Edmonton's new council meets for the first time today in what is largely an introductory session. From the make up of the council it appears to be more of the same. Stephanie Swensrude of TapRoot has compiled a list of where she thinks council stands on various issues. Time will reveal how accurate she is.

The old adage "outta sight, outta mind" held true for some time, but this latest TapRoot article suggests the saga of establishing a Camrose casino in Ward Karhiio continues. I believe the last thing Millwoods/Meadows or for that matter Edmonton needs is another casino. I'm hoping our new mayor and council can get together with all parties involved to find a way to end to this saga once and for all!

Taproot partnered with the Edmonton Public Library for a mayoral forum at the Stanley A. Milner Branch on Oct. 9. The in-person event was sold out, and more than 6,000 people tuned into the livestream, which was recorded to allow you to watch it in full afterwards. Ten candidates shared their vision for Edmonton’s future: Ronald Stewart Billingsley, Jr., Tim Cartmell, Tony Caterina, Abdul Malik Chukwudi, Vanessa Denman, Andy Andrzej Gudanowski, Rahim Jaffer, Andrew Knack, Olney Tugwell, and Michael Walters.

Here’s a recap of what some of the candidates said about infrastructure, property taxes, and infill.

Infrastructure

Tim Cartmell said, if elected, he would focus on maintaining the city’s existing infrastructure. “We’re $1.9 billion behind the ideal spend on maintaining the stuff that we already have. That is going to be absolutely key in the next four years — making sure that we actually are pushing back and biting it back against that deficit,” he said. Cartmell pitched private-public partnerships and working with other levels of government to reduce pressure on property taxes when paying for that infrastructure.

Andrew Knack noted that the city’s population has grown in record numbers over the last few years, and said most newcomers have moved into suburban communities beyond Anthony Henday Drive. “Those are areas that don’t have services — we are short for fire halls right now outside the Henday, we need the recreation spaces, we need libraries, we need parks,” he said. “We have a number of locations where their roadway infrastructure isn’t enough.”

Michael Walters said he wants to negotiate a fair deal between the city and the provincial government for infrastructure grants that can take some pressure off paying for infrastructure through revenue collected through property taxes.

Rahim Jaffer said, if elected, that he’d stop the “shotgun” approach to adding infrastructure, where the city builds several large projects simultaneously. “What I’d like to do is focus on some of the bigger infrastructure projects, and get those done within a certain quadrant of the city. As I mentioned, if there’s emergency issues that come up, we can move people accordingly, but just in order to allow those major arteries to remain open and clear, it’s very important to have that oversight, because otherwise you have this gridlock that continues to plague most of our citizens trying to get around.”

Property taxes

While some candidates have discussed cutting services to lower taxes, Walters proposed taxing only to a level that makes the city competitive for businesses, provides excellent public services, and promotes livability. “We certainly need to look at our budgets and our tax increases through those three lenses and make sure that we are not going much past inflation, particularly at a time when families are already struggling dearly to pay the bills,” Walters said.

Knack said partnering with the private sector wouldn’t fully address the budget pressure the city faces, and that he’s proposed a “responsible budget, one that is still going to invest in our city.”

Infill

Cartmell said infill housing should be focused on large swaths of mostly-empty land, like Blatchford, the Exhibition Lands, and surface parking lots in the east portion of downtown. “This is where we can build the housing that we really need to take the pressure off of established neighborhoods,” he said.

Knack said the city needs to densify to avoid growing only through suburban expansion. He pointed to recent zoning bylaw amendments that reduce the footprint of some infill developments in mature neighbourhoods. “We also need to do more on preserving mature trees — we’re one of the few large cities in this country that doesn’t have a mature tree protection bylaw,” Knack said.

You can hear from the 10 mayoral candidates who attended the forum by watching the recording of the event. Advance polls are open until Oct. 11. Election day is Oct. 20. Visit the Taproot vote site to find your ward and where to vote. You can also take the Taproot survey to match with candidates and take a look at how much money candidates have raised in the first part of the election period.

Watch a rep[lay of the debate by clicking the link.

Edmonton city council passed big decisions and final motions before ending its term

By Stephanie Swensrude

The 2021-2025 council has met for the final time, and the official campaign period for the municipal election on Oct. 20 has begun. But before calling it a day, the current council tackled several big policy changes, agreements, and final motions that may get lost in the election campaign. Here’s a synopsis.

Zoning bylaw

In late June, council started a public hearing to examine proposed changes to the zoning bylaw that would end up stretching into council’s summer break. Councillors voted to amend some parts of the zoning bylaw while keeping other parts intact, and they also directed administration to prepare amendments to the zoning bylaw and district policy that could be decided on by the next council. This followed months of mounting discontent with infill development in the city among a segment of the population, with some residents feeling that their neighbourhoods were changing without their input. Taproot examined this in July.

Administration prepared amendments to the zoning bylaw that would, among other changes, restrict the number of units that can be built on mid-block infill sites in the small-scale residential zone from eight to six. Nearly 200 people signed up to speak at the public hearing. Many expressed frustration at how infill construction has changed their neighbourhoods, though some residents said the city was on the right track and urged council not to give up.

After hearing from the speakers, Mayor Amarjeet Sohi introduced a motion to strike the unit maximum from the amendments, thus keeping the limit at eight units. The motion barely passed; Sohi, plus councillors Aaron Paquette, Keren Tang, Erin Rutherford, Anne Stevenson, and Jo-Anne Wright voted to keep the eight-unit limit. But the idea of reducing mid-block infill to six units isn’t gone forever; council has asked administration for a report analyzing how that change would affect the financial feasibility of infill and the number of units that would be constructed.

Council did, however, vote to change some design policies for mid-block infill in the small-scale residential zone. Council voted to approve reducing the maximum size of a building and the number of entrances that are permitted to face neighbouring properties. It also voted to approve changing the required design for the facade of infill buildings. Council also directed administration to bring forward funding options for reinstating the infill liaison team during the next budget adjustment, which will be decided by the next council.

Fan park deal

At the last meeting of the term on Sept. 19, council officially approved the deal between the City of Edmonton, the provincial government, and Oilers Entertainment Group to build an event park and housing near Rogers Place (council essentially approved the agreement in late August but gave the bylaw its second and third reading on Sept. 19). The deal, using the Community Revitalization Levy, will also see money go to the demolition of the Coliseum and the development of Exhibition Lands near the Edmonton EXPO Centre. The total value of the deal is $408.2 million, to be split between the province, city, and OEG. Council passed it with a 9-4 vote, with councillors Michael Janz, Andrew Knack, Rutherford, and Wright voting against.

The deal was contentious, with proponents suggesting the city should welcome any funding it can get from the province, along with investment from the private sector. But Knack, who is also running for mayor, said the deal was rushed and put the city in a weak negotiating position. “A gun is to our head right now, saying, ‘No, don’t dare amend this agreement, because if you amend it, we don’t have enough time to fix it. It’s going to be thrown away,’” Knack said. “We’ve been given no choice. You either have to say, ‘Yes, we want some of this money’... or you could try to amend it and then potentially risk the whole piece.”

New police chief

Also on the very last day of meetings on Sept. 19, council unanimously voted to ratify the new chief of the Edmonton Police Service, Warren Driechel. The Edmonton Police Commission had chosen Driechel and presented its selection to council for a vote. Driechel had been working as co-interim chief alongside Devin Laforce since former Chief Dale McFee retired in February.

The 2021-2025 council was sworn in about four years ago. They were busy until the bitter end debating agreements, introducing motions, and appointing the new police chief. (Mack Male/Flickr)

Driechel said he wants to maintain the work McFee already started. “I think we’re pointing in the same direction. We’ve built a lot of really great things over the last five, six years, really optimizing some of those things,” he said at the press conference announcing the new position.

When Driechel was a part of the drug and gang enforcement unit, he was involved in a scandal in which officers were caught purchasing anabolic steroids from fellow cops between 2005 and 2013.

At the event announcing his appointment, Driechel said the scandal follows him every day.

“I was struggling with some things at the time. They’re very personal to me. I always knew that at some point it would become public, and when it did, I struggled with the idea that it defined me as a person,” he said. “I’m just hoping that eventually I can pass it and it just doesn’t define me.”

Final motions

At the final regular council meeting, councillors had a long list of motions pending to get through. Councillors typically use the motions to ask administration to create a report about a particular issue or to prepare amendments to a bylaw or policy that would then be debated and voted on. Less commonly, councillors can use the motion to direct administration to do something.

Thirteen is an unusually high number of motions for a council meeting. Given the election is approaching, this could be the last chance for individual councillors to create such motions before they potentially lose their seat.

