Civic Election Issues
Please note: This page will be constantly updated with new information and ideas. If you have any input, please email me: jamesmillercreative@gmail.com.
My candidacy has been officially approved and I am able to accept campaign donations. Please etransfer your donations to: jamesmillercreative@gmail.com.
My name is James Miller and I’m running for Councilor for the O-day’min (downtown and city centre area) Ward.
About James Miller
I was born and raised in Edmonton, while also spending many years in Grande Prairie, Vancouver, Nanaimo and Prince George.
I have a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Alberta. From 2002 to 2012, I taught (primarily art and mathematics) in Libya, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Norway, the UAE and Japan.
I’ve served as a District Manager for World Book Encyclopedias; Communications Officer for The University of Calgary; Marketing Manager for T-MAR Industries in Campbell River; Journalism Instructor at the then Grant MacEwan Community College and as a Daily Reporter for the Nanaimo Free Press. More recent experience includes working as a Care Provider for the Prince George Association for Community Living (AiMHi); a Licensed Property Manager in Prince George and Courtenay and as an Industrial Janitor and Second Cook in MEG Energy and Cenovus Energy sites in Conklin and Fort McMurray. I’ve also worked for the Mustard Seed in Edmonton as a Janitor at winter homeless shelters and their downtown homeless shelter. Memorable short-term positions include wrapping tree seedlings for tree planters in Prince George; installing solar panels (I don’t like heights) and dealing blackjack at Edmonton’s Exhibition.
I believe this wealth of experience can be put to good use in bringing energy and innovation to the many challenges Edmonton faces.
That’s me on the outside. On the inside, I’m a creative individual and I invite you to explore my website to see my art, hear my music and read about my spiritual views on life.
Still Life’s Good (acrylic on canvas) by James Miller
My outlook on life can be summed up simply from this quote from A Course in Miracles, a spiritual guidance masterpiece, which I maintain is the most beautiful (and should be most influential) book of the Second Millenium. The Course, as it’s known to those that study it, states as its purpose, the delivery of peace of mind. Consider this passage, which essentially says that we are never victims in our lives and that we’re not only responsible for our experience, but that WE ARE our experience. While this might be a challenge for many to accept, keep in mind that those that want to help others and themselves, almost universally speak of the ability we have to change our lives if we want to. There are many terms for it, but one frequently used is empowerment. This philosophy is empowerment at the highest level.
2. ²Say only this, but mean it with no reservations, for here the power of salvation lies:
³I am responsible for what I see.
⁴I choose the feelings I experience, and I decide upon the goal I would achieve.
⁵And everything that seems to happen to me I ask for, and receive as I have asked.
⁶Deceive yourself no longer that you are helpless in the face of what is done to you. ⁷Acknowledge but that you have been mistaken, and all effects of your mistakes will disappear.
Spirituality, for want of a better term, deals with the aspect of our lives that centers on our awareness of being alive and our search for ways of maximizing and maintaining the happiness and peace we want. Almost everyone would rather be happy than sad and at peace rather than in conflict; yet it’s also readily obvious that many of us struggle to sustain those experiences. As a result, many of us look for ways to reduce our discomfort, whether it be through gambling, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, sex, material possessions, personal obsessions or classical music collections. For more on the latter, I recommend Dr. Gabor Maté’s book, In the realm of Hungry Ghosts.
I’ve tried, where possible, to contribute to the lives of others. While at the U of C and serving in my capacity as a co-editor, I organized several fundraising drives. When Hurricane Katrina struck, I was teaching in Saudi Arabia and organized a staff/student talent show to raise money to support relief efforts.
I truly believe that supporting others makes my life better.
Bringing Edmonton’s Spirit
to Life
Just as the atomic level delivers far more power than the molecular, I argue the spiritual level of life of an individual (or city like Edmonton) is more powerful than the physical. Hence my interest in promoting Edmonton’s spirit. Can a civic government seek ways to improve the happiness of its citizens? I would argue the city is already doing that through the promotion and sponsorship of festivals; the provision of recreational facilities and programs, and public events like the recent Pride Parade, to give just one example among many.
Edmonton has a tradition of innovation, and I’d like to see the city actually try to first measure and then promote the improvement of the happiness of its populous. I first proposed this in 2022 and had hoped to meet with the mayor but, for one reason or another, my request for a meeting was never fulfilled.
Could happier individuals in a city really influence those around them and make the whole city happier? I don’t see why not but it would certainly be worth trying to find out, so let me ask this question: How happy can you stand it, Edmonton?
And, I wonder, how would a happier city approach the issues that I’ve identified that follow?
Homelessness
Housing is an issue of concern in Edmonton and across Canada and especially to those that have no home at all.
