The Pulse: Sept. 19, 2025

The growing responses to Taproot's listening work in the lead up to October's municipal election reveal that many voters are concerned about how the city builds large projects.

Earlier this year, Taproot launched our listening campaign at several in-person and virtual events, and we posted a 2025 election question on our site. We have been gathering responses ever since, and at last count, more than 900 people have provided them. The listening was built around a simple question: "What issues do you care about as you consider who to vote for in the 2025 municipal election, and why?"

At least a dozen people told Taproot they have some form of "construction fatigue," as one resident put it.

"The lack of care over construction impacts and disruption is irresponsible — there are ways to mitigate the disruptive nature of major projects that are well worth the financial cost since the disruption also has a cost that is currently ignored," the respondent said. "The best example is interfering with every route into downtown simultaneously. We can do a lot better than this if council does its job."

Several city projects will cause delays along different routes into downtown in the coming years, with some being built simultaneously despite their close proximity. On the west side of downtown right now, Jasper Avenue and 104 Avenue both have fewer open lanes, all while the Wellington Bridge that carries 102 Avenue over Ramsey Ravine is being torn down and replaced, closing a portion of the avenue for a project that's expected to be finished at the end of 2026. South of downtown, northbound traffic over the Low Level Bridge is being rerouted as that bridge undergoes repairs. To the east, construction will close Dawson Bridge on some weekends to facilitate repairs. The High Level Bridge is expected to be closed for three years starting in 2027, after the other bridge construction is complete. The city said those travelling from the suburbs to downtown could face an extra 15 to 30 minutes on their commute due to the bridge closures and other construction projects.

Cheryll Watson, chairwoman of the Downtown Revitalization Coalition, said earlier this year that the "plan is short-sighted and risks undoing years of effort to revitalize our city's core."

• Edmonton city council is set to vote on a new chief of police on Sept. 19. Once the Edmonton Police Commission recommends a candidate, the choice must be ratified by a council vote. This decision marks one of the final actions for the current council before the Oct. 20 election. Commission Chairman Ben Henderson said that the extensive selection process involved community consultations to identify a leader with strong policing knowledge, relationship-building skills, and innovative capabilities.
• Edmonton city council voted to keep 20 affordable housing units in Riverdale, passing a motion 9-4 on Sept. 17. The decision directs city administration to rezone four parcels as DC1, ensuring at least 20 affordable units, with the next council holding a public hearing after the Oct. 20 election. This follows HomeEd, a city-owned entity, listing the 1980s-built Riverdale Place townhouses for sale to fund new units, saying their useful life had ended. Tenants fought the sale, fearing displacement.
• Edmonton's newest supportive housing development has officially opened in Holyrood, providing 63 homes for people at risk of homelessness. Funded through all three levels of government, the $28.5 million project is owned by Homeward Trust Edmonton and the George Spady Society and includes individualized care plans for each resident. The Holyrood site is the sixth such facility completed since 2020, with two more under construction in Garneau and Canora.
• At a mayoral forum hosted by the Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations, money dominated the debate as candidates clashed over taxes, spending, and the city's strained relationship with the province. Rahim Jaffer pledged to roll back recent tax hikes and freeze rates, a plan his rivals Tim Cartmell, Andrew Knack, and Michael Walters criticized as unrealistic and harmful to non-profits. Walters promised to freeze transit fares and prioritize housing, while Knack pushed for stronger city leadership on homelessness and funding models that keep pace with inflation. Cartmell called for pragmatic budgeting and better collaboration with the province, which all four agreed is critical for tackling housing and social service pressures.
• Edmonton mayoral candidates weighed in on whether municipal workers should return to downtown offices. Downtown Edmonton businesses, like Remedy Cafe, which closed its Jasper Avenue location, are struggling as approximately 3,000 City of Edmonton employees continue a hybrid work model. Omar Mohammad, Rahim Jaffer, and Tony Caterina advocated for a full return to stimulate downtown vibrancy and productivity. Andrew Knack opposed ending the hybrid model, citing union agreements and arguing that addressing affordability, housing, and safety are more critical for downtown revitalization. Tim Cartmell encouraged a return but noted logistical challenges, while Michael Walters said he would detail his plans for city workers later.
• City councillor and mayoral candidate Tim Cartmell urged council to halt new bike lane projects, including the nearly finished lanes in the Delton neighbourhood and work on 132 Avenue, but his motion failed. City staff warned a halt could increase costs and delay completion. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi defended the city's active transportation strategy, saying more Edmontonians are embracing bike lanes. Cartmell plans to continue pressing the issue during his mayoral campaign.
• The Edmonton Police Service has executed a search warrant in the suspicious disappearance of 14-year-old Samuel Bird. The teen was last seen alive in west Edmonton in early June. While police did not disclose the warrant's location or reason, his family has focused recovery searches in the river valley, with Manitoba-based searchers assisting in August to search the North Saskatchewan River.
• The Winnifred Stewart Empties to WINN program has been renamed to Joey & Friends Empties, in honour of Joey Moss. The service offers year-round scheduled pickups at homes and businesses, collecting empty containers and providing tax receipts for the estimated donation value. Moss was a beloved figure in Edmonton, known for his longtime role as a dressing-room attendant for the Edmonton Oilers.
• The Edmonton Police Service said it issued 323 traffic violations during a 24-hour traffic campaign on Sept. 11. The infractions included 68 speeding tickets, eight distracted driving violations, and 98 automated red light violations caught by City of Edmonton enforcement.
• Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's office has directed officials to invoke the notwithstanding clause for three laws affecting people who are transgender, according to a leaked Sept. 10 memo obtained by The Canadian Press. These laws, introduced last year, regulate student name and pronoun changes in schools, ban transgender girls 12 and older from amateur female sports, and limit gender-affirming care for youth under 16. A government spokesperson said Alberta will use all legal means, including the clause, to "protect the safety and well-being of children." 2SLGBTQ+ groups Egale Canada and Skipping Stone are challenging the laws.
• Edmonton-based Waste Parrot, a University of Alberta spinoff company, is one of 17 finalists in a NASA competition to combat space waste. The 30-member team, based at the university's Smart Lab, developed an innovation featuring a drone that identifies and categorizes waste. It aims to deploy unique 3D printers to the moon to upcycle trash into essential tools for astronauts.
• The Alberta government has allowed its ban on police "carding" to expire, informing the Edmonton Police Commission of its decision. The provincial regulation, which prohibited officers from stopping individuals without reason to ask for identification, was first implemented in 2021. The practice is often seen as racial profiling due to statistics showing it disproportionately affects people of colour. The government now asserts that existing mechanisms allow citizens to seek justice if they feel unfairly treated by police.
• Jordan Baker was named president of the Edmonton Stingers, effective Sept. 18, also becoming a part owner of Stingers Entertainment Group LP. Baker will continue to serve as head coach and general manager of the Canadian Elite Basketball League team. He was a standout player for the Stingers from 2019 to 2022, winning two CEBL Championships, and later took on coaching and general manager roles.

