The Pulse: Oct. 27, 2025

Edmonton's newly elected city councillors will spend much of the next month training for the job, meeting with stakeholders, and preparing for the upcoming term.

Mayor-elect Andrew Knack and councillors-elect Erin Rutherford, Aaron Paquette, Jon Morgan, Keren Tang, Ashley Salvador, Reed Clake, Anne Stevenson, Michael Janz, Michael Elliott, Thu Parmar, Jo-Anne Wright, and Karen Principe will have a briefing on Oct. 27, according to council's transition schedule. On Oct. 28, the council is scheduled for orientation and a legislative training session.

On Oct. 29 at 1:30pm, the mayor-elect and councillors-elect will be sworn in to become mayor and councillors at a ceremony at city hall. The council will hold its inaugural city council meeting immediately after the ceremony. On Oct. 30 and 31, council is scheduled for more orientation.

From Nov. 3 to 7, council is scheduled for an orientation meeting, training sessions, and meetings with stakeholders.

From Nov. 10 to 14, council is not scheduled to meet. Instead, there will be information sessions for staff working in councillor offices.

Council will hold its first public hearing on Nov. 19.

Meetings stream live on YouTube on the Chamber channel and River Valley Room channel.

• Edmonton Elections released final municipal election results on Oct. 24, confirming four new members of city council alongside eight incumbents. Jon Morgan, a transit worker, will represent Ward Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi, prioritizing infrastructure. In Ward sipiwiyiniwak, Thu Parmar, formerly with the Canadian Red Cross, aims to rebuild trust and increase engagement. Michael Elliott, who was an Edmonton Police Service staff sergeant, secured Ward pihêsiwin, focusing on public safety and inter-governmental relations. Entrepreneur Reed Clarke, former CEO of the Edmonton Stingers, won Ward Nakota Isga, emphasizing collaboration and ward-level engagement. Andrew Knack was elected mayor, while the election saw a 30.27% voter turnout, the lowest since 2007.
• After Edmonton's municipal election, the future of the Better Edmonton slate is uncertain as only three of its candidates — Karen Principe (Ward tastawiyiniwak), Michael Elliott (Ward pihêsiwin), and Reed Clarke (Ward Nakota Isga) — secured council seats. Mayoral candidate Tim Cartmell, who led the slate, lost his race. Cartmell previously stated the group would "go dormant" after the election and not "whip votes" on council. Councillors Principe and Elliott said the slate's original intention was for election collaboration, not as a council caucus. Elliott also denied rumours of affiliation with the United Conservative Party.
• Alberta school divisions, including Edmonton Catholic Schools, are preparing for classes to resume if the provincial government tables its "Back to School Act" on Oct. 27. Finance Minister Nate Horner plans to introduce the bill to end the strike by 51,000 public, Catholic, and francophone teachers, which began Oct. 6. Labour expert Christian Cook noted legislation could order teachers back within 24-48 hours, making continued striking illegal. Both Edmonton Public Schools and the Catholic division are awaiting government guidance on making up for lost instructional time. Jason Schilling, president of Alberta Teachers' Association, stated the bill does not resolve core issues like pay and class sizes.
• During her call-in radio show on Oct. 25, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith responded to the threat of broader labour action over the provincial government's plan to table legislation on Oct. 27 to force striking teachers back to work. The Alberta Federation of Labour warned of unprecedented mobilization if the government uses the notwithstanding clause. Smith did not rule out using the clause, saying teachers would be ordered back to work if they don't agree to return voluntarily. The strike involves 51,000 teachers in public, separate, and francophone schools across the province, affecting 750,000 students.
• Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said that classroom issues, including high student numbers, will be addressed once teachers return to school. Smith criticized school boards for past grant mismanagement and suggested a task force for solutions, differing from a proposal from the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) to involve schools and boards. Jason Schilling of the ATA expressed teacher distrust, citing a previous ignored task force and the government's request to sign a wage package before discussing classroom complexity. He estimates the ATA's class size terms would cost $2 billion.
• Edmonton Coun. Keren Tang is advocating for stronger penalties against people using illegal fireworks after a fire severely damaged a southeast Edmonton home on Oct. 20, during Diwali celebrations. Three men face arson charges for the incident at 2503 24 Street SE. Tang noted 33 reported incidents, including 13 police-issued charges, for dangerous actions and noise violations this year. A permit from Edmonton Fire Rescue Services is required to set off fireworks, with fines up to $10,000 for non-compliance.
• In an opinion piece published in Postmedia, outgoing Edmonton city councillor Sarah Hamilton outlined significant challenges for Edmonton's new 2025-2029 city council. Following an election with the lowest voter turnout since 2007, council must address critical issues like infrastructure, growth, and fiscal sustainability, she wrote. Hamilton also stressed the need to stabilize city administration for effective advice and to avoid continued acrimony with the provincial government on matters such as public safety. She also wrote that increasing voter turnout for the 2029 election should be a priority for Edmonton Elections.
• Journalist Brett McKay won first place in the 2025 Canadian Community Newsmedia Awards for the Outstanding Reporter Initiative. His series in the St. Albert Gazette explored how conspiracy theories affect local governments and democratic engagement in Alberta. Judges commended his thorough research, balanced tone, and courage in confronting a sensitive community issue.
• The Animal Care and Control Centre hosted its first pet-friendly event for Halloween, Howl-O-Ween, in Edmonton on Oct. 25. The event offered both family fun activities and important pet safety education.
• The City of Edmonton drew criticism after it evicted its downtown tenant Continental Treat Fine Bistro on Oct. 10, due to complications arising from owner Sylvester Borowka's bankruptcy. The sudden closure, just before Thanksgiving weekend, cost the restaurant $90,000 in lost sales and spoiled inventory, Borowka said. The restaurant's 35 employees are affected, and a sold-out "Witches and Wizards" Halloween event is now without a venue. City Real Estate Branch manager Chris Hodgson said the lease was terminated by the bankruptcy trustee for liability reasons.
• Alberta Public Service employees will return to full-time, in-office work starting February 2026, ending the interim hybrid model that has allowed up to two days of remote work since March 2022. Affecting nearly 12,600 government employees, the province said the policy, initially a temporary public health measure, is being discontinued to strengthen collaboration and service delivery. The Edmonton Downtown Business Association welcomed the move and anticipates increased foot traffic and vibrancy.
• The Edmonton Elks, despite missing the playoffs, expressed optimism about the team's future on Oct. 25, as a key decision looms regarding quarterbacks Cody Fajardo and Tre Ford. Fajardo, who led the team to a 7-11 record after a 1-4 start, expressed his desire to remain with the team. "If I play football next year, it will be here," he said. General Manager Ed Hervey and Head Coach Mark Kilam want Fajardo to return, but contract talks have not yet begun. Hervey indicated the team must evaluate Ford's fit, noting "something has to give," as the team prioritizes winning.