Ward O’day-min Coun. Anne Stevenson spoke through tears as she introduced a motion aimed at keeping 20 affordable housing units in Riverdale. HomeEd, an affordable housing provider owned by the City of Edmonton, listed for sale the Riverdale Place townhouses in the spring, noting they had reached the end of their useful lives and that the sale could help fund new affordable housing. Tenants and other Riverdale residents had been fighting to keep the units. Stevenson’s motion directs administration to bring forward a rezoning application that includes a requirement for a minimum of 20 affordable housing units on the lot. That motion passed 9-4, with councillors Tim Cartmell, Jennifer Rice, Karen Principe, and Wright voting against. The motion doesn’t necessarily keep the affordable housing units; the next council will vote on the rezoning application at an indeterminate future meeting.

Cartmell, who is running for mayor, introduced a motion directing administration to cease construction work on bike lane projects where a lane is intended to replace a lane of vehicle traffic, pending a complete review of all individual bike lane projects. After several unsuccessful attempts from other councillors to amend the motion, it was a put to a vote and failed 4-9, with councillors Sarah Hamilton, Cartmell, Rice, and Principe voting in favour.

Rutherford, meanwhile, made a motion asking administration to explore how to reduce the impact of infill buildings in the small-scale residential zone that are constructed to their maximum height. Following council’s unanimous approval, that information will be included in the aforementioned report analyzing the eight-unit maximum, which is expected to be presented to council in early 2027.

Rutherford also introduced a motion that she had intended to introduce in August, when council passed the new river valley area redevelopment plan. She asked administration to prepare amendments to the plan that clarify requirements for Indigenous engagement, and to write a report to clarify the current legal requirements for Indigenous engagement on both city-owned land and private land in the river valley. Council approved the motion unanimously.

Knack wanted to ask administration to explore purchasing part of the Fulton Creek land in southeast Edmonton. Earlier this year, council rejected a proposal that would have seen the Fulton Creek Business Park expand, the creek relocated, and nearly 7,000 trees felled. Knack’s motion did not pass; only Knack, Hamilton, Salvador, Janz, and Stevenson voted in favour.

Janz, whose ward includes the University of Alberta, introduced a motion asking administration to consider adding post-secondary students to the Leisure Access Pass program. The program provides access to municipal recreation facilities and attractions at a free or reduced cost. Council passed the motion unanimously, and administration will return to council’s community and public services committee next year with more information.

TAKING TO THE STREETS

By Colin Gallant

New street design standards approved this summer

In June, Natalie Lazurko, the city’s director of transportation planning and design, told Taproot about the city’s plans to update its complete streets policy. The changes will apply to new and existing streets, and include more mandatory traffic calming measures and shared-use pathways for some collector roads that connect arterial roadways with quieter streets. City council’s urban planning committee unanimously approved the changes in June. Edmonton was the first city in Canada to adopt the Vision Zero program, in 2015, and Lazurko said she hopes the complete streets updates can put the Vision Zero Street Labs team out of business.

New downtown pedway due in 2026

Construction of another pedway in downtown Edmonton, this one to connect the Royal Alberta Museum, the Churchill LRT station, and the Station Lands development along 103A Avenue with the larger pedway network, began in March 2024. The project is expected to finish by the end of 2026. The project’s current budget is just more than $42 million, according to a posted sign, which also includes streetscape improvements along 99 Street. Its original budget was $26.5 million.

Is this an investment in walkability? Pedways may offer climate-controlled environs for people on their feet, but whether they add to walkability, in the sense of being inviting, safe, or navigable, is up for debate. Pedways take people off the street, diminishing that street’s overall vibrancy. The pedway at the Alberta Legislature was closed from October 2023 to May 2024 due to the number of security incidents that happened within it. As for the downtown pedway network, which is a hybrid of municipal and private ownership, the city is launching the Pedway Unique Identifier Program, which gives first responders a more precise location when responding to calls for assistance by pedway users.

Streets for people

The city has established two entertainment districts in downtown Edmonton that see it close street segments to vehicles on select days (usually Saturdays) and open these spaces up to pedestrians. The first, on Rice Howard Way, launched in summer 2024. The other began this past summer along 104 Street, and is open in conjunction with the Downtown Farmers’ Market. The Edmonton Downtown Business Association oversees both districts on behalf of the city. Taproot reported in June that business owners on the 78 Avenue portion of Happy Beer Street (between 99 Street and 100 Street) are working with the city to explore their own car-free entertainment district. Ward papastew Coun. Michael Janz, whose jurisdiction includes this stretch, said he’d like to see other entertainment districts close to Whyte Avenue, too.

Neighbourhood renewal

The City of Edmonton has operated its neighbourhood renewal program since 1987. The program sees the city assess one quarter of city streets (and curbs and sidewalks) each year to determine which neighbourhoods need repairs, improvements, and preventative maintenance the most. Part of the goal is to make sidewalks more usable for pedestrians, or in some cases, add them where they were previously missing. Residents can check for updates on when their neighbourhoods are up for renewal on the relevant city webpage.

Great policies but middling action?

On Episode 324 of Speaking Municipally, Taproot’s civic affairs podcast, co-hosts Stephanie Swensrude and Mack Male discussed closures to streets due to construction that have recently frustrated west-end drivers. During this, Male offered the lesser-discussed point — that construction disruptions often put pedestrians out far more than they do drivers, and that Edmonton continues to lag on this walkability point versus other cities. “Lots of other cities do construction and maintain access,” he said. “And this is a bigger problem: I find, for pedestrians (there are more closures) than … for cars actually, right? But you can do work without closing sidewalks, and in Edmonton, we just always close sidewalks.”

Edmonton’s City Plan explicitly points to its intention to move Edmonton towards being a city where 50% of all trips are made without private vehicles, including walking.

ON THE AGENDA

Stephanie Swensrude

• Council is set to vote on the tentative agreement between the city and the Edmonton Fire Fighters Union. Council already effectively approved the agreement in April, which offers firefighters a retroactive 3.75% pay increase in 2024, 4% in each of 2025 and 2026, and 3.4% in 2027, plus other monetary benefits.
• During the final council meeting of the 2021-2025 term on Sept. 16 and 17, there are 13 pending motions from councillors, an unusually high number. Coun. Tim Cartmell, who is running for mayor, will introduce a motion calling for work to cease on planned bike lanes on existing roads, pending a complete review of bike lane projects at the next infrastructure committee meeting in February. Coun. Erin Rutherford will ask administration to prepare amendments to the river valley redevelopment plan to clarify requirements for Indigenous engagement, and to provide a report outlining the current legal requirements for Indigenous engagement on city-owned land. Rutherford, who is running for re-election in Ward Anirniq, will also ask administration to look into design changes that would reduce the impact of taller buildings in the small-scale residential zone. Coun. Aaron Paquette will ask for a report about the potential of transitioning the waste services department to a separate corporation. Paquette, who is seeking re-election in Ward Dene, will also ask for a report on how the city can encourage young people to access recreation. Coun. Michael Janz will ask administration to look into allowing registered post-secondary students to be eligible for the Leisure Access Pass. Janz, who is running for re-election in Ward papastew, will also ask administration to prepare an unfunded service package for the creation of a multi-use path near Hawrelak Park.
• Council is scheduled to vote on widening roads in Heritage Valley, just weeks after doing the same in Lewis Farms. In a report that council is scheduled to review on Sept. 15, administration said population growth in Heritage Valley has increased congestion on Ellerslie Road, 41 Avenue SW, and the interchange of the Queen Elizabeth II Highway and Ellerslie Road. Administration recommends that council amend the Arterial Roads for Development bylaw, which assigns responsibility for widening roads to either developers or to the city. The amendment would exchange roadway improvement obligations by shifting more urgently needed improvements to developers to allow for the upgrades to advance faster. The amendment would not change the funding commitment from either party. Council recently approved similar changes in Lewis Farms; developers are now responsible for widening parts of 215 Street NW and Whitemud Drive.
• Westrich Pacific has applied to rezone two adjacent properties at 87 Avenue NW and 117 Street NW to allow for a 25-storey apartment building with up to 285 units. More than 200 people expressed opposition to the project, with many saying the proposed tower is too tall for the neighbourhood. Some residents, however, said the location was suitable for a tower, given its proximity to the University of Alberta and other amenities.
• Council is scheduled to review two rezoning applications in Calder. The property owner at 12801 127 Street NW has applied to change the zone from medium-scale residential to mixed-use, meaning a future development could take up a slightly larger footprint and could have a wider range of commercial uses, but the allowable height would remain the same. Meanwhile, the landowner at 12612 129 Avenue NW has applied to change the zone from small-scale residential to small-medium transition, meaning a future development could take up a larger footprint and could be up to four storeys tall.
• Council is set to consider a rezoning application that would allow a residential building up to four storeys tall in Grovenor at 14503 Stony Plain Road NW. Administration said it supports the application because the property is 500 metres from a future LRT stop and is along a primary corridor. Some nearby residents said they opposed the application because it would increase parking and traffic congestion, and said a three-storey rowhouse development would be a better fit.
• Everfor Studio has submitted an application to rezone a property across the street from the Cross Cancer Institute to allow for a four-storey building. Administration said it supports the proposal because the property transitions the tall buildings of the University of Alberta campus to the residential neighbourhood to the south. Some residents said they oppose the application because a taller development would cause shadows and increase parking congestion. Council is set to discuss the application on Sept. 15.
• The city has applied to rezone a parcel in Ellerslie so it can build the Southeast Edmonton Transit Garage and a stormwater management facility. The amendment would also allow for light and medium industrial development. Council is scheduled to vote on the application on Sept. 15.
• Administration supports rezoning two properties near Warehouse Park to allow for shorter buildings. One property is currently a parking lot at 106 Street and 102 Avenue and has a direct control zone for a 38-storey tower. The owner, Autograph, proposes rezoning to the urban warehouse zone, which would allow a mixed-use, 14-storey tower. The other property is the historic Massey Ferguson Building and adjacent surface parking lot at 106 Street and 103 Avenue. It is currently zoned to allow for an 18-storey tower, and the applicant, Faction, also proposes rezoning to the urban warehouse zone. Administration recommends changing the urban warehouse zone itself to more than quadruple the maximum residential density. The zone currently allows for 500 units per hectare, and the text amendment would increase that to 2,200 units per hectare. Council is set to review the proposals at a meeting on Sept. 15.
• The owner of North City Centre in the Pembina neighbourhood has applied to rezone the property to allow a residential building. The commercial lot located at 13150 137 Avenue NW has an Old Navy, Staples, and Scotiabank. If council approves the application at a meeting on Sept. 15, the owner would be allowed to build a four-storey residential tower.
• Council is scheduled to get a verbal update about downtown investment on Sept. 16.

