Sohi asks province for roughly $2B in cash including $185M for Commonwealth Stadium upgrades
CTV
Edmonton's mayor has unveiled a multi-billion dollar wish list – including money for affordable housing, hydrogen buses and upgrades to Commonwealth Stadium – as Alberta works on a new budget.
Edmonton's mayor has unveiled a multi-billion dollar wish list – including money for affordable housing, hydrogen buses and upgrades to Commonwealth Stadium – as Alberta works on a new budget.
The province is set to unveil a fiscal plan next month. In November, Alberta projected a $12.3 billion surplus.
Sohi wrote a letter at that time to Premier Danielle Smith and Finance Minister Travis Toews asking for more money, which he shared publicly on Monday.
On top of nearly $2 billion in requests, the mayor also wants Alberta to pay for 550 new supportive-housing units and to fund 48,830 new affordable homes by 2026 at an unspecified cost.
"During last year's budget, we pared down our asks to four or five core needs and the province delivered on some of those," Sohi said.
"But the biggest challenge I would say, is the province has not supported Edmonton on the crisis of houselessness, mental health and addictions. And that is really hurting Edmontonians."
Sohi also wants the province to pay a portion of the bill to buy 620 new hydrogen buses at a total cost he listed at $840 million. He's also seeking $181 million to build and expand transit garages.
