Sunday October 17, Noon Southside of the High Level Bridge at Saskatchewan Drive
Sunday October 17, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Breezy For Mayor Free Street Show Gateway Boulevard & 63 Avenue
Supporters please bring a homemade used cardboard sign that saysVote
Breezy
For Mayor
Natasha Riebe CBC Reporter/Editor emailed me yesterday
Hi Brian,
I’m writing a story on mayoral candidates’ perspectives on municipal property tax.
What is your stance on this?
Thanks,
Natasha Riebe
Reporter/Editor
I responded. This is what they printed
— Only one candidate suggests outright that taxes should go up: Brian (Breezy) Gregg believes the city should invest in a “caring economy” to save money 20 years from now.
CBC News Report October 15, 2021 after record advance poll voter turnout
Here is my full response I gave —
Hi Natasha
Thanks for the question. I think we need to raise taxes so we can invest in public service that will save us money 20 years in the future.
There are a few Canadian Cities that have higher property taxes than Edmonton.
For over 40 years taxes at all levels of government have been going down. My position is that that has to change if we want to have a caring economy. We hear politicians talking about having a “competitive” tax rate. It is a sick competition. It is a race to the bottom. I am calling for municipalities to strike an agreement to end the competition by agreeing to harmonize their tax rates.
I own one property. It is a 1906 Settler’s house in Rossdale. This June I paid $3,533.61 in property tax to The City of Edmonton. I would be happy to pay double that if everyone else did too. That would generate more than enough revenue to invest in the public services I think we need to support a caring economy in our city.
Understanding that most property owners have placed themselves close to their debt limit by spending in my opinion too much, they are not in a position to easily afford a tax hike. Many people have splurged on; too big of a house, too many commercial properties, too many vehicles, too much consumer merchandise and have taken too many expensive holidays, leaving them unable in the short run to afford a tax increase.
My sympathy for them is mixed. I know it is easy to be sold on buying nice things but I ask is it fair to over do that and then cry that you cannot afford to pay taxes to support the public services that are needed?
Because of this I think we need to raise taxes slowly but steadily so people can have time to adjust their budgets. I think raising property taxes would cool the inflation of property values and reduce speculation that drives the inflation. It would be nice if housing could be more affordable for most people.
Part of the pain of a raise in property tax rates could be moderated by having a lower rate for a primary residence. We should also look into having proportional tax rates for property.
Peace and Love
Brian (Breezy) Gregg
It is not without sarcasm I have to say, I am overwhelmed by the opportunities I am being given by news outlets. CBC TV graciously offered me the opportunity for me to give them a one minute statement. I was video recorded live in one minute with one take. Not only that The Edmonton Journal offered me the opportune to submit a 650 word op-ed.
Being serious about communicating with all eligible voters I have taken both opportunities. The Journal op-ed was published today and so since my work has not been paid for (I am not complaining about that) I feel I should be free to publish my own writing. I do though have to thank and credit the Edmonton Journal with inspiring to respond by submitting this —
I like to have fun and joke around but I am serious. I want to be Edmonton’s first Rock and Roll Mayor. We have had many Business Mayors and again in this 2021 race we have several candidates coming from the business community to work in politics. They like to say we should run government like a business. I disagree. I think we should run government like a Rock and Roll Band. “Taking care of Business” is very important but what is most important is that everyone is happy and having a good time.
Look at the evidence. Everyone is not having a good time. We are caught up in a way of life that embraces an economy that is mean and cruel. The cruel economy is based on cheap labour and low taxes.
I want to put and end to the notion that Edmonton should have a competitive tax regime. I want to work to have cooperation between the City and surrounding regions so we end the tax rate competition that is a race to the bottom. I want to work to steadily raise taxes back up to the levels we enjoyed 40 years ago. The trickle down theory of cutting taxes has only severely widened the wealth gap and resulted in cutting the capacity of society to cope with unforeseen challenges like the pandemic and the climate emergency.
Investing now in high quality social services for all and especially the children, will save us having to support people that could have supported themselves through mid-life but can’t because they were denied opportunity when they were young and hampered by living in poverty.