My direct experience of homelessness allows me to comment on this issue with first-hand knowledge. To begin, let me acknowledge the positive and proactive work being done by organizations like The Hope Mission, The Mustard Seed, Bissell Centre, Boyle Street Community Services, St. Vincent de Paul, Edmonton Food Bank and many others in serving those in need. It’s also worth noting that many local religious groups from many different faiths and private citizens distribute food, water and clothing to those in need.
A gallery of images near the Hope Mission. Note: Some images may be disturbing.
House of Refuge
What these photos illustrate is that this area of the city is a community of people where those in need are being helped and have been helped for years by various organizations and compassionate individual Edmontonians.
A tale of two citizen groups
Across from the front of the he Hope Mission Bruce Reith Centre, their building offering meal services and just around the corner from the Herb Jamieson Centre, that has empty beds, people set up temporary shelters only to have them removed within days by clean-up crews supervised by police. Within hours those temporary shelters have returned. This is a huge investment in police and other city resources.
I’ve had candid discussions with those tasked with removing these temporary settlements. Like me, they don’t have ready answers but, they argue against allowing these settlements to become semi-permanent, siting increase in violent crime, prostitution and gang involvement, where that’s been tried in other jurisdictions.
At a recent Edmonton City Council meeting, where a by-law was passed that limits the size of new shelters to no more than 125 people, I questioned this initiative, feeling it was an attempt to address this issue based on flawed thinking. In the July 2 article, “Edmonton aims to set homeless shelter limits,” CBC reporter Natasha Riebe quotes, Anirniq Ward Councilor Erin Rutherford.
“If we’re permitting new shelters, we don’t want them to be just major communal sleeping spaces. There needs to be some dignity and safety that people will actually be wanting to go to that shelter.”
People choose to stay in encampments instead, she said, because they’re not comfortable in the communal sleeping space in a shelter.
“That is, they would rather sleep in the river valley or somewhere else.”
I don’t believe the size of the shelters is the reason people choose not to move into a shelter but rather it’s a conscious, lifestyle choice that allows them to access and use their drug of choice be it crystal meth, crack cocaine, fentanyl, alcohol, tobacco or marijuana without interference. In addition to those using drugs, a large portion of this population is also dealing with mental health issues, which would likely lead to them being excluded from shelters.
This is a different populous from those that, for one reason or another, have become homeless and yet have an inner-directed motivation to get housed as a starting point to rebuilding their lives. I don’t see the two groups as mutually exclusive but feel people can actively choose what they want to do with themselves. I, too, had a choice, I could sink into depression and despair, blaming others for my woes or, as I have chosen, to take responsibility for what happens to me.
In the same meeting that passed the law limiting the size of new shelters, I called for national summit of all levels of government and stakeholders to seek ways to address this issue, asking, “How do we best serve (and house?) people who choose to live on the street?”
Hope Mission CarePoint Wellness Centre
Well away from the city centre, the Hope Mission at 14830 124 Avenue is a 120-bed shelter that houses men, women and, to my surprise, cats and dogs. I dropped by the shelter unannounced on a Tuesday evening at 6 pm and spoke with several residents. One had become homeless because a gambling addiction and the other from being evicted. Both said they didn’t think the residents there were dealing with substance abuse issues. I don’t see these smaller shelters as an effective means of dealing with the city’s homeless population and their issues with mental health and drug addiction.
Compassionate Intervention
It’s been announced that the province will be investing $180 million and building a 150-bed treatment centre in Edmonton, and another in Calgary, as part of its passing an act that allows for the invountary treatment of individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others. It’s called the Compassionate Intervention Act.
I wonder, “Will city officials be informing the province that city a by-law amendment recently passed will necessitate the building be no more than 125 beds because a larger building will likely traumatize residents?” Or, because we are naming this a treatment facility, will this by-law not apply?
Let me be put on record as opposing Compassionate Intervention. The Alberta Medical Association has serious doubts about the efficacy of this approach, as do many other groups. The AMA article provides a link to a Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction publication on the issue, makes six key points with the last two being:
• There is currently mixed, while limited, evidence on the overall effectiveness of InvTx (involuntary treatment) for individuals with SSUD (severe substance use disorders). Existing studies on InvTx are mostly from diverse, international settings and often lack rigorous comparisons, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions of its benefits and harms.
• The potential benefits, costs and harms of InvTx remain insufficiently studied and therefore require rigorous and objective research and evaluation towards informed decision making, while considering ethical implications.
A new model: Compassionate Appreciation NOT Compassionate Intervention
Edmonton has recently extended The Capital City Revitalization Levy that looks 20 years into the downtown’s future. Part of that vision is to see more affordable and upscale housing built in the Boyle St. area. How do we deal with the city’s homeless population that lives in this area and, because of drug addiction and mental health issues, are not candidates for current shelter models and, as a result, face losing limbs to frostbite or death?
“In June 2019, the House of Commons Health Committee urged the federal government to look at Portugal’s decriminalization of simple possession of illicit drugs and examine how the idea could be “positively applied in Canada.”