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• There will be a meeting of City Council on Tuesday at 9:30 am. The agenda includes proposed amendments to Edmonton’s Zoning Bylaw to introduce regulations for year-round and seasonal shelters. The amendments have two main parts. Part 1 would modify the Business Employment (BE) Zone by removing floor area limits for shelters and preventing shelters from locating next to Heavy Industrial (IH) sites, balancing safety concerns with the need for flexible shelter locations. Part 2 would limit congregate sleeping areas in year-round shelters to 125 people, with exemptions for up to 90 days during emergencies; seasonal shelters are not affected. Administration supports Part 1, citing the need for flexibility and adequate space for wraparound services, but does not support Part 2, noting that strict limits could constrain shelter operations and reduce capacity, especially during emergencies. Public and stakeholder engagement indicated that shelter operators value flexibility and that overly prescriptive regulations could hinder the City’s ability to respond to fluctuating demand.
• A Special Council Meeting will take place on Friday at 9:30 am. The agenda is solely focused on major borrowing. The first item authorizes the City to borrow $147.5 million to acquire, construct, and finance the Integrated Infrastructure Services Project for the Public Event Park. The total project budget is $250 million, funded through a combination of Debt CRL Downtown ($85.5 million), Self-Supporting Tax-Guaranteed Debt ($62 million), provincial grants ($80.5 million), and partnership funding ($22 million). The second item authorizes the City to borrow $42.3 million to undertake, construct, and finance the Village at ICE District Site Servicing project. The total project budget is $68.2 million, funded through Debt CRL Downtown ($42.3 million), provincial grants ($22.9 million), and partnership funding ($3 million).
• A recent report from the Urban Planning Committee recommends against introducing stricter regulations on short-term rentals, citing enforcement challenges and potential legal risks. Instead, the City is advised to focus on public education to help residents understand current rules and host responsibilities. Since the introduction of a business licence requirement for short-term rentals in April, the number of licensed rentals has increased by 70%, while complaints make up just 0.3% of total bylaw issues. Councillor Michael Janz emphasized that purpose-built short-term rental operations should be treated as commercial hotels to ensure fair taxation and accountability. Airbnb Canada confirmed high compliance among local hosts, supporting the recommendation against additional regulations. Meanwhile, the Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association argues that current rules lack sufficient oversight, particularly regarding “ghost hotels” and data sharing from online platforms. Experts note that regulation should balance housing availability, tourism, and economic impacts, suggesting a focus on full-time rental operators rather than smaller “mom and pop” hosts. 
• In the upcoming mayoral race, candidates Rahim Jaffer and Michael Walters have unveiled major economic plans. Jaffer promises to roll back property taxes to 2021 levels, canceling a planned 6.8% increase, and freeze them for a full Council term, while boosting City security with 500 new police officers. He also plans a comprehensive audit of the City to expose inefficiencies and focus spending on core services. Walters, meanwhile, emphasizes making Edmonton business-friendly by cutting red tape, revitalizing City Centre Mall, and attracting 10 major employers by 2029, while also seeking to reduce the planned tax hike. Other candidates, like Tim Cartmell, suggest that lowering residential taxes depends on expanding the non-residential tax base and supporting downtown revitalization.
• Edmonton’s municipal elections have long favoured incumbents, with sitting councillors winning nearly 90% of the time over the past 51 years. This advantage stems from name recognition, community visibility, and the sense of trust that comes with experience in office. Despite historical trends, the upcoming election may put council incumbents to the test. A recent poll found that 58% of residents believe the City is on the wrong track, raising questions about whether dissatisfaction could erode the incumbency edge. Notably, overall frustration with council does not always translate into opposition toward individual councillors, as many voters remain supportive of their ward representative. Large-scale defeats have been rare, but there are precedents, including in 1995 when both the Mayor and five Councillors lost. With nine incumbents seeking re-election in 2025, shifting political sentiment and changing ward boundaries could make the race more competitive than in past decades.

ON THE AGENDA

Stephanie Swensrude

Council is scheduled to review how administration reports on its municipal funding agreements, its handling of the city’s digital assets, and the district energy sharing system in Blatchford.

There is a utility committee meeting on Sept. 2, an audit committee meeting on Sept. 3, a city manager and city auditor performance evaluation committee meeting on Sept. 4, and a non-regular city council meeting on Sept. 5.

Here are key items on this week’s agenda:

• The city disbursed $236.4 million to nearly 2,500 community partners in 2024, according to a report that will be presented to council on Sept. 5. The report is the city’s first formal corporate-wide annual reporting of municipal funding. The funding was provided through grants, subsidies, rebates, sponsorships, or operating support and was designed to align with one or more of the city’s strategic goals. The city provided $17 million to business programs, $50 million to community programs, $30 million to housing programs, $7 million to specific and targeted community needs, and $132 million to agencies, boards, and commissions. City administration updated the municipal funding arrangements policy in November to establish monitoring procedures that ensure requirements in the funding agreements are being met. Administration will begin reporting on the outcome of the funds annually, the report said.
• The city’s governance of its investments in digital technology assets like hardware, software, data, and cybersecurity is ineffective at achieving its strategies, according to a report from the city auditor. The audit found that while the city has a corporate business technology investment framework, no one is assigned to be accountable for its results or ensure compliance with its processes, and there is not consistent reporting on the framework. The auditor recommended that the city provide training to the executive leadership team and the technology investment advisory group to improve their understanding of the foundation for making technology decisions and that the city regularly evaluate the technology investment framework.
• Administration plans to prepare amendments that will limit developers from opting out of connecting their homes to Blatchford’s district energy sharing system. Builders can currently choose not to connect to the city-owned system if they prove that the housing they are building is net zero. But the exemption process has generated operational and financial challenges for the utility, said a report that will be presented to council’s utility committee on Sept. 2. Administration will prepare an amendment that limits any further exemptions, and council will vote on the amendment in the fall.
• Council will receive a private update from a consultant at a meeting on Sept. 4.

