The Pulse: Oct. 9, 2025

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.

• With the municipal election coming up on Oct. 20, Mack Male of Taproot Edmonton joined host Clare Bonnyman on CBC's This is Edmonton podcast to discuss the race for the city's next mayor and council. They covered voter concerns, candidates, and how residents can stay informed ahead of the vote.
• Edmonton's Valley Line West LRT project achieved a major milestone, with Marigold Infrastructure Partners completing all elevated concrete segments for the two-kilometre section along 87 Avenue between 163 Street and 182 Street. This section, which includes stations at West Edmonton Mall and Misericordia Hospital, saw 224 precast concrete segments installed in under 180 days using a 400-tonne gantry crane. The elevated tracks will allow traffic on 170 Street and west of 178 Street to flow unimpeded. While this phase is complete, significant work remains. The line is expected to open in 2028.
• The City of Edmonton's municipal golf courses are winding down for the 2025 season. Golfing will conclude on Oct. 13, with all courses officially closing on Oct. 14. The Victoria Driving Range, however, will remain operational as long as weather permits. Staff will prepare the greens for winter.
• Former Edmonton mayor Stephen Mandel said the city is in a downward spiral. Mandel, who was mayor from 2004 to 2013, said downtown has become a "disaster." With the Oct. 20 municipal election approaching, Mandel said the city needs a decisive mayor and council and should improve its relationship with the police and the provincial government.
• More than 180 Edmonton food establishments showed signs of cockroach infestations over a 38-month period, according to health inspection data, Postmedia reported as part of a series done in collaboration with the MacEwan University journalism program. The German cockroach is a common culprit in restaurants, which provide an ideal environment for them to thrive due to warmth, moisture, and food. Experts highlight that these pests, which can carry diseases, multiply rapidly and are becoming resistant to over-the-counter treatments. Prevention requires sealing cracks and thorough cleaning.
• Robert Andruchow of MacEwan University, an associate professor and design chair, criticized Alberta's food safety inspection website as a "glorified spreadsheet" needing a major overhaul. He said the site, hosted by Alberta Health Services, has not received a significant update in nearly two decades since an Edmonton Journal investigation in 2006 led to its public accessibility. Andruchow noted the platform is difficult to navigate, uses jargon, and has confusing listings.
• Cherie Klassen has stepped down as executive director of the Old Strathcona Business Association after eight years in the role. In a statement, Klassen called her time leading the business community both rewarding and challenging. During her tenure, she oversaw the association's growth, guided it through the pandemic, and helped secure over $700,000 in grants and sponsorships.
• Alberta teacher Alicia Taylor launched a petition seeking a referendum to end public funding for independent (private) schools across the province. Elections Alberta approved her initiative petition question on Oct. 8, allowing signature collection to begin Oct. 14. Taylor, also an Alberta Teachers' Association representative, needs more than 177,000 signatures within 120 days. John Jagersma of the Association of Independent Schools and Colleges in Alberta said the public system lacks capacity for an additional 50,000 students. Premier Danielle Smith said funding private schools saves taxpayer money by offering diverse educational options.
• Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said striking teachers will need to make "trade-offs," as the government will not exceed $2.6 billion over four years to resolve the contract dispute. This comes after 51,000 members of the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) walked off the job after rejecting an offer that included a 12% wage increase and funding for 3,000 new teaching positions. Nicolaides described class size caps as "arbitrary," while Jason Schilling of the ATA contends 5,000 more teachers are needed.
• As the Alberta teachers' strike continued on Oct. 8, Edmonton parents turned to innovative educational solutions. Mathnasium in west Edmonton has extended its hours and offers discounted rates, while Edmonton retail company Education Station partnered with Alberta artificial intelligence firm NeuroSoph to create ES Learning Buddy, an interactive K-Grade 6 chatbot trained on the Alberta curriculum.
• The Downtown Revitalization Coalition publicly called for bail reform and tougher judicial action on Oct. 8 to address crime in Edmonton. The coalition, which includes business and community leaders, urged courts and prosecutors to respond to calls from Edmonton Police Service Chief Warren Driechel for justice reforms. It also advocated for stronger collaboration between police and Crown prosecutors.
• Alberta's police watchdog, ASIRT, cleared Edmonton Police Service officers of wrongdoing in the Sept. 20, 2023, death of Mazin Zaim. Zaim stopped breathing while handcuffed and face down during an arrest in southwest Edmonton, after police responded to reports of him acting erratically with an ice chipper. ASIRT determined all five officers were acting lawfully when placing Zaim into custody. An autopsy found Zaim died from lack of oxygen due to "restraint asphyxia" and cocaine use, with obesity and coronary atherosclerosis as contributing factors. Zaim's family has expressed concerns about the use of force and delay in officers recognizing he stopped breathing.
• The Edmonton Elks have organized a free camp for high school football players in Edmonton who are unable to practise due to the Alberta teachers' strike. Community coordinator Ryan Brower said 125 slots filled within hours, with Elks players coaching the six practice days throughout October. The strike, which began on Oct. 6, has halted school sports and closed 2,500 schools, affecting 740,000 students. Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said "exploratory conversations" are ongoing, and teachers will be locked out of schools starting Oct. 9.
• The Edmonton Police Service is seeking a suspect after a statue of Polish-born religious figure Frère Antoine Kowalczyk was vandalized with orange paint at the University of Alberta Faculté Saint-Jean campus in the early hours of Sept. 28. CCTV footage shows a thin-built man, appearing to be in his mid-to-late 40s and wearing a yellow hoodie and black leather jacket, throwing paint around 12:13am. The Campus Saint-Jean administration acknowledged the incident, which occurred during the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, highlights the institution's "complex history" due to its former administration's role in residential schools.
• The Edmonton Police Service reported 11 shootings in Edmonton in September, an increase from 10 incidents in August. Year-to-date, shootings have risen by 11% to 102, compared to 92 during the same period last year. Of the 11 shootings in September, nine were believed to be targeted, and five resulted in injuries, though no deaths were reported.
• The Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman Mattias Ekholm to a three-year, $12-million contract extension on Oct. 8, set to begin in the 2026-27 season. Ekholm, 35, joined the Oilers from the Nashville Predators on Feb. 28, 2023, and has since been a pivotal blue-line player.
• Alberta Premier Danielle Smith issued directives instructing her health ministers to collaborate on health care restructuring, improving emergency response, and reducing wait times. Jason Nixon, the minister of assisted living and social services, in partnership with Matt Jones, the minister of hospital and surgical health services, will begin transitioning non-acute patients out of hospitals into assisted living facilities to free up beds. Additionally, Rick Wilson, the minister of mental health and addiction, is tasked with implementing the Compassionate Intervention Act by 2027, which will allow for involuntary care for youths and adults.