Let’s embrace reality. Not all regulations are red tape. We live in a world that runs on partial socialism. Free enterprise is the bad business person’s fairy tale used to justify exploiting people and the environment for profit instead of profiting from an innovative business plan. The fairness of tax law and how we choose to budget revenue are separate issues.
Of all the candidates I am the oldest but the youngest at heart. I am a fixer; a solutions expert. I pay attention and observe, to build understandings that help me choose the best path both for the moment and the long run.
I am so fortunate that the love from my family and many circles of friends over the past 71 years has given me the opportunity to take time to think deeply and to use common sense as I choose a path through life. I understand that loving yourself and your closest family, so that basic needs are met with the least effort, is essential for our survival.
After myself and my family, I have to first pledge my allegiance to mother earth, all her children of now, and to those who are to be in the future. Next I pledge allegiance to our human family of many nations and then our own nation, province and city. Let us not forget the Mayors job is a servant’s job. A job to serve all the people.
In this spirit I am running for mayor to demonstrate the joy of using both common sense and deep thinking to guide our performance.
We know laziness is a double edged sword. It is what drives innovation but when it limits the will to think deeply we become blind to the insights that can truly make life a breeze.
Please check out our platform. www.briangregg.com
We want to get big money out of our politics, make housing affordable, make transit and WiFi free, have higher pay, shorter hours, and at the same time build local industries to provide the products and services needed locally.
I want to lead council in transitioning to a caring economy with love and respect for everyone and our planet.
Business is for big boys and girls and two spirited people. Professional Successful Business People take care of themselves and often many others. They do not need to be babied with low taxes and the opportunity to exploit cheap labour. We should run our City Like a Rock and Roll Band. A band is a team. Together we can do this. In a Rock and Roll Band “Taking Care of Business” is very important but what is most important is that everyone is having a good time.
Let’s Build a caring economy with love and respect for everyone and our planet.
Vote Breezy For Mayor of Edmonton.
There are two models I know of for financing the provision of social services. One is to leave the responsibility of providing services up to private charities. The other is to provide public services.
When our governments fail to provide services, the burden of financing them is placed all on the shoulders of compassionate people and people who are not compassionate get a free ride enjoying the prosperity of a healthy society. That does not seem right or smart to me.
On the other hand when social services are public services, assuming the tax laws are mostly fair, both compassionate and non-compassionate people share the burden.
It is a fact there are homeless people on the streets and thousands living in poverty. Can we not wake up to the fact that the charity model is not doing the job because the compassionate people do not have the financial capacity to fund services to a reasonable level?
Public money invested in public social services reaps a huge savings 20 years in the future. More than just making long term economic sense it will bring us the pleasure of living in a loving society.
Technically I guess there is one more model; the public private partnership. Probably the worst model, publicly funded but not publicly regulated.
Should we ask the Province of Alberta to add indigenous art to its Emblem?
Truth and Reconciliation Day
Today I have mixed feelings. A day with special events is good as a reminder. With love and respect for everyone and our planet, we need action, not just a holiday and symbolism and pretty flags.
We need action backed up by big dollars from the Provincial and Federal Governments so that here in Amiskwacîwâskahikan (Beaver Hills House) / The City of Edmonton we can build up public support services for Indigenous people in our city and all others to who are struggling in poverty.
We need to build at least three Big Beautiful Urban Reserve Facilities in our City; one at Northlands, one a Blatchford, and one somewhere on the South Side. At least one needs to have a Pow Wow Arena.
Breezy September 30, 2021
We live on treaty 6 Territory
Garneau School Grade 3 Class Treaty Pledge
Home of Blackfoot, Metis, Dene, and Nakota Sioux
Home of Nêhiyawak (Cree), and Anishinaabe (Saulteaux),
We understand that the Indigenous People were here before others.
We value Indigenous beliefs about relationships between people and Mother Earth.
In this spirit we promise to listen to stories, learn about the past and make the world a better place for everyone.
Hai Hai
Voter turnout in our last civic election was 32%. Breezy hopes to get a good percentage of those 32% to vote Breezy For Mayor. Most of all though he wants to get the 68% who did not vote to come out on October 18th and vote Breezy For Mayor. In the short video below Breezy talks about how we can get 99% turnout at the polls.