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

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• The Council Services Committee will meet on Friday at 9:30 am. The Committee will review a report on renovating the Councillors’ Wing on the second floor of City Hall to address noise and privacy concerns in the existing open office layout. The project involves enclosing 12 administrative areas with architectural wall systems, including full glass doors and lower solid panels with upper glass sections, which is intended to improve acoustic performance by 20 - 25% and provide visual privacy below desk height. Work will also include modifications to the HVAC system, removal and reinstallation of workspace components, and project management and design fees. Construction is scheduled for the December 2025 Council recess, with follow-up HVAC adjustments completed either during the recess or outside office hours in January 2026. The total project cost is estimated at $300,000, funded through one-time Office of the City Clerk resources.
• On Friday, at 1:30 pm, there will be a Non-Regular Meeting of City Council. The agenda features the first formal, corporate-wide annual outcome report for municipal funding arrangements, summarizing 2024 activities and financials. In total, the City has provided $236.4 million to 2,494 partners, including $132.7 million to Agencies, Boards, and Commissions (ABCs) like the Edmonton Arts Council and Edmonton Public Library, and $103.7 million to other organizations. Funding types include grants, subsidies, rebates, sponsorships, Council-directed funding, and below-market leases for non-profits, all designed to advance the City’s strategic goals, especially Healthy City and Regional Prosperity. Programs included business initiatives ($17 million), community programs ($49.9 million), and housing programs ($29.5 million).
• Council has approved changes to how roadway upgrades in the Lewis Farms area will be funded and delivered, aiming to address growing traffic pressures in west Edmonton while avoiding costly delays. The amendment to a 2006 bylaw shifts certain projects, including adding lanes on 215 Street NW, Whitemud Drive, and Webber Greens Drive, from City-funded to developer-funded, though overall financial obligations remain the same. Council members emphasized timing and planning, recalling past missed opportunities that led to higher costs. Administration noted the changes address immediate “pinch points” and safety concerns, but full widening of 215 Street NW will require additional design and planning. Some Councillors debated whether the planning should proceed outside the City’s four-year budget, but ultimately, a motion to align the work with the four-year budget was defeated, allowing early planning to move forward.
• City Council has also approved a master agreement for the development of a new public event park and the Village at Ice District, alongside the demolition of the Coliseum. The project, a partnership between the City, the Province, and the Oilers Entertainment Group (OEG), involves more than $300 million in combined funding. Council debated the deal but had limited ability to negotiate due to a September 1st provincial deadline, leading some Councillors to raise concerns about the fast timeline and lack of amendments. Supporters emphasized that the agreement protects the City financially while enabling transformative infrastructure projects in downtown Edmonton. OEG hailed the project as a model of public-private partnership and highlighted its potential to strengthen the city’s core. The approval followed an earlier extension of the community revitalization levy (CRL), which will help fund the City’s portion. Opposition focused on procedural concerns rather than the merits of the project, with four Councillors voting against the agreement. The next steps include finalizing grant agreements with the Alberta government by November 30th, aiming for construction to begin in 2026.
• A recent poll suggests that a majority of Edmontonians feel the city is heading in the wrong direction, with 58% expressing this view and only 33% saying the city is on the right track. The sentiment is strongest among residents over 55, while younger voters aged 18-34 are more optimistic. With just over six weeks until the municipal election, the mayoral race is crowded and competitive, with Councillor Andrew Knack slightly leading at 12%, followed by Councillor Tim Cartmell at 10%, Michael Walters at 7%, and Rahim Jaffer at 5%. Nearly half of voters remain undecided. Key voter priorities include lowering taxes, reducing poverty, cutting spending, increasing access to social housing, and improving basic services like snow clearing and garbage collection. Candidates are highlighting issues such as affordability, safety, and growth management, and several stress the need for new leadership to address these challenges. Voter engagement appears moderate, with 49% saying they will definitely vote and another 18% very likely to vote.
• Alberta’s Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen met with Edmonton residents upset about planned bike lanes in the Delton and Alberta Avenue neighbourhoods, highlighting concerns over inadequate local consultation. The bike lanes, part of the City’s $100-million Active Transportation Network Expansion Program, would convert driving lanes into cycling infrastructure, which some residents say reduces road capacity and duplicates existing bike lanes. Dreeshen criticized the City for moving ahead on contracted projects despite his request for a pause and said the Province is considering legislative changes to require traffic impact assessments when bike lanes replace vehicle lanes. Residents argued that only a small portion of the community was consulted in 2019 and feel their opposition has been ignored.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

Many Edmonton businesses are raising concerns about the City’s new mobile-only parking system, citing customer confusion, limited signage, and accessibility issues such as language barriers in the app.

The City maintains the change was driven by cost savings, estimating $6 million would have been needed to upgrade traditional parking machines.

Have you tried the new system? What do you think? Let us know!

ON THE AGENDA

Stephanie Swensrude

• Council is scheduled to debate the ICE District event park proposal and continue hearing rezoning applications.
• There is a non-regular city council meeting on Aug. 25 and a continuation of a public hearing on Aug. 28 and 29.

Here are key items on this week’s agenda:

• Council will be asked to approve a master agreement between the City of Edmonton and the Oilers Entertainment Group. The agreement covers building a $250-million event park beside Rogers Place, the infrastructure for the Village at ICE District, as well as demolishing the Coliseum. If council approves the agreement, the City of Edmonton will contribute $102.8 million from the downtown community revitalization levy that will, in theory, be repaid through the increased property tax revenues the investment enables. It will also contribute $35 million in capital costs to demolish the Coliseum, which has already been approved by council. The province will provide $158.4 million in grant funding towards the projects. OEG, meanwhile, will contribute $3 million, plus $22 million in the form of the land for the event park, and $62 million of debt financing. If council approves the agreement, it will then vote on borrowing bylaws. If those are passed, city administration will then finalize the project with the provincial government.
• City administration has recommended that councillors do not support a proposed rezoning in the northeast neighbourhood of Newton to allow a residential building up to four storeys tall. The current zoning allows a three-storey building. Administration does not support the application because the property is located in the middle of the neighbourhood. Council is set to debate the proposed rezoning on Aug. 28 or 29.
• Administration has engaged developers working in the Lewis Farms area on a plan to widen roads sooner than expected to address traffic congestion. Pending council approval, developers would be financially responsible for widening 215 Street southbound between 100 Avenue and 92 Avenue; Whitemud Drive westbound between Lewis Estates Boulevard to east of 215 Street; and Webber Greens Drive westbound from the commercial area to east of Suder Greens Drive. Developers would also fund pre-grading for the north side of Whitemud Drive between 215 Street and 231 Street. Council is set to vote on the plan on Aug. 28 or 29.
• Six single-family homes on 155 Street, near 95 Avenue in West Jasper Place, could be demolished and replaced with a four-storey mixed-use apartment building if council approves a rezoning application. The parcel is one block away from the future Glenwood LRT stop. Some residents said they support the rezoning application because the proposed building’s location makes it ideal for medium-scale development. Others said the proposed building is too large and will block sunlight and exacerbate parking issues. Council is scheduled to vote on the application on Aug. 28 or 29.

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• There will be a City Council Non-Regular meeting today at 9:30 am. Council will discuss approval for the Master Agreement with OEG Sports & Entertainment Inc. (OEGSE) to advance several major projects in the ICE District, including a $250-million Public Event Park, $68.2 million in Village site servicing, $55 million for Coliseum demolition and site improvements, and $35 million for Exhibition Lands enhancements, totalling $408.2 million in funding. The Public Event Park will be city-owned, host live events and performances, and dedicate one-third of its time for public and community use at below-market rates, with construction expected to finish by 2029. Village site servicing will support the development of up to 2,500 housing units, beginning with remediation work in 2026 funded initially by OEGSE. The Coliseum demolition will be funded largely through a provincial grant, with the City covering any overruns, while Exhibition Lands enhancements use reallocated capital. Funding contributions include $183.4 million from the Government of Alberta, $137.8 million from the City, and $87 million from OEGSE, with $189.8 million in new debt financing proposed.
• The Northlands Coliseum, which has been vacant for eight years and costs the City over $1 million annually to maintain, is scheduled for demolition beginning in summer 2026, a process expected to take around two years. The City has already allocated $35 million for site preparation and enhancements, while the Alberta government may contribute up to $55 million for the demolition, contingent on the City spending its portion on related infrastructure projects. Some preliminary work is already underway inside the building to prepare for the teardown. Part of the funding is intended to improve or replace the Coliseum LRT station, which has been identified as a safety and design concern. The demolition is tied to the broader redevelopment of the Exhibition grounds, as noted above.
• Council recently made contrasting decisions on two infill rezoning applications in Belgravia. A proposed 12-unit rental development on 76 Avenue NW was rejected after public opposition citing concerns about parking, property values, and neighbourhood character. Community members criticized Bylaw 20001, saying it encourages overdevelopment and benefits developers more than residents. Conversely, a corner lot upzone allowing a 10-unit building with two backyard units was approved, despite some opposition. Supporters emphasized the need for “missing middle” housing to meet the city’s growing population, while ensuring projects are compatible with the surrounding area. Councillors stressed that context matters, noting larger or consolidated lots might warrant different considerations. New zoning rules now limit building length and midblock redevelopment to better balance density and neighbourhood character. Council is reviewing potential bylaw amendments to ensure future developments remain appropriate for their locations.
• Council also voted to move ahead with updating its 40-year-old North Saskatchewan River Valley redevelopment plan, despite pushback from environmental groups and some Councillors. Critics argued the proposed plan weakens protections by using non-binding language like “should” instead of “shall,” reducing Council oversight on mid-sized projects, and lacking firm limits on environmental impacts. Conservation advocates warned that natural areas in the river valley are already shrinking, while Indigenous speakers said the City failed to meet standards of consent and consultation. Supporters, including real estate developers, praised the update as necessary to modernize planning and balance development with conservation. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi defended the flexibility in the plan, saying the goal is both to safeguard the river valley and ensure residents can enjoy it. Additionally, Council approved exploring a citywide trail strategy to address demands from recreation groups. 
• Edmonton’s Navigation and Support Centre, operated by Hope Mission, is relocating from its downtown Karis Centre location to a larger, more accessible site in the McCauley neighbourhood. Opened in January 2024 and made permanent in March 2024, the Centre helps connect people experiencing homelessness with services such as housing supports, income assistance, recovery and addiction programs, Indigenous cultural services, and transportation to shelters. The new location is designed to better accommodate clients, allowing for more private consultations and easier access for those in need. Hope Mission expects the move to increase daily usage beyond the 50 - 60 people served at the previous site and improve the overall quality of care. The Centre has assisted over 7,780 people and made more than 33,700 service connections so far. City officials say that the relocation may help ease pressures on existing shelters and support services in nearby areas like Chinatown. 
• Edmonton is moving forward with adding bike lanes in the Delton neighbourhood despite years of opposition from residents who have petitioned against the project. Some locals, including Jeremiah Rawling and Margherita Gosselin, argue that the lanes are unsafe, block intersections, and disregard community feedback. Councillor Ashley Salvador acknowledged residents’ concerns but emphasized the importance of completing the City’s active transportation network and filling in missing connections for safe travel. Alberta’s Minister of Transportation, Devin Dreeshen, has indicated he will meet with residents and the Mayor to discuss balancing safe cycling infrastructure with road capacity for drivers, emergency services, and businesses. Residents are requesting the project be paused until after the upcoming municipal election so a new Council can reconsider it. The City, however, expects the bike lanes to be operational by the end of the year. 