The growing responses to Taproot's listening work in the lead up to the Oct. 20 municipal election reveal that funding for the Edmonton Police Service remains top of mind for many voters.

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 925 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?"

More than 100 people discussed the police in their response. Some respondents said they want the city to decrease funding for the police and move that money to preventative measures. Others said they want to increase the presence of police officers, especially downtown and on transit. Many said they want the police service to be more transparent and accountable, especially when officers employ violence in the line of duty.

When the current council was elected in October 2021, the Western world was in the process of re-examining policing. While the Black Lives Matter movement started in the early 2010s, after the killings of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Rekia Boyd, it accelerated in May 2020 when a video of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, killing George Floyd, a Black man, went viral. The murder sparked global protests against police brutality, especially towards Black people and other racialized communities, and led to many North American municipalities re-evaluating how much funding they provide police. In Edmonton, the previous council voted to cut $11 million from the police budget for 2021 and to reallocate the money to community safety and well-being initiatives.

The current council voted 12-1 in June 2022 to approve a $407-million base budget for police starting in 2023 (Coun. Michael Janz was the sole opposing vote). This action contradicted what some councillors said they would do during the campaign for the 2021 election, as Taproot reported. In 2023, council voted 9-4 in favour of a new police funding formula. The formula provides a base annual budget that is then increased through indexing it to inflation and population. It is designed to give the police stable and consistent funding. Councillors Janz, Ashley Salvador, Anne Stevenson, and Erin Rutherford voted against the formula.

