The Pulse: Oct. 6, 2025

The second-ever CEO of Edmonton Global said she is returning to Edmonton from the United Kingdom because the current moment is pivotal for the regional economic development agency.

"I wouldn't be coming back, and I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think there was a very real, very tangible opportunity," Daryn Edgar told Taproot. "Edmonton Global isn't a startup anymore … They're now at a stage where they need to start scaling, and like any scaleup company, what got you here won't necessarily get you there."

Edmonton Global was established in 2017 to drive foreign investment into the region and its 14 member municipalities, as well as to help the region's companies build linkages with the rest of the world. Malcolm Bruce, the organization's first CEO, will depart as of Oct. 16. Last year, Bruce and the organization spent six months listening to member municipalities after five shared plans to leave. None of those five municipalities has changed its plans, and another has since said it wants to leave, too.

Edgar said she will meet with each member municipality, "whether they're departing or not," and that she's openly optimistic about refreshing relationships. "I'm going to be new to them, and all I can really do at this point is introduce myself, recommit to Edmonton Global, and try to learn about them."

She said that beyond the Edmonton region, the organization needs to take advantage of what's happening in the world.

"I think this moment is about Edmonton's readiness, but it's also about the world's readiness," Edgar said. "In a way, it's related to what we've all been through over the last couple years. COVID kind of set the stage, but some of the other international instabilities that have happened (have changed things, too). For me, when I started coming back to Edmonton more frequently in the last couple years, that's what I saw. I saw that Edmonton had a lot of what the world needed, which is stability and quality."

Edgar grew up in Edmonton before moving to Calgary and then England, working at global corporations as well as scaleups, largely in tech, energy, and finance. She will join Edmonton Global on Oct. 17 after 18 years in the U.K., where she moved in 2007 to become the director of global operations for WellPoint Systems, a now-absorbed software company for the energy and finance industries.

"I was that entrepreneur, with WellPoint, that moved markets to do international work," she said. "I've been that person that is Canadian by background (who was) trying to go global and faced all those challenges."