On the agenda: Public hearing, council calendar, social media

• Council is scheduled to discuss dozens of applications to rezone properties, the next council’s calendar, and how the city uses social media.
• There is a public hearing scheduled on Aug. 18, with a continuation next week on Aug. 28 and 29, and a council meeting scheduled on Aug. 19.

Here are key items on this week’s agenda:

• A whopping 49 items are on the agenda for the public hearing scheduled for Aug. 18, 28, and 29. These items include rezoning applications for three properties in Belgravia, a rezoning application from developer Gene Dub for an apartment complex in Rossdale, a rezoning application that could see six single-family houses replaced with a four-storey apartment building a block from a future Valley Line LRT stop, a proposal for a 27-storey tower in Windsor Park, a proposed bylaw that would allow developers to widen arterial roads in Lewis Farms, and changes to the zoning bylaw that would introduce regulations to homeless shelters.
• Administration has drafted a new calendar for the upcoming council term that council is scheduled to review on Aug. 19. If approved, the changes would mean that future councils will get a summer break of four weeks instead of five; regular meetings will end at 5:30pm instead of 5pm; and there will be an extra day added to public hearing meetings, among other adjustments. “The number of public hearing items requiring postponement in 2025 indicates additional meeting days are required,” reads a report about the changes. There have been public hearings that saw more than 100 Edmontonians attend in this council term, especially regarding rezoning applications, as backlash against infill development grows. Here is a list of administration- and council-driven reports and bylaws that are still due to council and committees in the coming months. If council approves this draft, it will vote on the official calendar at a meeting on Sept. 16.
• The City of Edmonton uses X (the social media formerly named Twitter) for emergency communication and real-time updates, Facebook for broad public reach and service awareness, and Instagram for community storytelling and visual engagement, according to a report about social media scheduled to be presented to council on Aug. 19. The City has the most followers on X at 273,000, and posts on that platform about 50 times per week. However, the City has recently reduced the number of times it posts on X and stopped paying for advertising on the platform. Some municipalities in Canada have stopped using X due to concerns about misinformation and polarization, the report said.
• City council is scheduled to hear from the public about the proposed North Saskatchewan River Valley Area Redevelopment Plan on Aug. 18. The plan renews, streamlines, and clarifies Edmonton’s approach to planning the lands that are part of the river valley zone. The proposed plan identifies most of the river valley as open space and limits developments that may damage the environmental health or limit public access to the river valley. In December, council asked administration to do more internal consultation on the plan. Ansh Gulati with the Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition argued in an op-ed that the proposed bylaw falls short of adequately protecting the river valley. Gulati said that the draft uses weak, non-binding language like “should” instead of “shall,” eroding procedural safeguards, and that the bylaw fails to reflect the urgency of the city’s acknowledged climate emergency or sufficiently protect biodiversity.
• Council will meet in private to discuss appointments to the City of Edmonton Youth Council and hear a membership update from the Edmonton Police Commission.
• The owners of a commercial lot south of Whitemud Drive between 105 Street NW and Calgary Trail NW have applied to rezone the property so they can redevelop the former Lowe’s building and parking lot into housing. If the application is successful, the owners could develop buildings of up to six storeys tall on the 3.2-hectare western portion of the site. Council is scheduled to debate the application at a public hearing on Aug. 18.

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• On Tuesday, at 9:30 am, there will be a City Council meeting. On the meeting agenda is an update to the City’s animal regulations that would replace the more than 20-year-old current framework, aiming to improve responsible pet ownership, animal welfare, and public safety. Pet limits remain at three dogs, six cats, four rabbits, three beehives, and six hens per household, but new temporary excess animal permits will allow exceptions for fostering through approved rescues. The bylaw maintains the existing limit of 75 pigeons per household [Editors Note: 75 pigeons?!?!], though some residents have raised complaints about noise and disturbances. It introduces new animal welfare offences, including penalties for abandonment, leaving pets unattended in dangerous conditions, and unsafe transport. Dog regulations are being strengthened, with higher fines for attacks, stricter rules for “vicious dogs,” and lower thresholds for nuisance declarations. The bylaw also clarifies rules for owned, unowned, and feral cats, supporting humane management strategies like trap-neuter-return programs. Licensing fees for cats, dogs, and pigeons will rise gradually, with discounts for seniors and income-assisted residents, while fines for violations are designed as deterrents. Enforcement will follow a focus on education, engagement, encouragement, and enforcement.
• Council will discuss Councillor Michael Janz’s proposed motion to allocate $50,000 to tackle noisy vehicles. The motion links excessive engine noise to street racing, speeding, and other dangerous driving behaviours. He suggests the Edmonton Police Service acquire a SoundVue detector, a device used internationally that measures vehicle noise and records identifying information, allowing for educational warnings rather than fines. The motion emphasizes research and data collection to identify noise hotspots, helping police deploy traffic officers more effectively. Janz suggests that reduced municipal powers, like the curtailment of photo radar, have coincided with a rise in traffic fatalities, with Edmonton recording 21 deaths so far in 2025. Supporters, including mayoral candidate Andrew Knack, highlight the quality-of-life impacts for residents living near noisy roads, particularly at night. The initiative would complement existing enforcement efforts like Project TENSOR, which targets speeders and loud vehicles, though current methods face limitations as drivers often avoid known check locations.
• Also up for discussion at the meeting are changes to the snow removal policy and sidewalk repair program. The City is facing a growing inventory of sidewalks and pathways that has outpaced funding. A recent report highlighted that the $5.9-million annual sidewalk repair budget has stayed largely unchanged over the past decade, while the City now manages over 5,700 kilometres of sidewalks. A proposal suggests adding $8 million per year to improve snow clearing on active pathways, with a focus on socially vulnerable areas, school zones, and bus stops, along with proactive repairs on 16 kilometres of high-risk sidewalks. The plan also includes hiring 15 seasonal staff and 15 new permanent bylaw enforcement officers, as well as one-time $1.43-million purchase of 10 Bobcat Toolcats. Snow removal priorities will now be guided by a high-priority sidewalk index, which considers pedestrian volume, proximity to key locations, and social vulnerability. Council will discuss approval for the funding adjustments in the fall budget. It's funny how there always seems to be funding available for whatever the latest Council pet project is, but never anything left for the actual core jobs of the City, isn't it...
• Downtown Edmonton business owners along 101 Street are raising concerns over the City’s plan to create a dedicated transit lane, which would remove street parking during weekday daytime hours. Some business owners argue that public parking is essential for their businesses and that diverting parking to nearby residential areas is inappropriate. While they support efficient transit, they feel a short bus lane may not significantly improve traffic flow and fear the City isn’t addressing their economic concerns. Councillor Anne Stevenson noted that the project will be reviewed after six months, encouraging businesses to monitor impacts on customer visits. However, some owners worry the review is merely procedural and that changes will remain permanent. In response, the City has adjusted parking on 108 Avenue and shortened the transit lane’s operational hours from 7:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
• Edmonton has entered the final phase of its 2025 accelerated roadwork plan for the Valley Line West LRT, starting with a nine-week partial closure at Stony Plain Road and 149 Street. The previous intersection at 142 Street recently reopened, allowing crews to shift focus west while keeping north-south traffic open. The accelerated plan, designed to shorten the overall project timeline, began in mid-April and aims to complete key intersections sooner, reducing long-term traffic disruptions. Work will include some overnight operations. Transit detours, such as ETS Route 7 rerouting, are in effect. City and Marigold Infrastructure Partners (MIP) officials acknowledge the short-term inconveniences for residents, pedestrians, and businesses but emphasize the long-term benefits of reopening roads faster. Earlier phases remain underway at 104 Avenue and 95 Avenue, with crews working around the clock to meet deadlines. The project’s phased approach allows for more intensive, temporary impacts while ultimately reducing the duration of major traffic restrictions across west Edmonton. Residents are being encouraged to follow City and MIP updates for the latest information on closures and detours.

