Bike Edmonton Media Statement

Edmonton, 17 April 2025

For Immediate Release

Minister for Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen MLA should stick to his knitting and butt out of municipal affairs. Just because he isn’t up for election this year doesn’t mean he and the UCP should waste precious taxpayer time and money parachuting themselves into local issues.

Today, in an open letter to Councillor Karen Principe on X, Devin Dreeshen claims “we need to seriously consider how to maintain and increase capacity for motor vehicle traffic flow for current and future traffic needs”. He did so without citing any capacity issues on 132 Ave whatsoever. That is because the Minister has no evidence to support his claims.

Unfortunately for him, the emperor has no clothes: with the province, city and federal government are already spending over $1 billion dollars on the Yellowhead Trail Freeway conversion. There is already a high-capacity roadway, now getting even more capacity, a mere 350 metres to the south of 132 Ave. The Minister does not need to “increase capacity for motor vehicle traffic flow” in this area. Instead, he needs a map to help him find his way.

The Province's own Major Project website acknowledges that City of Edmonton’s 132 Ave Renewal "will reconstruct [and] rehabilitate collector roads, replace street lights, sidewalks, curbs and gutters and adds missing sidewalk links, where possible”. The City has spent years consulting with affected communities, including St. Vladimir Catholic Elementary School and Daycare and Delwood School to mitigate construction impacts.

Just as with banning photo radar, Devin Dreeshen now says he wants to wrestle control of these critical traffic safety initiatives without contributing any money to them. Sorry Minister, there are no free rides when it comes to traffic safety.

Edmontonians will not fall for this trick, nor will we accept any provincial interference in city affairs in this double election year.

Bike Edmonton stands with local residents, the planners, engineers, designers and advocates who have been working tirelessly to make our streets safer for Edmontonians. Complete Streets save lives, not property taxes.

Quotes attributable to Bike Edmonton President Keith Heslinga:

‘Earlier this month Bike Edmonton surveyed Edmontonians and found they overwhelmingly would prefer continuing with the bike lane implementation instead of reallocating these taxes. The results are clear: 81 per cent of survey respondents are not interested in cancelling or delaying the Bike Plan to save a couple of bucks on property taxes’

‘Karen Principe and her fellow councillors were elected to decide on the priorities of the City of Edmonton’s capital construction. She is certainly entitled to be upset that council did not agree with her on that priority but to bring in the MLA from Sylvan Lake to change our local decision making is insulting to Edmontonians. Bike Edmonton looks forward to working with Ms Principe and whomever is the new councilor after the next election as we are with all councilors to build a city that we can all be proud of.’

‘Grandstanding on 132 Ave risks more serious injuries and deaths on our streets. Safer streets advocates will not accept the lives of our children and most vulnerable being put at risk. The Minister needs to leave local streets in local hands.'

Media contact: president@bikeedmonton.ca