• Thousands of Albertans, including 18,000 in Edmonton, rallied on Oct. 5 in the province's two major cities to support public education, ahead of a potential province-wide strike by Alberta's 51,000 teachers, set for Oct. 6. The Alberta Teachers' Association and the provincial government are deadlocked on a new collective agreement, with salaries, growing class sizes, and classroom complexities being key issues. Premier Danielle Smith called the potential strike a "lose-lose-lose situation." Union president Jason Schilling said that while there are "conversations going on" between the two sides, the strike is imminent.
• Edmontonians can cast advance ballots for the Oct. 20 municipal election from Oct. 7 to 11, between noon and 8pm. Twelve advance polling stations, one per ward, are available, including at the Stanley A. Milner Library for O-day'min and the Westend Seniors Activity Centre for Nakota Isga. Voters will elect a mayor, 12 city councillors, and school board trustees. Eligible voters must be 18, Canadian citizens, and reside in Edmonton as of Oct. 20. Identification, such as an Alberta driver's licence or utility bill is required, or an attestation form can be used.
• An Abacus Data poll conducted Sept. 25 to 29 found that Edmonton voters focused on stability and affordability as the mayoral race progresses. Tim Cartmell leads among decided likely voters with 39% support, followed by Andrew Knack at 28%, though 30% remain undecided, according to the poll. Key voter concerns include housing affordability (47%), poverty and homelessness (45%), and crime and community safety (42%). Many Edmontonians (49%) believe the city is on the wrong track, with 71% seeking steady, reliable leadership.
• A Leger poll conducted Sept. 26 to 28 found that 64% of Edmontonians believe the city is on the wrong track ahead of the October 2025 municipal election. The survey found 64% are likely to vote, with mayoral candidates Tim Cartmell and Andrew Knack tied at 14% in voting intention, followed by Omar Mohammad (6%), Michael Walters (5%), and Tony Caterina (3%); 41% remain undecided. Top concerns for voters are lowering taxes (42%), downtown safety (28%), and reducing poverty (25%). Additionally, 47% favour maintaining current tax levels by reducing public services.
• With many Edmontonians still undecided, mayoral campaigns are intensifying get-out-the-vote efforts ahead of the Oct. 20 municipal election. Tim Cartmell's team is using door-knocking, phone calls, and rides to polls to boost early turnout, especially because election night is during the Diwali holiday. Andrew Knack's volunteers are meeting voters in person and have plans to engage students online at the University of Alberta to discuss election issues, while Michael Walters and Tony Caterina are campaigning long hours to engage the electorate. Rahim Jaffer is focused on ensuring his supporters vote despite a postal strike that could delay voter notices. Turnout in the last municipal election was just 37.6%, and candidates fear a similar showing could make every vote decisive in a close race.
• Support Our Students, a progressive nonprofit group focused on public education, has published a comprehensive guide about candidates in the upcoming Edmonton Public Schools elections. The guide assessed candidates according to positions on progressive policies, public education, and inclusivity, assigning lower ratings to candidates who have made transphobic statements, or who have anti-vaccination beliefs or UCP affiliations.
• The Edmonton Police Service is facing criticism for waiting over a month to announce the disappearance of 14-year-old Samuel Bird, an Indigenous teen now believed to have been killed the night he vanished. Investigators defended the delay as strategic, but many see it as part of a broader failure to treat missing Indigenous people with urgency. Samuel's family and volunteers launched their own search, keeping a sacred fire burning in Dawson Park. Police later linked the case to a suspicious fire at a west Edmonton duplex they searched on Sept. 19. They have since widened their search area southwest of the city.
• Explore Edmonton expects that the 51st annual Canadian Finals Rodeo will generate a $32 million economic impact. People from across the country have gathered in Edmonton to compete and celebrate the rodeo community, reinforcing Edmonton's role as a host for major national events, Explore Edmonton said.
• Documents filed in a civil suit by photojournalist Amber Bracken and The Narwhal revealed that RCMP sought to detain her without bail for months, alleging she assaulted a sheriff during her release from a Prince George jail in November 2021. Bracken, an Edmonton resident, was arrested in B.C. at the pipeline standoff on Wet'suwet'en territory. RCMP argued her Edmonton residency made her a flight risk and that she showed "no regard for the laws." Despite these recommendations, the Crown never approved the charge, and Bracken was released the following day.
• The Law Enforcement Review Board (LERB) upheld the firing of former Edmonton Police Service Det. Greg Lewis on Sept. 19, 2025, Postmedia reported. Lewis was dismissed from EPS after being convicted in 2018 of trafficking anabolic steroids to coworkers. The LERB panel concluded that the disciplinary hearing, presided over by retired RCMP officer Fred Kamins, made no legal errors in its decision to fire Lewis, who faced multiple offences under the Police Act.
• An Edmonton teenager received the maximum youth sentence for his role in the "Project Gaslight" extortion scheme. The 18-year-old, who was 16 and 17 during the offences, was deemed one of the "most active" members, targeting South Asian home builders in the Edmonton area through arson, extortion messages, and violence. Justice Emem Madu approved a three-year custody and supervision order on Oct. 3, with two years in jail and one year of community supervision.
• Thomas Lukaszuk, a former Progressive Conservative deputy premier, announced on Oct. 3 that his "Alberta Forever Canada" petition has secured approximately 230,000 signatures. The petition, which asks if Alberta should remain in Canada, requires about 294,000 signatures from eligible voters by Oct. 28. Lukaszuk's goal is to have the legislative assembly vote on the policy proposal, rather than initiating a constitutional referendum. Approximately 5,000 volunteers are gathering signatures across the province.
• The Edmonton Oilers announced head coach Kris Knoblauch has signed a three-year contract extension through the 2028-2029 season. Knoblauch, who became head coach in November 2023, led the Oilers to back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances. He holds a 94-47-10 record in 151 regular season games, achieving his 80th win on Feb. 5, 2025, in his 123rd game, making him the third-fastest NHL coach to that milestone.

The potential ramifications of two concurrent strikes on the Oct. 20 municipal election, quotes by candidates at a recent event, and how downtown's epicentre might shift westward were just some of the things on the minds of the co-hosts of Episode 326 of Speaking Municipally. Here's a quick snapshot.

Strike out

As of Oct. 3 at noon, the looming strike by roughly 51,000 teachers at public schools across Alberta is still a go and will play on the minds of voters. And the already-launched Canada Post strike, where 55,000 postal workers are off the job, means the mail is not mailing.

Co-host Stephanie Swensrude noted that one potential effect of the postal strike could be on special ballots for the upcoming election. "I looked on the city website and it said, 'Despite the Canada Post strike, voters who apply for special ballots will receive their packages.'" She noted the city is offering people the option to switch delivery methods. Another bit of paper stuck in the mail, Swensrude added, could be voter information cards. "Those are those cards that come a few weeks before any election, and they say, 'Hey, there's an election coming up. You can go to this place to vote in advance, or you can go to this place to vote on election day," she said. "I'm not sure if those are going to come out via the mail … It really worries me."

Swensrude also noted that she has spoken with council candidates who have put significant campaign material into the mail that will now not reach voters. One under-examined reason this matters is that this is often the only way candidates can connect with residents who live in multifamily housing. Co-host Mack Male agreed on that point, noting "it's hard" for candidates to even get into multifamily buildings, let alone speak to their residents at the door.

Quoting candidates

Male recently attended a candidate event held by the REALTORS Association of Edmonton, and turned his recorder on when he asked candidates questions. Male found interesting nuance and detail on candidate positions on parties and slates, day shelters, transit between Whyte Avenue and downtown, and even Lucy the elephant.

Male said asked questions of mayoral candidates Tim Cartmell, Tony Caterina, and Rahim Jaffer, as well as council candidates Aaron Paquette, Giselle General, Anand Pye, Diana Steele, Terrie Holgerson, and Stephen Hammerschmidt specific questions about their ideas for the future (and Taproot has more about these and all other candidates right here).

