With over 30,000 calls to Edmonton’s 311 yesterday, we asked Councillor Keren Tang about how realistic it is to assume that the city can keep us all safe by adequate snow removal.

You will need to watch the interview or listen to it here.

She is Edmonton’s, Keren Tang.

Everywhere she goes, her sweetness and kindness is endearing. This is our first media chat with a councillor in 2022, and we are excited it is with Keren! We cannot emphasize enough how empowering it is to be seen in Edmonton today.

We are a BIPOC brand, and media work is primarily voluntary. We remain grateful to Keren for making the time. We talked about snow removal, bonding with other councillors, who might be responsible for the EPCOR’s recent power outage in Edmonton South, the Edmonton Police, Canada and so much more.

 

On working with her colleagues:

We are bonding as a group, we are getting on with each other, getting to know one another as humans. We are a team. We work together.

On Police Reform. 

A lot more needs to be done about police reform. We did not defund the police. They got $384 million in 2021. They got $1 million more to run the International Day for Truth and Reconciliation Day.  

On snow removal

There is not enough money for snow removal. Last year, we got fewer complaints as we didn’t have much ice.  We have a pilot program to clear the streets to the bare concrete.

The goal is to see the impact of the pilot project and the result. There will no doubt be a conversation about the costs for snow removal in the next budget. I will be asking what it costs to take care of the sidewalks.

On her legislative agenda for 2022

I have a platform that I ran on. That is my plan for the next four years. My goal is to visit my platform regularly and see what we can accomplish. Quite high on my list is building for innovation and research. 

On what gives hope

That I can inspire young people to take an interest in politics gives me hope.