Every week in the lead up to Edmonton's municipal election on Oct. 18, we're rounding up the news and announcements you need to know to stay informed.
Policies and campaign updates
- Five Edmonton mayoral candidates — Rick Comrie, Kim Krushell, Michael Oshry, Cheryll Watson, and Amarjeet Sohi — detailed their visions for the future of downtown Edmonton at the Downtown Business Association (DBA) forum on Sept. 23.
- Mayoral candidate Mike Nickel was invited to but did not attend the DBA forum, and instead hosted a campaign barbecue.
- Following his appearance at the DBA forum, mayoral candidate Amarjeet Sohi released his 10 commitments to downtown.
- Mayoral candidate Cheryll Watson pledged on Twitter to prioritize community safety in the downtown core along with establishing bi-weekly meetings with the chief of police, city manager, and executive director of the Downtown Business Association.
- Mayor Don Iveson endorsed Ashley Salvador for Ward Métis, Ahmed Knowmadic Ali for Ward tastawiyiniwak, and Anne Stevenson for Ward O-day'min.
- Former mayoral candidate Abdul Malik Chukwudi officially endorsed Mike Nickel for mayor.
- Ward tastawiyiniwak candidate Cody Bondarchuk released the final piece of his platform that is focused on building community by funding anti-hate measures, expanding public washrooms, forbidding hostile architecture, and supporting regulated safe supply for recreational drugs.
- Ward tastawiyiniwak candidate Jon Dziadyk published a blog post about how new ward boundaries will impact the amount of councillors on Edmonton's north side.
- Ward Dene candidate Lana Palmer wrote a blog post on the importance of shared spaces when strengthening communities.
- Climate Justice Edmonton endorsed candidates committed to justice-based climate action: Glynnis Lieb from Ward Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi, Cori Longo from Ward Métis, Shamair Turner from Ward Karhiio, Haruun Ali from Ward papastew, Guiscela Perez Arellano from Ward pihêsiwin, and Joshua Wolchansky from Ward O-day'min.
Weighing in on the campaign trail
- So far, 64 out of 85 candidates have responded to the Taproot Survey. You can take the survey yourself and see where you align with mayoral and city council candidates on key campaign issues. And there are more ways to play with the data.
- Ward O-day'min candidates Gino Akbari, Gabrielle Battiste, Anne Stevenson, and Joshua Wolchansky signed a joint statement condemning the racism and threats experienced by fellow candidate Adrian Bruff.
- Ward papastew candidate Haruun Ali has also reported racist and Islamophobic harassment during the course of his campaign.
- An opinion piece positing that child care should be a priority in Edmonton's civic election prompted a Twitter response from mayoral candidate Diana Steele.
- Mayoral candidate Cheryll Watson spoke with Global Edmonton about her vision for the city. Mayoral candidate Kim Krushell was also featured and more candidate conversations are scheduled in the weeks to come.
- CTV News Edmonton released an article that explains Edmonton's new Indigenous ward names, election ward profiles for Ward Nakota Isga and Ward Anirniq, and mayoral candidate profiles of Amarjeet Sohi and Mike Nickel.
- The Edmonton Council for Early Learning and Care put together a resource on how municipal candidates could support child care policies when elected.
- Edmonton Journal columnist Keith Gerein published an opinion piece on what municipal candidates can learn from Mayor Don Iveson's exit from office.
- Ward Métis candidate Ashley Salvador called on other candidates to participate in her door-knocking TikTok trend. Mayoral candidate Cheryll Watson's team has already jumped on board.
Upcoming forums
- The Oliver Community League (OCL), Downtown Edmonton Community League (DECL), and Downtown Business Association (DBA) will host a Ward O-day'min candidate forum on Sept. 29.
- The Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (ECVO) will present a virtual mayoral candidate forum on Oct. 4.
- Mayoral candidate Michael Oshry will facilitate a virtual town hall on Oct. 6.
- The Edmonton Public Library will host an online conversation with mayoral candidates on Oct. 6.
A list of all of the candidates running in the Edmonton municipal election is available here.