PACE

It’s been a busy few weeks since the federal election here at PACE HQ. We have been making the final arrangements and cleaning up the details to prepare for the public introduction of PACE’s first group of candidates. And it’s a strong group with a broad range of age, experience and expertise. Your first six individuals will be introduced publicly on Monday morning at 11:00 but we want you to get an advance peek at these initial members of the PACE team. Here’s an early look at the announcement:

PACE Introduces First Group of Candidates for Edmonton’s 2025 Municipal Election

Edmonton, May 12, 2025: PACE—Principled Accountable Coalition for Edmonton—introduces the first group of candidates for Edmonton’s upcoming municipal election.

“Our goal is to unite practical, fiscally prudent, community-focused voices across Edmonton and offer voters a team of City Council candidates we can all support and be proud of,” says Sheila Phimester, PACE President. “Our first six individuals showcase the kind of talent and dedication that will make a real difference on Council,” she added.

PACE presents candidates for six Edmonton electoral wards:

Albert Mazzocca for Ward Dene, formerly Ward 4 in NE Edmonton

Fidel Ammar for Ward tastawiyiniwak, formerly Ward 3 in North Central Edmonton

Hali Kaur for Ward Karhiio, formerly Ward 11, in SE Edmonton

Justin Thomas for Ward Métis, formerly Ward 6 in East Edmonton

Ken Ropcean for Ward sipiwiyiniwak, formerly Ward 7 in SW Edmonton

We are holding a news conference Monday morning to introduce these dedicated individuals. All the details will be up on the PACE website at pacenow.ca/candidates

PACE is determined to run candidates in all of Edmonton’s twelve wards to give every voter the opportunity to vote for a qualified, vetted, nominated individual who embodies the principled, accountable, prudent, sensible, responsible foundations of the PACE coalition. The six candidates for the remaining wards will be introduced in coming days as they complete the vetting and nominating process.

Thank you again for your interest in and support for PACE.

Last spring Alberta's UCP government announced that parties will be able to run candidates in municipal elections beginning in Calgary and Edmonton. Even though 70 percent of respondents to the government's public survey disagreed with introducing the party system, the government passed legislation leaving people and political pundits questioning and confused. Some pundit comments are below and the public can share their comments and thoughts on focaLOCAL.com

MacEwan University associate professor Brendan Boyd says the party system is where independent thought goes to die which leads to what people call the democratic deficit. Ric McIver, Minister of Municipal Affairs says political parties make candidates' positions on issues more transparent. City councillor Andrew Knack believes freedom of expression and choice will be lost with the change. Councillor and mayoral candidate Tim Cartmell plans to form his own party, which he said will not be partisan. Doug Main who is spokesperson for The Principled Accountable Coalition of Edmonton (PACE) says they are not describing themselves as a right, centre or left-leaning ideology.

Existing provincial and federal parties cannot register in Alberta's civic election under the province's rules which means it is incumbent upon any parties to enlighten and inform citizens just who they are and what they stand for.

When the provincial government passed Bill 20 which includes the introduction of local political parties, it heralded a new look for local elections. Two groups were quick out of the gate and have already stated their intent to run a slate of candidates in the next election.

Principled Accountable Coalition for Edmonton (PACE) has been hosting information sessions to inform citizens of their plans if they’re elected into office. Doug Main, the PACE vice-president of communications, says PACE is looking for candidates who are fiscally proven, business-friendly, growth-oriented, community focused and fact-based.

Jeffrey Hansen-Carlson, president of the other party, Transparent and Active Partnerships Edmonton (TAPYeg) believes parties are an important part of democracy in all levels of government.

As expected there was immediate opposition to political parties at the local level. Nakota Isga councillor Andrew Knack questions how candidates will be able to represent their constituents to the best of their ability while holding allegiance to a prospective party’s goals. McEwan University political scientist Chaldeans Mensah says this will bolster the left-wing to right-wing political spectrum.

It will be interesting to watch if other groups form and if so, under what banner?

If you're unfamiliar with BILL 20 there's a PDF of it below.

Amendments to Alberta’s Municipal Government legislation opened the door for the formation of political parties at the municipal level and the first one out of the gate in Edmonton is PACE (Principled, Accountable Coalition for Edmonton) A recent revealed that only a small percentage of Edmonton residents feel confident about the city’s current trajectory and changes. Sheila Phimester, President and founder of PACE, stated the party’s name presents a “clear indication” of its core values and objectives which she believes will address Edmontonians concerns and shortcomings of the current Council .