Especially for young people and for poor people it is not easy to see that there is any point in voting. There is though. Getting engaged to find out who to vote for and then voting brings:
Voters probably should know who is asking me what and why, and what my answers are. Therefore I am making the survey questions and my answers available here.
For some context as to how we came to have a Chamber in Edmonton that is very politically active please check the following link.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_F._Powell_Jr.#Powell_Memorandum,_1971
Dear Edmonton Chamber of Commerce Policy Team
Thank you for the questions. Here are my short answers —
What are your top priorities for Edmonton’s council?
Getting the big money out of politics is my top priority. I want to build a caring economy with love and respect for everyone and our planet. For more please check our platform — https://www.briangregg.com/platform
I want to encourage City Council to neither hamper nor pamper business. In my business experience I have found that business people are sure to take care of themselves even to the extent of lobbying government to pamper them. Our City has been home to many great business people.
What are your ideas to support vibrancy downtown following the pandemic?
We need to invest in public luxuries. More parks more free gathering spaces for non-commercial public events. Free fun is the future of a vibrant downtown.
What solutions do you propose to address housing, homelessness and addictions?
Lets start with addictions. We need to elect a federal government that will decriminalize drugs and provide clinics to support addicts with a safe supply and counselling. I recommend that we elect the first NDP Federal Government. Jagmeet Singh is the only leader who will do that.
Blaming bloated management and privatizing away good jobs are mean picky attempts to find a solution. The revenue problem again is stemming from bad tax policy at the Federal and Provincial level. For over 40 years Conservative and Liberal Governments have lowered taxes on the rich. They have cut services to the bone not leaving any room to deal with emergencies. The wealth gap has mushroomed to a point that is ridiculous. I have to speak up about the importance of electing better governments that are not going to be bullied by the constant lobbying from those who want to pay less tax but should be paying more.
We need to build affordable and low income housing in every neighbourhood to balance the city. We need to have a housing first program as the foundation for a social safety net that as studies show, will save us huge cost in the long run.
What action will you take to improve red tape and permitting delays at city hall?
The Mayor cannot just take action. Council together does. What is the rush? How many projects reduce our carbon footprint?
Red tape is not the problem. Too many applications from too many developers trying to capitalize on opportunities made available by sweetheart tax responsibilities. At the same time the lack of revenue from low taxes does not allow the city to hire more staff to deal with the overload. I don’t think we can have it both ways. Low taxes equals low service. High taxes equals high service. Nothing is perfect. There will always be some waste. It becomes a waste in itself to focus too much energy on eliminating all waste.
For too long in Alberta, booms have been induced by promoting low taxes and cheap labour. Promoting high wages and high taxes will enable steady sustainable growth.
What is your plan to support an inclusive economic recovery?
We do not need a recovery. We need a renewal. We have been living in a mean and cruel economy as I said, that is based on cheap labour and low taxes. If a business cannot profit without cheap labour and low taxes perhaps they should find a new enterprise.
Long range I want to see the city move to the 15 minute neighbourhood where every community has a community hub that has free services for those in need. Not a few big centres but a hub in every community providing a few emergency shelter beds that are never full and where people are transitioned out in a matter of days to more permanent shelter, a 24/7 medical clinic, a 24/7 soup kitchen a 24/7 library school with computer terminals. Again this requires better Federal and Provincial governments that understand the need to tax more fairly to generate the revenue for these services that, when invested in, will pay back hugely in the long run.
Given the large difference between non-residential tax rates in the City of Edmonton and surrounding municipalities, what will you do you ensure the City of Edmonton is a competitive place for business?
This is a matter that needs either a dictate from the provincial government to equalize tax rates across regions or for regions to cooperate to do so. Competing in a tax race to the bottom is so short sighted and serves only to drive down revenues and services for all.
How can voters learn more about you and your vision for the city? (Please limit this answer to links to your webpage and social media.)
Vote Breezy For Mayor October 18, 2021
Climate Emergency Response — Breezy For Mayor of Edmonton — Newsletter July 17, 2021
Dear Friends, Volunteers, and Supporters
So many thanks to so many who support this Quest. Thanks for taking the time to read our newsletters and for talking with others about Edmonton’s politics.
