Featured Guest
You’ll find this guest among our growing roll of Urban Champions.
Naheed Nenshi
Former Mayor of Calgary
LeeAnne Ireland
Executive Director, Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth
Irfhan Rawji
Founder and CEO, Mob Squad
Don Iveson
Mayor of Edmonton
Ashlyn Bernier
Chief Operating Officer, samdesk
5 Key
Takeaways
A roundup of the most compelling ideas, themes and quotes from this candid conversation
“Times of great tension can be followed by times of great transcendence.”
Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary, speaks of our current situation and the five crises happening simultaneously, “the public health crisis, mental health and addictions crisis that was always here but was exacerbated by the public health crisis, a deep economic crisis, an environmental crisis and coming to a reckoning with the reality of what climate change means not just to our environment, but to our economy. And probably the most important and the hardest one is a conversation about equity.”
While any one of those on its own is a massive crisis, it’s also an opportunity for “great creative potential.” There’s been tremendous work done to map out strategies to respond to each of these crisis’, however, Nenshi notes, “none of this means anything unless we actually do it.” Warning against the complacency of returning to ‘normal’, Nenshi declares, “I don’t want to return to normalcy. I want to take the lessons that we’ve learned in this last year about what works and what doesn’t work in our community and build something stronger.”
A holistic approach is required to unlock the potential that exists in everyone
Ashlyn Bernier, Chief Operating Officer of tech start-up SamDesk, wants city builders to think of talent much more broadly than post-secondary graduates. She implores us to consider talent as diverse as the populations that inhabit our cities and to take a more holistic approach to considering talent. She warns that, “talent cannot meet its potential if that individual is persecuted, if they do not have food security, if they do not have a home, if they do not have their health, mental or otherwise, if they are a target.” Removing the impediments to full participation in our cities will open up new avenues for residents to shape their communities for the better, utilizing lived experience to inform planning processes.
The recognition of truth must come before real reconciliation
The Kamloops residential school tragedy has brought Indigenous pain and grief to the national spotlight. LeeAnne Ireland, Executive Director of the Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth, calls on non-Indigenous Canadians to join Indigenous peoples in holding space, to process uncomfortable truths about this country together and to carry some of this burden. Nenshi says, “You can’t just lump truth and reconciliation into anti-racism. This is an incredibly important moment for Canada to acknowledge the worst part of what we have been.”
In addition to holding space, non-Indigenous people need to begin the work of “decolonizing our brains,” according to Iverson. In response to the Truth and Reconciliation report, the City of Edmonton revitalized Edmonton’s central library—The Thunderbird House—to provide a dedicated space for Indigenous ceremony and gatherings, as well as an Elder-in-Residence program. Similarly, Fort Edmonton’s museum history programming now begins with the pre-colonial Indigenous experience, as oppose to the arrival of European settlers that we have been traditionally taught. These experiential learning opportunities provide non-Indigenous Canadians the means to educate themselves.
Calgary and Edmonton lead the country in leveraging social infrastructure
Calgary’s Community Associations and Edmonton’s unique Community Leagues are indicative of urban Albertans’ spirit and tradition of grassroots collaboration. Mohamed Elsaghir is the Senior Manager of C5 North East Community Hub. C5 is the “the future of inter-agency collaboration,” and includes five agencies who banded together and pooled their resources to provide effective and holistic services in what was once considered a “service desert” in northeast Edmonton. They collectively serve 30,000 people and support families who are often overwhelmed by the system and connect them to the services they need.
According to Elsaghir, they developed the hub to enable community groups to come together in an inclusive space to destigmatized the notion of the other. Collaboration is fostered through formal and informal linkages resulting in greater inclusivity for everyone.
Albertans’ clean tech prowess is slated to drive the next round of prosperity
Aurum Energy Park in Edmonton will become the hub for Western Canada’s hydrogen economy. Blue hydrogen production utilizes natural gas, carbon capture and storage technology. By leverage Alberta’s existing needs, the project aims to capture 95 percent of its carbon emissions. With $1.3 billion of investment and 2,500 construction and engineering jobs created, the hydrogen production facility will provide a clean energy source to supplement Alberta’s energy grid and fuel every provincial transit agency.