Few Albertans will approach the ballot box this October intending to elect a weak mayor, but that’s exactly what they will get. As part of Taproot’s ongoing election analysis and coverage, today we examine what’s known as the weak mayor system, where the mayors we’re set to elect in the Edmonton region will largely be equals among their council peers and therefore lack executive, or “strong” mayoral power to push policies through without first convincing at least half of the council to vote with them.

How does this affect elections, voter perceptions, and the results of those we elect? Taproot has endeavoured to ask those questions and find out.

The current weak mayor system

As Brian Kelcey, a former advisor to the mayor in Winnipeg, has argued, most Canadian cities are still governed under the “same weak-mayor model as a 19th century Upper Canada Village.” In a nutshell, this means that most mayors in Canada (and all in Alberta) are effectively just another councillor with an equal vote to the others, plus some additional duties, like chairing council meetings or serving as a figurehead at ceremonial events. Mayors are also, unofficially, the email address or name that residents often channel their blame towards when something isn’t to their liking in a city.

Why does this matter? When it comes to elections, Kelcey suggests the weak mayor system can create a “disconnect” between voters and the actual power of the mayors they elect. As he points out, mayors routinely receive more votes in a municipal election than all other councillors combined. That means any platform they may have run on to win those votes, like say, promising to build more transit or incentivize more housing, has a strong mandate from voters. But the weak mayor system requires them to work in the background to marshal at least half of the council to agree with them. And beyond this limitation, mayors in these systems are also often tasked with chairing meetings, often silently.

On the ground, Kelcey has argued, this means that mayors can be less prominent than you might expect in council debates. He points to Calgary for an example: In 2022, Mayor Jyoti Gondek voted no on a police request for an additional $6 million beyond an already-approved $9.6-million increase, having run and won more than 176,000 votes on an election platform that promised a “progressive police force”. A majority of councillors voted to give the police the money, with Gondek losing the vote 11 to 4. Kelcey noted that Gondek had not articulated her position because she was chairing the meeting; instead, her reasoning to vote no — that the police had not delivered on commitments to work on anti-racism, among other things — only came out in interviews after the vote.

Taproot looked at Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi’s voting record from 2021 to today and where, in particular, he was on the losing side of council votes. One trend is that many of the motions that Sohi has introduced during this council term have been procedural — to go in-camera, to meet in public — as would be expected from someone who is often the meeting chair, so he tended to win those. Nonetheless, Sohi did lose on several votes on issues that people care about. In 2023, for example, Sohi voted against amending bylaws to allow for mixed-use buildings with a focus on supportive housing in McCauley, but the majority of council disagreed; in 2022, Sohi voted no on a motion from Coun. Anne Stevenson about the police funding formula that council passed; in 2022, Sohi voted no on several motions from Coun. Tim Cartmell about snow and ice removal that council passed. This is far from an exhaustive list, and anyone wanting to dive deeper can examine the full list.

Jack Lucas, a political scientist at the University of Calgary who’s a leading researcher in Canada on municipal democracy and representation, told Taproot that voter disconnect can boil down to a general challenge for voters to understand what council did, and then further to understand who on council did that thing. “All it takes is a majority vote of council, including the mayor, for a bylaw to pass,” Lucas said.

What that means is there can often be no clear delineation or responsibility. “In the absence of parties, it’s hard to understand (who’s done a thing), because you don’t have a councillor who’s in the opposition or who’s in the majority, and the same is true of the mayor,” Lucas said. “So, if council does something, it may have been against the wishes of the mayor, but it takes some explaining on the part of the mayor or the mayoral candidate to make that clear. In provincial or federal politics, if the government did something, you know it was the government party responsible and you can hold them accountable, (and) reward or punish them accordingly.”

In a weak mayor system, Lucas continued, the lack of clarity leads to interesting votes once the next election comes around. “Sometimes, if people are unsatisfied with what their council has done, they will punish all of council or the mayor, even if it wasn’t necessarily all of council or the mayor who supported those things,” he said.

Voters put a lot of thought into their votes for mayor, said Jack Lucas, a political scientist at the University of Calgary who’s a leading researcher in Canada on municipal democracy and representation, but the weak mayor system can introduce layers of abstraction into what they can expect in return. (Mack Male/Flickr)

In Ontario, mayors are getting stronger

The weak mayor system is not set in stone, and a push to give mayors more power (as we see in most large cities in the U.S.) is gaining momentum in Canada. Some suggest more powerful mayors can more directly respect voter intentions. Others suggest stronger mayors can “cut red tape” or deliver on provincial priorities.

Housing in particular is the reason Ontario thinks its experiment with stronger mayors was worth it. In 2022, Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government passed the Strong Mayor, Building Homes Act to allow mayors in Ottawa and Toronto to push through municipal policy changes that would enable housing development, stop changes that would limit it, hire or fire senior city staff, and propose budgets or stop adjustments to them. Since then, the province has expanded these powers to 167 other municipalities in Ontario.

The only way to limit the power of these stronger mayors in Ontario in these instances is for two-thirds of their council to vote against them. “Mayors know their municipalities best, and we support them in taking bold actions for their communities,” said Rob Flack, Ontario’s minister of municipal affairs and housing, in a release in April.

Still, Lucas stressed that Ontario’s changes are not a full strong mayor system. “The mayor still has one vote on council,” he said. “There are ways that the mayor can override council and so forth, but it’s not all the way to a strong mayor system like you have in the United States, where the mayor is the equivalent of the president, kind of, who runs the executive, while the council is the legislature.”

What are the benefits and tradeoffs? “I guess the argument for this (system) would be from the standpoint of democratic legitimacy,” Lucas said. “If people know a lot about the mayor, if they invest a lot of time and energy in voting for a mayor, they want that mayor to be able to enact their agenda that they were elected to enact, and that giving them the authority to do that without being overridden by some coalition of council that doesn’t have the same kind of cross-city mandate ... might make for effective representation.”

Lucas said he’s not sure that’s what’s happening in Ontario, however. “We have to wait and see still how well it’s working,” he said. He did note, however, that the strong mayor system has, in principle, advantages to clarity of responsibility and accountability, and that bot are desirable qualities, especially for bringing a mayor’s powers “into alignment with how ordinary people think about the mayor as having particular importance and a particularly important role in municipal councils.”

Party time?

Alberta’s provincial government, like all other provinces, has the constitutional authority over municipal governments here to create nearly any set of rules it sees fit. In 2024, the United Conservative Party government did just that. Though it avoided creating stronger mayors, it has started changing election rules. Thanks to Bill 20, the coming election will be the first to see Edmonton and Calgary permitted to bring parties into the municipal election.

Premier Danielle Smith has suggested the change simply codifies the partisan nature of municipal politics in larger cities. “We’ve got 355 municipalities. The smaller the municipality, I don’t know that they’re as partisan,” she said in February 2024. “But when you get into a city the size of Calgary or Edmonton, you better believe it’s partisan.”

Albertans said they preferred the electoral system without, however, with 68% of respondents to a survey commissioned by Alberta Municipalities suggesting people prefer candidates to run as individuals rather than as members of parties.

When it comes the mayoral election, Lucas expects the introduction of parties to be less decisive for the mayoral race than it will be for candidates running for council seats. “I think that municipal voters in Calgary and Edmonton always pay a lot of attention to their mayoral vote,” he said. “So, I would think about the effective party more in the world of council votes than mayor votes.”

Lucas said his time with candidates during elections has informed his thinking on this point. “One thing I noticed last (election), when I was going around with some candidates as they were door knocking, is you hear a lot of voters saying, ‘Well, which mayoral candidate do you support?’” he said. “And this is a perfectly sensible thing to ask, even in a nonpartisan system, because maybe you know a lot about the mayoral candidates. You don’t know anything about the council candidates, so you just ask a council candidate. That gives you pretty good information about if this candidate standing in front of you is someone that you would support or not.

“Now (with parties), we have a situation where a number of candidates are actually affiliated with a mayoral candidate as part of a party. So whereas in the past, the candidates were always quite hesitant to answer that question, now, at least (if) they’re in a party, they might be quite happy to say, ‘Well, the mayoral candidate I’m affiliated with is so and so, because we’re in the same party, and I support their vision, and they support my vision, and we’re going to work together to get things done on council.’”