But Cartmell's response to Male's question about how dollars raised by the Better Edmonton party might be allocated to its candidates was particularly interesting. "Well, every ward is different," Cartmell told Male. "Each candidate has individual and distinct needs … Some have been able to raise money on their own, through their own campaigns; others have had less of an opportunity to do that. So it is an interactive thing about where the dollars have come in and where the dollars have ended up going out. You know, part of that is that council campaigns tend to be ground campaigns. They tend to be door knocking, a very door knocking focus, so it's lawn signs and door knocking. Mayor campaigns are air campaigns. It's advertising, it's social media promotions, it's a more costly campaign."

Shifting the epicentre

The co-hosts discussed Swensrude's recent story about developers downzoning housing proposals downtown to make them financially buildable. All of it, the story reported sources sharing, is being incentivized by the city's Warehouse Park.

But Swensrude tied the context of that story with the even broader conversation about downtown, which includes the slow-motion challenges at Edmonton City Centre. The potential with new housing alongside MacEwan University, NorQuest College, and with the soon-to-open Valley Line LRT extension, is big, she said. "I think that this has the potential to shift the epicentre of downtown a few blocks over. Because, I mean, right now, you could maybe say City Centre mall is kind of like the epicentre, but I think that this is … a huge deal."

The Oct. 3 episode of Taproot's civic affairs podcast also includes a discussion of a moderator's questionable comment at a recent Alberta Next panel in Calgary. Listening and subscription options are all right here.

Most candidates for council and mayor said they would prioritize bus rapid transit over light rail transit when answering the question Which would you prioritize for high-capacity transit? on Taproot's candidate survey.

Fourteen candidates said that they would advocate to Continue expanding light rail transit. Only one incumbent candidate, Aaron Paquette, chose this option. In addition to completing the Valley Line LRT from Mill Woods to Lewis Farms, the city is also extending the existing Capital Line on its south end and plans to extend the Metro Line on its northwest end.

Meanwhile, 42 candidates said they would Prioritize bus rapid transit if elected. The current council approved $5.5 million for concept planning for three bus rapid transit routes that will travel in dedicated lanes — B1, B2, and B6 (which is part of the Terwillegar Drive Expansion). Council also approved $7.1 million for transit priority measures. The next council will decide on funding for detailed BRT design, and then construction. A 2018 city report estimated BRT costs 25% less than LRT.

Only three candidates — Fidel Ammar, James Gosse, and Nicholas Rheubottom — said they would Prioritize private vehicles instead of LRT or BRT.

Paul Bakhmut, Reed Clarke, Omar Mohammad, Thu Parmar, and Banisha Sandhu said they didn't have a position.

Vanessa Denman and Stephen Hammerschmidt skipped the question.

As of this writing, 26 candidates for council and mayor have not yet completed the survey.

Taproot asked candidates to complete a 30-question survey covering a wide range of topics relevant to Edmonton's next city council. It was informed by the more than 900 responses to our election question, insights gathered at listening sessions, input from our election partners, and our own observations of what Edmonton's next city council will face.

Here are the answers we've received from the candidates in Ward Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi:

• Ramey Demian
• Jon Morgan
• Fahad Mughal
• Funke Olokude
• Nicholas Rheubottom

We have not yet received a response from Beth Mathison and Jennifer Rice.

Want to see which candidates best align with you on the issues that matter most? Take the survey and find out.

For more coverage of the 2025 municipal election in Edmonton, visit edmonton.taproot.vote.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Edmonton Startup Week (until Oct. 10)
• Wills Week (until Oct. 10)
• Diverse Supplier Information Session starting at 9:30am at Edmonton Unlimited
• Unblock Your Blueprint: A Strategic Tool for Project Planning & Development starting at 10am at ATB Entrepreneur Centre
• Launch Party 16 Showcase starting at 10:15am at Edmonton Unlimited
• From Spark to Scale: Building Meaningful AI in Startups starting at 12:30pm at Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute
• Buy, then Build by Futurpreneur starting at 1pm at Edmonton Unlimited
• What Is Your Impact? - A Social Innovation Workshop starting at 1:30pm at MacEwan University
• Indigenous Business Information Session starting at 1:30pm at Queen Elizabeth II Building
• Pitch, Purpose, Power: Stepping Up Through Storytelling starting at 1:30pm at Edmonton Unlimited
• Blueprints & Brews: The YEG Startup Week Mixer starting at 3:30pm at Edmonton Unlimited
• Scale Mode: Unlocking Growth with the ScaleupMap starting at 4:30pm at Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Oct. 9: Edmonton Housing Symposium at Stantec Tower Ice District
• Oct. 15: General Election: State of Journalism- Misinformation and Disinformation online
• Oct. 23: Harvest Luncheon with guest speaker Anne McLellan at Edmonton's Food Bank Annex

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

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