Canada’s Edmonton City Council Votes To Remove “City of Champions” Slogan: Alberta’s New Budget To Boost Funding For Infrastructure

Canada’s Edmonton council on April 29 voted 7-5 to remove the "City of Champions" slogan from the city’s entrance signs. “We are in the post-tagline era," commented Mayor Don Iveson after the three-decade old logo garnered a longer discussion spurred by Councillor Michael Oshry's motion to scrap it and update the entire signage with generic "Welcome to Edmonton" messages.

Defending the motion, Oshry said, “We don't need a big splash entering the city, we just need something that doesn't look like it is 30 years old." The council also voted to direct the administration to provide a report on how to remove a big chunk of city signs in terms of estimated costs and possible design options.

Debate on Sign

In March, councillor Michael Oshry said he would introduce a motion requesting to take out the much-talked-about slogan. In September 2014, Oshry had submitted a notice urging the city administration look at changing the seven signs. He said it was time for an update of the the city’s brand, which is something the city administrators need to get on.

There were also attacks on city signages. In October 2013, a number of Edmonton’s welcome signs were vandalised. The ‘City of Champions’ slogan was covered up on six city signs; ‘Suck it Calgary,’ ‘City of Speed Traps’ and ‘Road Construction City’ were some of the new slogans that appeared, which the city crews had to clean up.

Infrastructure Development

Meanwhile, more money will be pumped into Alberta's development. The new budget has proposed many new taxes towards that. Alberta has a fame of maintaining its commitment to infrastructure spending from any extra tax revenue harnessed. Finance Minister Robin Campbell, while tabling the budget on March 26, acknowledged the need for maintaining current infrastructure spending and “to keep projects going on an even keel," according to Line Porfon, the vice president of government relations with Merit Contractors Association.

Campbell said that the province will continue "to build” as Alberta needs more infrastructure for its future growth. Under the government's five-year capital plan, the province will have investment of CA $29.5 billion in the next five years in creating new infrastructure and also for the renewal of existing facilities. Capital spending in 2015 is expected to reach CA $6.5 billion, which will be at par with the capital invested in 2014.

"Spending on infrastructure is always a good thing, so we are aligned with the announcement to continue to invest in building, maintaining and renewing our provincial infrastructure," said Warren Fraleigh, executive director of the Building Trades of Alberta. Among the new infrastructure will be the fresh investment in the provincial transportation network, including the Calgary and Edmonton ring roads and twinning of Highway 63 between Grassland and Fort McMurray.

The budget also eliminated Alberta's 10 percent flat income tax in favour of a progressive tax system. The Corporate tax rates are unchanged at 10 percent and it seems Alberta will continue to maintain its pride as the only province without a provincial sales tax.

(For feedback/comments, contact the writer at k.kumar@ibtimes.com.au)