I would love if you would email us maybe four email address of folks you feel would appreciate receiving this mid-month newsletter. bzgregg@telusplanet.net
The Free Street Show for Our Official Launch of the Quest to elect Breezy as Mayor of Edmonton on July 1st was a lot of fun!
Thank you, about 100 people who showed up on the hottest day yet. Special thanks to Patsy Amico and MJ Smallman who served up 64 smokies, hot dogs and veggie dogs. Special thanks to 8 year old Nevaeh Smalridge who gave a most awesome land acknowledgement and opened the Free Street Show.
You can hear that most awesome land acknowledgement at this link —
Breezy For Mayor of Edmonton Tour Dates —
To book Breezy to do a Free Street Show in front of your home or business please call or text Patsy 780-999-7233
I am proud and excited to be running to be your Mayor and proud and excited to be doing things differently.
How do you like getting pitched by a politician that is not asking you to donate money?
Do you like that I refuse to add to the waste and excessive burning by refusing to have plastic lawn signs and refusing to clog up your mail box with paper brochures?
Do you like that in our emergency situation I am breaking any unwritten rules that fail to help us to respond quickly and thoughtfully?
Do you like that we have a mean economy? This economy is built on cheep labour and low taxes.
Do you like that I am speaking up about Building a Caring Economy with love and respect for everyone and our planet?
Climate Emergency Response
Issue de jour aside we face a climate emergency.
Time keeps passing on and we continue to burn more than ever before. The current emergency response is neither quick nor thoughtful. Burning more than we have to is both unkind and disrespectful to others and the planet. Humans adapt. With focus we can have more fun while burning less.
Emergencies demand an emergency response that is both quick and thoughtful. The idea that we should work hard to elect the right kind of representatives who will sometime in the future pass laws that will make people act kindly and respectfully is a long time proposition. That long time leaves so much opportunity for opponents to use ingenuity to find loop holes and side step around the regulations. Let’s of course continue to try and elect better government. We need to work though on every angle.
Surely we can cut back on burning by changing the message (buy more) that is constantly and persistently being pushed into our information streams that we access through commercial media. That opportunity to amplify the buy more/burn more message can only exist in a public funding vacuum.
Join this talk. Ask your questions and share your views Monday evening — July 19, 7:00 PM — Edmonton Climate Hub: Online Event Click to Register
Brian (Breezy) Gregg – Edmonton Climate Solutions
Breezy Presents his views on an Appropriate Emergency Response to the Climate Emergency
Is the power of money in politics anti-democratic? Breezy says yes.
When you’re going up against powerful candidates that are very entrenched in the practice of soliciting for funding to buy advertising, and you’re saying something they don’t want said (“that that practice is anti-democratic”), it can feel as though you’re being gaslit. Thank you very much I don’t think I am crazy.
Most Canadian political candidates accept that it is acceptable to solicit for and raise funding to be spent on forcing their election pitches on voters through an array of channels. As well we have to assume those volunteering to donate to political candidates campaigns consider their action right and justifiable.
This is not going to change in the near future so for now, when I explain in our Quest to elect Breezy For Mayor of Edmonton, it is our policy to not accept monetary donations, we recommend this —
We aim to arouse the voters so that they become engaged with the issues that concern us all.
We aim to encourage people to exercise their own self control to behave in kind and respectful ways.
When you see other candidates’ lawn signs, Think Breezy For Mayor.
When you get other candidates’ brochures in your mail, Think Breezy For Mayor.
When you are watching the weather report on TV and up behind the weather person it says “Breezy”, Think Breezy For Mayor.
When you see a City Bus imagine that the bus route sign above the front windows says, Breezy For Mayor.
When its too hot or there is too much smoke in the air … Think Breezy For Mayor.
Peace and Love
Brian (Breezy) Gregg
(780) 429-3624
Think Breezy For Mayor
Let’s get big money out of Amiskwacîwâskahikan politics
Elect Brian (Breezy) Gregg as Mayor of The City of Edmonton on October 18, 2021
Zero requests for money — Zero monetary donations accepted
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