If that candidate is not with a party, Lucas said, they may struggle to answer the question or worry the answer might not align with a potential voter, adding another layer of complexity to the election or a candidate’s ability to connect with a voter.

By Tim Querengesser, TAPROOT Edmonton

ANALYSIS: WHY THOSE ORGANIZING TO CURB INFILL SAY SIZE, PACE, AND ENGAGEMENT ARE TOP CONCERNS

 Stephanie Swensrude

Those organizing to stop, slow, or change infill told Taproot they want new housing in mature neighbourhoods to be smaller, the pace of developments to calm, and for neighbours to have more say in what gets built in their communities.

As part of our ongoing coverage of this year’s municipal election, Taproot is working to explain issues that are dominating election discussions. Infill has taken up a lot of airtime in recent months. Some have said they are angry or sad to see infill housing change their neighbourhoods, while others have urged city council to continue to allow more homes to be built in the city’s core to address climate change and a shortage of housing. Others land somewhere between these positions, supporting infill but being frustrated with how it is being built.

The new zoning bylaw, which made it easier to build infill, went into effect on Jan. 1, 2024. In the bylaw’s first year, the city approved more than 16,500 new dwelling units, a 30% increase compared to 2023. The proportion of housing units approved in the redeveloping area, the part of the city generally within the boundaries of Anthony Henday Drive, increased. In 2024, 40% of approved housing units were located in the redeveloping area. The city’s goal is to add 50% of new housing units through infill in developing areas.

In June, after about 18 months of tracking how the bylaw has changed development in Edmonton, council debated several amendments to it that councillors proposed. The proposed amendments included decreasing the maximum number of units allowed on mid-block lots in the small-scale residential (RS) zone from eight to six and altering the design requirements for rowhouses to make them smaller and have fewer entrances facing neighbouring homes. Council voted to keep the unit maximum the same, but approved the design changes. Coun. Tim Cartmell, who is also running for mayor, introduced a motion calling for a moratorium on development approvals for mid-block properties in the RS zone, which would have been illegal. The motion was ruled out of order.

Taproot spoke with representatives from two groups that voice concerns with infill — Edmonton Neighbourhoods United and the Residential Infill Working Group — to ask what they believe is wrong with Edmonton’s approach and what should be done to fix it.

Public engagement

Both groups said residents were not properly engaged or notified of changes coming to their neighbourhoods.

“With something as big as this new zoning bylaw, there should have been a referendum to engage more people before they just rolled this out,” Dallas Moravec, the treasurer for Edmonton Neighbourhoods United and a resident of Mill Woods, said. “Now they’re trying to do the public engagement piece that they should have done prior to bringing this new zoning bylaw.”

The city engaged residents on the new zoning bylaw starting in 2018. It also engaged residents on the City Plan, which helped shape the zoning bylaw. Council approved the City Plan in 2020.

Jan Hardstaff, a Parkallen resident who spoke on behalf of the Residential Infill Working Group, said that because some of the public engagement for the zoning bylaw took place during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, it was not as effective as the workshops and other engagement opportunities the city held in the past. “You’d come together, there’d be industry people there, there’d be community people there, and residents and councillors would come, and we’d all sit in a big room, and we’d go from table to table and talk about different things,” Hardstaff said. “It was interactive and it was collaborative, but this wasn’t like that.”

Moravec said Edmonton Neighbourhoods United is calling for the former version of the zoning bylaw to be reinstated, as that bylaw wasn’t “broken” and made it easier for neighbours to make appeals against new builds. Moravec also suggested that wards should be divided into quadrants, and those communities should meet to discuss where infill would be best suited. The city did something similar in 2024 with the priority growth area rezoning project, when residents were able to point to specific lots on a map that they thought would be ideal for increased density. The city collected that input, and after Garneau residents asked for some properties to be removed from the project, the city obliged. Moravec said this was a good example of administration listening to residents.

A single-detached infill house in the Strathcona neighbourhood. (Stephanie Swensrude)

At June’s public hearing, some residents aired concerns about the zoning bylaw, and the city later made further changes that aligned with some of the feedback. Administration said in its original one-year review of the zoning bylaw that it did not recommend changing the unit maximum in the RS zone. When that report was presented at a council committee meeting on June 3, residents attended to advocate for the maximum to be lowered. At the June 30 public hearing, administration had changed its position and endorsed lowering the unit maximum. The city also considered design recommendations from the Residential Infill Working Group when creating amendments to the bylaw.

But there are limits to how much the city can scribble around the edges to balance the rights of property owners to build on their lots with the concerns of their neighbours. Under the Municipal Government Act, the provincial legislation that governs municipalities, cities are legally required to approve a rezoning application or issue a development permit if the application complies with the land use bylaw. In other words, even if council agreed that it would be unfortunate for the property’s neighbour to lose sunlight access, without a legal reason to deny the application council must approve it (there is no legal right to sunlight access in Alberta).

‘Monolithic’ infill is too big

Hardstaff said she is not against infill. Instead, she said she wants neighbours to be more accepting of infill in their communities, but that such acceptance won’t happen if the developments are “monolithic” buildings that don’t fit into the neighbourhood and lead to trees being cut down.

She said a fellow advocate purchased a home in a mature neighbourhood and now has an eight-plex on either side of his property. “That’s devastating, and it shouldn’t happen,” Hardstaff said. “They put effort and blood, sweat, and tears into doing the renovation and hoping that this would be a place that they would raise their kids and welcome new infill and people who wanted to move into the neighborhood in, say, a semi-detached (house) or secondary suites and backyard suites. Who would have thought that you would get eight-plexes built on either side?”

Hardstaff also cited a University of Alberta study, which found that lots in McKernan and Westmount typically lost about 50% of their tree canopy coverage if an infill development was built on them. Hardstaff said this not only impacts neighbours but the people who live in the infill development, as they don’t have trees to enjoy in their yard.

Development intensity has ‘backs against the wall’

Moravec said the pace of infill development has moved faster than anyone expected. The city needs to issue about 7,500 building permits for missing middle housing units between 2023 and 2026 to be eligible for the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund. At the end of 2024, the city had already reached 97% of that goal. ”(The city is) moving really, really quickly and, and that’s what’s got everybody with their backs up against the wall and saying, ’Hey, what’s going on here?”

Hardstaff agrees. She thinks that the people living in the new developments will suffer, too. ”(The city was) so focused on building infill to increase density that they’ve kind of forgotten everyone else, not just the neighbours, but who they’re building that density for,” she said. “I want the people who live in these homes to have quality of life, have affordable housing, and be able to adjust and find new housing as they move through their lives and their circumstances change.”

Both Hardstaff and Moravec said that as infill development gets more attention, more people will be empowered to voice their concerns. “This shows that people, now that they’ve been awakened, they’re quite interested — they’re reading, wanting to be engaged, and unfortunately, though, there’s been a huge impact to public trust,” Hardstaff said. “They’re not going to be so easily dismissed.”

As for the criticism that people speaking out about infill are NIMBYs, some said they don’t mind that characterization.

“A NIMBY is really someone who’s just passionate about where they live, and so I don’t think it’s actually a bad thing,” Moravec said. “Sure, call me a NIMBY because I do care about what happens in my community, and if that’s how you want to just label me, by all means.”

Broader infill opposition

As the municipal election on Oct. 20 approaches, Edmonton Neighbourhoods United and the Residential Infill Working Group are just two of the groups organizing to oppose infill, or how it is being built, in Edmonton. There’s also SaveYEG and the Coalition for Better Infill, and dozens of people who regularly attend meetings where council discusses infill development.

Many Edmonton residents have asked who funds these groups.

Hardstaff said the Residential Infill Working Group receives no funding and is run by volunteers. Moravec, meanwhile, first said he preferred not to answer, but then added: “I guess the best way to answer that without revealing too much of our hand, because we’re just getting going and we’re grassroots, but it’s been all donations.”

Correction: This story has been updated to correct Jan Hardstaff’s neighbourhood.

PROPOSED CHANGES TO EDMONTON’S ZONING BYLAW

Stephanie Swensrude

Zoning regulations that city council approved in 2023, which allow for larger, multi-family buildings on many lots in most neighbourhoods, could be partially reversed after a public hearing on June 30. That’s when Edmonton’s council is set to debate several proposed changes to the zoning bylaw. If passed, the changes would limit the size and location of multi-family buildings in redeveloping neighbourhoods. Here’s a guide to make sense of what’s up for discussion:

1. Eight unit max

On June 30, Council will hear from the public about proposed amendments to reduce the maximum number of infill units the bylaw allows in mid-block developments — that is, those not on a corner lot.

The current eight-unit maximum applies to the small-scale residential (RS) zone, which allows buildings of up to eight units on mid-block lots that are 600 square metres or larger. This was one of the headline changes when the zoning bylaw renewal was introduced. In May, after roughly one year of the bylaw being in effect, Taproot reported that of 242 total development permits on lots where eight unit applications were an option, half applied to build eight units; the other half applied to build single-detached homes or duplexes.