Mayor Iveson is confident that, “this region [Edmonton] can punch above its weight and be a global player in the energy economy.” Edmonton is also the first Canadian municipality to include a carbon budget within its development and transportation master plans.
Additional Resources
Edmonton’s Aurum Energy Park https://www.focusequities.com/aurum-energy-park/index.html
New blue hydrogen energy complex in Edmonton announced with $1.3 billion investment https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/new-blue-hydrogen-energy-complex-in-edmonton-announced-with-1-3-billion-investment
Stanley A. Milner Library – Thunderbird House https://www.epl.ca/milner-library/thunderbird-house/
Calgary On Purpose https://www.calgaryonpurpose.com/
CUI – Calgary Transforms https://canurb.org/publications/calgary-transforms/
CUI – Edmonton Activates https://canurb.org/publications/edmonton-activates/
C5 Northeast Community Hub https://www.edmontonnortheasthub.com/
Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth https://usay.ca/
Full Panel
Transcript
Note to readers: This video session was transcribed using auto-transcribing software. Manual editing was undertaken in an effort to improve readability and clarity. Questions or concerns with the transcription can be directed to events@canurb.org with “transcription” in the subject line.
Full Audience
Chatroom Transcript
Note to reader: Chat comments have been edited for ease of readability. The text has not been edited for spelling or grammar. For questions or concerns, please contact events@canurb.org with “Chat Comments” in the subject lin
From Canadian Urban Institute: You can find transcripts and recordings of today’s and all our webinars at https://canurb.org/citytalk
00:16:08 Canadian Urban Institute: Welcome! Folks, please change your chat settings to “all panelists and attendees” so everyone can see your comments.
Attendees: where are you tuning in from today?
00:16:28 Abigail Slater (she/her): Hello from Tkaronto!! So nice to see CUI again.
00:17:31 Canadian Urban Institute: Learn more about CUIxLocal: https://canurb.org/cuixlocal/
00:20:15 Canadian Urban Institute: Read the reports here:
Edmonton Activates: https://canurb.org/publications/edmonton-activates/
Calgary Transforms: https://canurb.org/publications/calgary-transforms/
00:24:49 Canadian Urban Institute: Reminding attendees to please change your chat settings to “all panelists and attendees” so everyone can see your comments. Thanks.
00:27:26 Jason Syvixay: Mayor Iveson and Mayor Nenshi <3
00:28:44 Ashlyn Bernier – Edmonton: Preach Mayor Nenshi!
00:32:29 Puneeta McBryan: HAHA. Amazing, Mary.
00:36:59 Canadian Urban Institute: Connect with our panel:
Ashlyn Bernier, COO, SamDesk
@AshlynBernier
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashlyn-bernier-bb839328/
Mohamed Elsaghir, Senior Manager C5 Northeast Community Hub
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohamed-elsaghir-1246a998/?originalSubdomain=ca
LeeAnne Ireland, Consultant, LeeAnne Ireland Consulting
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeanne-ireland-3b769a61/
Mayor Don Iveson, Mayor of Edmonton
@doniveson
Mayor Naheeh Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary
@nenshi
Irfhan Rawji, Founder and CEO, Mob Squad
@IrfhanRawji
https://www.linkedin.com/in/irfhanrawji/
00:40:04 Lisa Cavicchia, CUI: LeeAnne runs the Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth: https://usay.ca/
00:46:23 LeeAnne Ireland (she/her) – Calgary: Yes! Food security is a major issue!
00:47:44 Howaida Hassan: Housing for larger, multigenerational families is important
00:48:45 Lisa Cavicchia, CUI: More about Mohamed’s organization: https://www.edmontonnortheasthub.com/
00:50:54 Lisa Cavicchia, CUI: citysharecanada.ca
00:53:35 Abigail Slater (she/her): And 100 more graves in Manitoba…as Mayor Nenshi said there will be more.
