Interim disclosures filed with the City of Edmonton show that mayoral candidate Tim Cartmell has raised significantly more than his rivals during the 2025 election campaign.
Cartmell has reported receiving $834,552 in financial contributions as of July 31, or nearly as much as all other candidates across all open positions combined. Across the rest of the field, including contenders for mayor, council, and school trustee, disclosed contributions total $842,593. The next-closest mayoral candidate to Cartmell's fundraising total is Omar Mohammad, who reported raising $115,730, followed by Andrew Knack, who reported $42,112, Michael Walters, who reported $36,347, and Rahim Jaffer, who reported $1,930. Of note, Cartmell has been a declared mayoral candidate for the longest of the aforementioned group; Walters, on the other hand, joined the race in July.
Taproot's analysis of 145 financial disclosures the city has published found that 39 had some kind of discrepancy, such as line items that do not add up to the reported totals. As of Oct. 8, 26 candidates had yet to file disclosures. The city said it does not independently verify the information provided.
Changes to Alberta's Local Authorities Elections Act require all candidates to file an interim campaign disclosure by Sept. 30, covering Jan. 1 to July 31, 2025; a final disclosure is due by March 2, 2026. Disclosures include contributions received, expenses incurred, revenue from fundraising events, and other information. Contributions greater than $50 must be itemized with the contributor's name and address.
Candidates must file a notice of intent before accepting contributions or incurring expenses; missing a legislated filing deadline triggers an automatic $500 fine, and if a final 2025 statement remains outstanding more than 10 days, the city will publicly report the non-compliance, and the candidate may be ruled ineligible to run in a subsequent election. Candidates may contribute up to $10,000 of their own money during the campaign period.
Tim Cartmell is significantly ahead of his rivals in fundraising in this election, according to interim campaign finance disclosures filed with the City of Edmonton.
Here are the top 20 candidates by contributions reported as of July 31, 2025 (see the full list here):
| Candidate | Office | Affiliation | Ward/Area | Contributions | Total Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Cartmell | Mayor | BE | City Wide | $834,552 | $847,049 |
| Omar Mohammad | Mayor | IND | City Wide | $115,730 | $136,730 |
| Jennifer Rice | Councillor | IND | Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi | $71,548 | $77,417 |
| Farhan Chak | Councillor | IND | tastawiyiniwak | $49,300 | $49,300 |
| Andrew Knack | Mayor | IND | City Wide | $42,112 | $54,000 |
| Reed Clarke | Councillor | BE | Nakota Isga | $38,675 | $38,675 |
| Michael Walters | Mayor | IND | City Wide | $36,347 | $36,347 |
| Thu Parmar | Councillor | IND | sipiwiyiniwak | $33,932 | $36,564 |
| Jesse Watson | Councillor | IND | Anirniq | $30,129 | $34,319 |
| Caroline Matthews | Councillor | BE | Métis | $29,095 | $29,095 |
| Darrell Friesen | Councillor | BE | sipiwiyiniwak | $25,639 | $35,639 |
| Keren Tang | Councillor | IND | Karhiio | $24,350 | $24,385 |
| Erin Rutherford | Councillor | IND | Anirniq | $22,597 | $26,697 |
| Rajah Maggay | Councillor | IND | Nakota Isga | $22,468 | $27,468 |
| Jackie Liu | Councillor | IND | pihêsiwin | $21,045 | $23,545 |
| Michael Janz | Councillor | IND | papastew | $18,474 | $18,474 |
| Rob Fediuk | Councillor | PACE | Anirniq | $17,200 | $18,103 |
| Anne Stevenson | Councillor | IND | O-day'min | $15,011 | $15,011 |
| Anand Pye | Councillor | IND | O-day'min | $14,755 | $14,755 |
| Ashley Salvador | Councillor | IND | Métis | $14,350 | $15,550 |
Parties and TPAs
Municipal parties are also required to file disclosures. Better Edmonton has reported receiving $108,786 in contributions and $213,786 in revenue. PACE reported $49,301 in contributions and no other revenue. Third-party advertisers reported relatively little activity so far. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 569 and Working Families Edmonton reported no fundraising or advertising in the period. Edmonton Forward disclosed roughly $6,500 in contributions, mostly from a single numbered company, while Edmonton Neighbourhoods United reported about $15,000.
Council and school races
The funds raised by candidates in council contests remain comparatively modest to those raised in the mayoral race. Candidates for councillor reported an average of $6,121 in contributions by July 31.
Incumbent Jennifer Rice, seeking re-election in Ward Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi, leads all others with $71,548 raised. One of her ward challengers, Funke Olokude, reported $8,156 in contributions but more than $40,000 in revenue, illustrating how fundraising events and other revenues can bolster a campaign even as contribution totals remain smaller.
Other council candidates who have disclosed relatively higher contribution totals include Farhan Chak in tastawiyiniwak, at $49,300; Reed Clarke in Nakota Isga, at $38,675; Thu Parmar in sipiwiyiniwak, at $33,932; Darrell Friesen in sipiwiyiniwak, at $25,639; and Jesse Watson in Anirniq, at $30,129.
Aside from Rice, the eight other incumbent councillors running for re-election reported an average of $12,202 in contributions.
School trustee campaigns are operating on far smaller budgets. Collectively, trustee candidates reported $33,277 in contributions — about $640 each on average — with Hassan Tukade Mohamed, an Edmonton Public School Board candidate in Ward A, reporting the highest at $8,820.
More than 70 candidates for mayor, council, and trustee positions collectively reported contributing $197,070 of their own money to their campaigns, with nine reaching the $10,000 maximum.
Historical context
In 2021, the five leading mayoral candidates reported raising substantially larger totals for the full campaign than candidates in 2025 have reported so far. Amarjeet Sohi raised $675,468, Mike Nickel raised $432,368, Michael Oshry raised $353,050, Cheryll Watson raised $363,713, and Kim Krushell raised $284,021.
This year's interim disclosures cover only activity from Jan. 1 through July 31, however, and will not capture fundraising after that. Totals may change significantly when the final reports are filed in March.
You can browse the full dataset of interim financial disclosures on our website.
For more on Edmonton's 2025 municipal election — from where candidates stand to voting info — visit edmonton.taproot.vote. There you can complete the Taproot Edmonton Survey and immediately see which candidates for mayor and council in your ward align with your views.