The police service accounts for more than 14% of the city's entire operating budget and is its single largest line item. The police budget is $464 million in 2025.

The responses to Taproot's election question show that some Edmontonians still want to reallocate funding from police to other community initiatives. "I want a candidate who will rein in police spending, allowing the city to invest in things that improve people's lives," one respondent said. "We need to feel safe. That doesn't mean more money for police. It means policies that help those in need get the services and stable living conditions they require," another said.

Other respondents said they wanted city council to hold police accountable when officers assault people, like in the high-profile cases of Pacey Dumas and Mathios Arkangelo. "Make EPS more accountable and take action on senseless police violence," one respondent said. Dumas, who is Indigenous, was 18 when an Edmonton police constable kicked him in the head, leaving him with life-altering injuries. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team investigated the incident and recommended criminal charges against the police officer, but the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service declined to prosecute. An Edmonton police officer shot and killed Arkangelo in June 2024. ASIRT is investigating the homicide and said Arkangelo fled the scene of a single-vehicle collision before the shooting.

Candidates for mayor and council are split on whether council should provide stable funding for the Edmonton Police Commission or apply more scrutiny to that body when answering the question Which of the following comes closest to your guiding principle for council's relationship with the Edmonton Police Commission? on Taproot's candidate survey.

Thirty-one respondents said that council should Primarily provide stable funding and work through commission processes. That includes mayoral candidates Tim Cartmell, Vanessa Denman, Andy Andrzej Gudanowski, Rahim Jaffer, Omar Mohammad, and Michael Walters.

There were also 31 candidates who said that council should Scrutinize commission decisions and demand greater transparency. This includes five of the seven incumbent council candidates who have answered the survey (Michael Janz, Erin Rutherford, Ashley Salvador, Anne Stevenson, and Keren Tang).

Jason Bale, Roger Kotch, Abdul Malik Chukwudi, Jon Morgan, Fahad Mughal, Anand Pye, and Ashok Sui, meanwhile, said council should Make police funding contingent on achieving specific outcomes.

As of this writing, 24 candidates have not yet completed the survey.

The commission develops budgets for the Edmonton Police Service but recently declined to share its own audit with city council. Since 2018, council has used a funding formula based on inflation and population growth to determine increases to the police budget. In early 2024, the commission requested that two city councillors be removed from sitting on the commission but council voted in September to keep them. Until recently, council appointed the commission's members, 10 of whom are civilians and two of whom are from council. In 2022, however, the provincial government gave itself powers to appoint commissioners, and in 2024 it appointed three.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Edmonton Housing Symposium starting at 7:30am at Stantec Tower Ice District
• Gain the Competitive Edge: Inclusion and the Business Benefits starting at 11am online
• Book Signing: Jasmin Gerwien starting at 12pm at Audreys Books
• MIT REAP Edmonton Town Hall #3 starting at 4pm at Edmonton Unlimited
• Museum Skills Workshops: Preserving Your Pride: Scrap books and photos starting at 5:30pm at Royal Alberta Museum
• Uniquely Me 2025 starting at 6pm at Chateau Lacombe Hotel
• Edmonton Mayoral Candidate Forum starting at 6pm at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
• Exercise as Medicine: The power of movement during & after cancer treatment starting at 6pm at KATZ Group Centre for Pharmacy and Health Research
• Night of Ideas: Taking Action starting at 6pm at Alberta Visual Arts Centre
• Book Launch: Ben Zalkind starting at 7pm at Audreys Books
• Outer Worlds IMAX, preceded by North of Superior starting at 7pm at TELUS World of Science - Edmonton
• Jules Balluffi Live Album Recording & Farewell Show starting at 9pm at Grindstone Theatre

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Oct. 18-19: Boo at the Zoo! at Edmonton Valley Zoo
• Oct. 23: 2025 Alumni Awards at Horowitz Theatre
• Oct. 28: Pathways of Poverty - Stories, Soup and Table talk on Poverty in our Community at Heritage Park Pavilion

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

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