Though many pundits predicted voters would endorse change, the 2025 to 2029 city council that Edmonton elected looks nearly identical to the one it will succeed. It will also be led by a mayor who said during the campaign that the city was generally on the right track.

Here are the mayor-elect and councillors-elect who are set to be sworn in on Oct. 29, organized by ward, and the amount of the vote they won:

• Mayor: Andrew Knack, 38.0%
• Anirniq: Erin Rutherford, 39.2%
• Dene: Aaron Paquette, 43.2%
• Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi: Jon Morgan, 36.8%
• Karhiio: Keren Tang, 44.9%
• Métis: Ashley Salvador, 48.6%
• Nakota Isga: Reed Clarke, 36.0%
• O-day'min: Anne Stevenson, 50.4%
• papastew: Michael Janz, 57.0%
• pihêsiwin: Michael Elliott, 40.6%
• sipiwiyiniwak: Thu Parmar, 30.4%
• Sspomitapi: Jo-Anne Wright, 39.6%
• tastawiyiniwak: Karen Principe, 49.8%

To identify where Edmonton's new mayor and councillors agree and disagree on key issues, Taproot analyzed their responses to our candidate survey (note: Principe did not complete the survey). To identify where the mayor and council agree and disagree with the public, we also compared their responses to responses we received from 27,000 Edmontonians.

Property taxes

Most council members responded to our survey by saying they would vote to increase taxes to keep up with inflation and population growth. Janz, Stevenson, and Wright said they would vote to increase taxes above that to improve quality of life.

In his first media availability following the results of the election on Oct. 21, Knack said that even though some have called for a freeze on property taxes, the city still needs to invest in fire halls, roads, and transit. "That was always my message — that I'm going to be honest with Edmontonians about what it takes to have a great city, but we're going to work together to find ways to make sure we're building a responsible budget."

Council is set to trial a results-based budgeting process starting with the next four-year budget. This will see performance information used to understand if budget decisions are creating the desired results in the community. To achieve a results-based budgeting process, starting in 2026, each city department will present reports to council's executive committee. Staff will present an overview of the branch, a line-by-line budget, funding model, key drivers to cost increases, structural budget variances, staffing composition, outputs and deliverables, services and service levels, benchmark comparisons with other municipalities where possible, and any audit information.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Transforming Research for Social Impact Hub Launch & Welcome starting at 11am at University of Alberta
• Leduc Safe Trick-or-Treating starting at 5pm at Leduc Protection Services Building
• Technical Talk - Cybersecurity In Automation Panel starting at 5:30pm at NAIT (Feltham Centre)
• Business Model 101 starting at 6pm online
• Whisky Club October Meeting: Benromach Tasting starting at 6:30pm at EVO
• Audreys Book Club October starting at 7pm at Audreys Books
• "Advancing a Canada Where We All Belong" starting at 7pm at University of Alberta (The Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science)

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Nov. 2: Rutherford House Remembers at Rutherford House
• Nov. 12: Bioeconomy Guild Night at EPIC Market
• Nov. 19: Big Shot: Circular Economy Pitch Night at Edmonton Unlimited

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

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