Force.