“Some Liberal MPs are working on introducing a private member’s bill to have Canada treat drug use as a health issue, and to decriminalize simple possession of any drug currently subsumed by the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
“However, Conservative critics point out that Canada can’t simply copy the Portuguese model. In Portugal, there are 170 recovery facilities for 11 million people. The country also provides mental-health treatment and mandatory education about the harmful effects of drugs.
“They argue that it’s unrealistic to think Canada could achieve the same results without the same support systems.”
City washrooms and showers
I would urge the city to increase the number of public washrooms available. Currently, there is a permanent city bathroom on Whyte Avenue at 103 St., operating from seven am to one am. Temporary washrooms are available outside the Hope Mission, with limited hours. I’d like to see washrooms available on a 24-hour basis and set a standard for the maximum distance between them in the city’s downtown core. A central bathhouse where the homeless can have a shower should be provided, as well. Lockers could be made available so those on the street have a place to keep valuables, like ID, safe.
Increase the deposit paid on bottles
For where two or three are gathered together, there are probably some empties. Bottle Pickers Bible Matt 18:20 (KJV)
After approximately 10 years, in 2008, the deposit on beverage bottles up to two litres was raised from five cents to the current 10 cents and bottles two litres and larger to 25 cents. That was 17 years ago and an increase would provide more money to the many homeless people who depend on picking bottles for a source of income. My suggested increase would be from 10 cents to 15 cents on bottles less than two litres and to 30 cents for containers of two litres or more. Admittedly, some of this income would be spent on drugs but some of it would also be used by the homeless to buy essentials.
While not necessarily completely accurate, a quick search tells me that in 2008 a loaf of bread was $1.37 and today that same loaf is $3 to $4, which suggests many items today may be twice as expensive as they were in 2008.
While the deposit paid on bottles is not set by the city, I would urge council to pass a resolution calling on the Beverage Container Management Board to raise deposits. If you think raising the deposit is a good idea, you can email them at info@bcmb.ab.ca. Tell them James sent you.
Bottle pickers are the first line in our environmental efforts to recycle beverage containers. I would urge everyone to acknowledge the vital service they provide while doing so for a very limited income. Many areas provide receptacles for bottles that are easy to access while some aren’t, and I’d encourage the city to make receptacles under city jurisdiction easy to access and for the city to encourage areas, like shopping centres, to support bottle pickers. While post-office workers and Air Canada employees can use collective bargaining to improve their income, bottle pickers can’t.
And, here’s my homage, to bottle picking entitled Whole lot a bottles, after the Climax Blues Band album of similar title. It was my entry in the Got a Minute film festival for a 60 second silent film.
Are firetrucks really needed to respond to overdoses?
As a temporary resident of the Hope Mission, the constant wail of emergency vehicles attending individuals overdosing is, unfortunately, an all too common experience. In addition to the ambulance that arrives on the scene, city firefighting personnel also attend in firetrucks. So my question is, “Is a hook and ladder firetruck needed here?” These are expensive, cumbersome vehicles designed to fight fires not respond to overdoses. If firefighting personnel are required on the scene, would it not be better to provide them with more appropriate vehicles?
Two ambulances and a firetruck attending a drug overdose. Herb Jamieson Centre is in the background.
Is this a better use for a firetruck? (Photo by James Miller)
The Arts
As a practicing artist, I engage in creative pursuits primarily because I love the activity itself, but it would also be wonderful if more people could see and appreciate my work, at least as far as I am concerned. One thing that might make that more feasible for artists would be zoning that would let artists live in their studio spaces.
My proposal to council would be to create areas in the city where artists could live in their store-front spaces. Areas where this might be best implemented could be along Whyte and 118 Avenue, two areas of the city where the arts are being promoted.
It’s worth noting that the Alberta Foundation for the Arts has recently received increased funding from the provincial government and I’m pleased the province values the positive input the arts offers Albertans.
Our roads
In my conversations O-day’min residents, the roads are a concern.
Save our butts save our buses!
Thousands of dollars are currently being spent paving the side streets and replacing the sidewalks in the Hope Mission area; streets that receive very little traffic, especially when compared to major bus routes that run up McDougall and Bellamy Hill. These roads need to be resurfaced to save wear and tear on the city’s aging bus fleet and save our butts, too.
As a regular ETS user, I would urge Council to concentrate on making sure paving dollars are assigned on the basis of prioritizing bus routes and vehicle usage.
Bike Lanes
Encouraging bike usage is a valuable city initiative but it needs to balanced against providing those driving vehicles with the ability to negotiate these streets as well. I propose making the bike lanes smaller by about one-third, leaving more room for vehicles to negotiate those streets.
Snow Removal
Another issue brought up by a ward voter is the need for more efficient snow removal. Motorists who don’t move their vehicles when required should, after a consistent process of publicity, have their vehicles towed to make sure snow removal can be done effectively. As part of the process, vehicle owners should be made aware of where they can move their vehicles.