00:54:11 Abigail Slater (she/her): Clean water
00:54:34 Abigail Slater (she/her): 100%
00:55:30 Abigail Slater (she/her): It is unconscionable
00:59:05 Andrew Dodds: How do we move forward with acknowledgement? We still say the words of acknowledgement even as we don’t want to admit the way our policies towards indigenous peoples, towards homeless peoples, towards anyone who looks or lives different than us, they continue to create suffering and exclusion. As uncomfortable as it is to hold in our minds the incongruent feelings around our actions, our current blockages to so many, and how we can indeed move forward, we simply must hold and move forward on them.
00:59:36 Diane Dyson: Both of the new CUIxLocal reports being released today raise these same issues, ones which each City needs to address, especially focused around Indigenous peoples and around new immigrants.
00:59:53 Abigail Slater (she/her): #landback
01:00:40 Abigail Slater (she/her): Which describes a process…
01:01:27 Lisa Cavicchia, CUI: https://www.fortedmontonpark.ca/plan-your-visit/attractions/indigenous-peoples-experience
01:01:38 Emily Herd: Grateful for the recent opportunity to hear a panel including Dr. Patricia Makokis (Saddle Lake Cree Nation. www.treatytalk.com), emphasizing the need for settler allies to educate themselves – and my colleague’s recently sharing the podcasts out there to use as a start.
01:03:35 Christina Sisson: New Zealand seems to have identified equity through the Ministry of Health – maybe we ned to focus on equity in terns of human health!
01:04:51 Lisa Cavicchia, CUI: Edmonton’s community leagues: https://efcl.org/
01:06:59 Mayor Naheed Nenshi: Most Red Deerians (like me) make the right choice.
01:09:25 LeeAnne Ireland (she/her) – Calgary: Colonization is the disease. What is colonization and how do we ensure that we are not contagious — that we do not colonize those we strive to assist, by accident?
– Darien Thira
01:09:57 Jason Syvixay: Red Deer’s Big Bend Market is cute! As a former Winnipegger who purposefully left to live and work in Edmonton, what was inspiring was Council and Administration’s intention to tackle complex issues like infill, Indigenous reconciliation, and winter planning, rather than be silent and inactive on them. Perhaps people want to be part of collective problem solving?
01:10:00 Lisa Cavicchia, CUI: Yay to Corinne Saad — Executive Director of C5 — it’s her last day today!
01:10:35 Heather Klimchuk: Volunteer’s are Alberta’s treasures! Incredible conversation today and I am humbled and appreciative of your time.
01:11:47 Abigail Slater (she/her): Yes to @Chritina Sisson’s comments
01:12:00 Abigail Slater (she/her): We must broaden equity…to every sector
01:12:03 Keren Tang: Despite the various sectors involved in today’s panel – appreciate the weaving of threads and speakers building upon each other. Tremendous conversation between the two cities. Would love to see more of this inter-city, intersectional dialogues!
01:12:36 Canadian Urban Institute: Learn more about CUIxLocal: https://canurb.org/cuixlocal/
You can find transcripts and recordings of today’s and all our sessions at https://www.canurb.org/citytalk
Keep the conversation going #CityTalk @canurb
01:13:30 Abigail Slater (she/her): Thank you for this. I learned a lot about our Western compatriots…and the wonderful work you are doing.
01:14:10 Canadian Urban Institute: Join us on Monday at noon ET for an exploration of urbanism with Indigenous leaders at the fore of their professions: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8_thkCM8TzyzX57fIf_oXg
01:14:58 Jenna Misener: Fantastic session. Thanks to all the speakers and the CUI for convening!
01:15:42 Puneeta McBryan: That graciousness and recognition is another key part of Alberta culture! Thank you all for a wonderful panel
01:15:51 Ashlyn Bernier – Edmonton: Thank you for having us Mary!
01:15:54 Vanessa Wellsch: Thank you, everyone!