On this day in 1936, Nellie McClung was making a brief stop in her former home of Edmonton.

When McClung moved to Edmonton in the 1910s, she was already a well-known public figure. She was a bestselling author and journalist with three published books, and a sought-after public speaker on women's rights. She was also a prominent advocate for women's suffrage, helping lead a push for women's voting rights in Manitoba. In 1916, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta all granted women the right to vote, due to the efforts of McClung and other suffrage activists.

But it was in Edmonton that McClung became a politician. In 1921, McClung ran as a Liberal Party candidate in Edmonton and was elected to the legislature. At the time, she was just the third woman in Canada to be elected to a provincial legislature.

In her five years as a member of the legislature, McClung advocated for progressive and feminist causes. She pushed for more equal property rights for women, as well as regulations to increase worker safety. McClung had a reputation for working across party lines, too. She found a frequent ally in Irene Parlby, a cabinet minister from the ruling United Farmers party, and, along with McClung, a future part of the Famous Five. Together, the two women worked on legislation to provide hot lunches and better health care to schoolchildren.

McClung's support of prohibition, which lasted until 1923 in Alberta, was much less successful. She had long been a leader in the temperance movement and expressed frustration that legalized liquor sales were returning to the province. McClung was also involved in Alberta's eugenics movement and supported legislation that led to the forced sterilization of people the province deemed mentally deficient.

During her term as an Edmonton MLA, McClung's husband was transferred to Calgary, where he lived with two of their children. That meant a lot of travel for McClung, who split her time between legislative business in Edmonton and family in Calgary. Political opponents and detractors seized on this, and McClung was often faced with hecklers at public events. Her response was that her children were in the capable care of her husband when she was working or travelling.

In 1926, McClung ran for reelection, this time in Calgary. The election was one in which she also attempted to force a plebiscite to re-establish prohibition. She lost on both fronts. This ended her time as an elected official and residency in Edmonton. But it did not end her advocacy. It would only be a few years later that McClung, Parlby and three other women would become known as the Famous Five, and their involvement in the significant "Persons Case" would lead to women finally being granted full legal personhood in Canada.

McClung might have spent less time in Edmonton than in other parts of Canada, but many city locations bear her name in honour of the monumental role she played in changing Alberta and Canada as a whole. The riding of Edmonton-McClung is named after her, as is a junior high program for girls run by the Edmonton Public School Board. A bust of McClung looks over the river valley from its spot on the Victoria Promenade. The 2021 Edmonton election saw more women elected to council than ever before, a small reminder that McClung's work helped set the stage for great things. The next council election is on Oct. 20, 2025.

This clipping was found on Vintage Edmonton, a daily look at Edmonton's history from armchair archivist Rev Recluse of Vintage Edmonton.

Here are some events happening this weekend in the Edmonton area.

• Sept. 19: The People at Filmwest: Cooperative Filmmaking in 1970s Edmonton starting at 7pm at Metro Cinema
• Sept. 19: Mallory Chipman starting at 8pm at Yardbird Suite
• Sept. 19-21: Edmonton Expo at Edmonton EXPO Centre
• Sept. 20: Sport Central BIKE DRIVE starting at 10am
• Sept. 20: Heart of the Habitat starting at 11am at ArtsHub Ortona
• Sept. 20: Harvest Fest 2025 starting at 1pm at Spruce Avenue Community Centre
• Sept. 20: Mid-Autumn Festival starting at 3pm at Patricia Lake
• Sept. 20: Triple Dip with Russ Lossing and Billy Mintz starting at 8pm at Yardbird Suite
• Sept. 20-21: Tri-Region Expo at TransAlta Tri Leisure Centre
• Sept. 21: Art is for Everyone starting at 1pm at Art Gallery of Alberta
• Sept. 21: Gems of Bollywood starting at 3pm at Festival Place

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Sept. 27: Storytime Soirée: The Story Begins at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
• Oct. 4: Ducks Unlimited Canada Edmonton Annual Dinner & Auction at Woodvale Facility and Clubhouse
• Oct. 6-10: Wills Week

Visit the beta version of the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.

Test your crossword prowess and deploy a little of your Edmonton knowledge. Complete the puzzle.

For events taking place at the stadium referred to in 5-Across, among many other places, check out the Taproot Edmonton Calendar.