On June 17, council’s urban planning committee, along with councillors who not on that committee, debated a potential change to this introduced by Coun. Michael Janz, through a motion that asked administration to prepare the amendments to the zoning bylaw that would reduce the limit from eight to six.

Eric Cameracci, an Edmonton resident, urged councillors to maintain the eight-unit maximum. “I see these changes as killing the zoning bylaw renewal by a thousand cuts,” Cameracci said. “We would eventually have feedback that six is still too much, and we’d go down to four, and then to two, then single family housing all over again.”

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said he was open to having a conversation about changing the maximum, along with all the other proposed changes set for debate. “I think we need to have this conversation and bring people along on this journey, and let’s see where the conversation takes us,” Sohi said. “I think it’s important to respond to the concerns from people, whether real or perceived.”

Coun. Erin Rutherford said the city did enough consultation over the many years it worked on the zoning bylaw, and that the new bylaw hasn’t been in effect long enough to determine whether resident fears about the changes are justified. “The whole reason we needed an entire zoning bylaw renewal and a comprehensive look is because of all these ... small amendments (over time) that led to discretion in the bylaw, that led to inconsistencies, and I worry that we’re heading down that road again,” Rutherford said.

Janz, plus councillors Jo-Anne Wright and Andrew Knack, and Mayor Sohi, voted in support of the motion. Coun. Jennifer Rice opposed the motion, and said she wants the maximum reduced to four units. (Rutherford did not vote as she is not a member of the council committee.)

In the council report that will be presented on June 30, administration said it supports lowering the unit maximum. This is a change from administration’s position presented in its one-year review of the zoning bylaw renewal, released weeks ago. That report said administration did not recommend revisiting the unit maximum.

2. Cartmell calls for infill ‘moratorium’

Tim Cartmell, the councillor for Ward pihêsiwin who is also running for mayor, released a statement on June 24 that said he intends to introduce a motion at the meeting on June 30 to “place a moratorium on all new infill development.” Later, he posted an amended version of the statement on his website, which said he wants a temporary moratorium on mid-block infill.

Tim Cartmell, who’s running for mayor, said he plans to call for a moratorium on infill housing construction in redeveloping neighbourhoods at the June 30 public hearing. (Stephanie Swensrude)

Sean Sedgwick, the executive director of the Infill Development in Edmonton Association told Global News that “Canada is in a housing crisis and restrictive zoning practices constraining supply are a major cause, (and) to call for a moratorium on infill homes under these circumstances is to advocate for recreating the same problem here.”

In July 2024, Cartmell wrote a blog post that had a different message on the matter. “I absolutely support infill, and the reduction of contradictory policies that prevents infill development,” he wrote. Cartmell voted in favour of the zoning bylaw renewal in 2023.

Nicholas Rheubottom, the former executive director of IDEA who is running with Cartmell’s Better Edmonton party in Ward Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi, posted on his blog that he did not entirely agree with Cartmell’s statement. “I remain committed to infill and to making sure it is done well,” Rheubottom wrote. “For me, that has always been a key part of responsible growth and a resilient, welcoming city.”

There is also a petition circulating that calls for council to repeal the entire zoning bylaw, which would be illegal. Under the Municipal Government Act, each municipality must have a land use bylaw.

3. Row housing design

Administration has proposed further amendments to the zoning bylaw that would change the design of mid-block row housing developments, making the buildings smaller and with fewer entrances facing neighbouring homes. The changes would reduce the maximum allowed length of a building from 30 metres to 50% of the site’s depth or 25 metres, whichever is less. On a typical lot, this could reduce the site coverage by about 8%, the report detailing the proposed amendments said. This would make it easier to plant trees, provide backyards, and have parking on-site, administration said. The changes would also limit the number of entrances allowed on the side of a building to two and increase the minimum space between a side entry and the edge of the property.

4. Small-medium transition zone

Council is also scheduled to debate amendments to the district planning policy. Approved in October 2024, the policy is used to determine where extra density is appropriate when council is reviewing a rezoning application.

The policy identifies nodes and corridors as areas that are expected to experience the most development as Edmonton’s population grows. Outside of the nodes and corridors, the policy allows for more density if the site reaches criteria that can include its proximity to a node, corridor, or mass transit station, or if it is next to a large roadway, a park, or a site zoned for a larger building.

However, administration has proposed amendments to the district policy and the zoning bylaw that would limit opportunities for rezoning properties to the small-medium scale transition (RSM) zone outside of nodes and corridors. The RSM zone allows for buildings up to three or four storeys and is generally meant for properties between a larger development and a lot zoned for small-scale residential (RS). The proposed changes would limit support for the RSM zone to corner sites that meet at least one of the above-mentioned criteria.

Janz also introduced the motion that led to these proposed amendments — at a public hearing on April 28. “We’re seeing more and more of these single-lot rezoning (applications) popping up outside of the nodes and corridors, especially in my ward. They’re disruptive, because whether or not admin supports them, they’re still out in the community, neighbours get agitated, and there’s a feeling that the RS zone doesn’t matter, that people can still try and ask for exemptions anyway,” Janz said when introducing the motion. “I really worry that what we’re seeing right now is an undermining of our intention to offer predictability and consistency to all parties involved.”

5. Shelter regulations

Council is also set to debate changes to the zoning bylaw that regulate the allowable size and location of shelters for those experiencing homelessness. If the first part of the proposed amendments is approved, a shelter would not be allowed in the business employment zone when the property is beside a heavy industrial property. The proposed change is to mitigate concerns about locating shelters near sites where vulnerable people could get hurt.

The second part of the amendment would limit the number of people sleeping in a congregate shelter to 125. Administration does not support this limit, as it would restrict the ability of shelter operators to provide accommodation to their clients, administration said in the report.

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• On Wednesday, at 9:30 am, there will be a City Council meeting. On the agenda are options for the Alberta Avenue Arts Common project. The City of Edmonton has reacquired the ArtsCommon 118 site in Alberta Avenue after the Edmonton Community Development Company found the original arts-focused development unviable. Administration plans to list the property for sale on the open market, encouraging proposals that reflect the community’s vision, including flexible arts spaces, a black box theatre, galleries, artist studios, retail, and residential units. Community groups have emphasized the need for arts-related development combined with timely, financially viable construction and ongoing engagement with local stakeholders. The City intends to support accelerated development by extending construction timelines and may consider using $3.3 million from the Financial Stabilization Reserve to aid the project. Administration will seek proposals for six months before reporting back on suitable options. Ongoing community involvement will be mandated as part of any development agreement to ensure alignment with neighbourhood needs.
• Council has voted to extend the Downtown Community Revitalization Levy (CRL) by 10 years, allowing the City to borrow against future tax revenues until 2044 to fund downtown projects. The CRL aims to support housing, arts and culture, and public amenities, but the extension sparked debate over two controversial projects tied to the Oilers Entertainment Group. While many Councillors supported the extension, some opposed using public funds for private developments associated with a billion-dollar company. Supporters of the extension argued that the projects would boost economic activity, cultural engagement, and tourism in the core. Several community and business leaders urged Council not to delay, lest they risk losing momentum in downtown revitalization. Critics worried about a lack of transparency and potential provincial rejection if the project list changes. Ultimately, Council rejected motions to delay the decision and moved forward with the extension.
• Starting July 1st, Edmonton will remove all mobile photo radar from school and playground zones. The City plans to redirect efforts and funds toward long-term safety upgrades like more crosswalks and speed bumps. Since 2019, Edmonton has invested over $6 million in playground zone improvements. While some community members welcomed the shift toward infrastructure-based solutions, others expressed concern that removing photo radar would reduce road safety, especially for children. The Province has allocated $13 million to municipalities for traffic safety improvements. Edmonton aims to achieve its Vision Zero goal of zero traffic fatalities by focusing on safer infrastructure and community engagement. Advocates note, however, that without photo radar, road safety risks may increase until infrastructure changes are fully implemented.
• Councillor Aaron Paquette is advocating for a footbridge over Manning Drive to connect growing neighbourhoods like Brintnell and Cy Becker to the nearby Manning Town Centre shopping area. Residents have expressed concerns about the current lack of safe pedestrian crossings, with many resorting to jaywalking across the busy arterial road. The footbridge would offer a safer, more direct route without disrupting vehicle traffic. Paquette introduced a motion to fund a feasibility study for the bridge, which passed unanimously, with Council potentially deciding on funding this fall. The bridge could cost over $10 million, but local developers have shown interest in contributing. Community members have supported the idea, noting it would improve access for non-drivers and potentially boost local business.
• Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi won a byelection in Edmonton-Strathcona with about 82% of the vote, securing his seat in the Legislature after leading the party for a year without one. Another NDP candidate, Gurtej Singh Brar, also won in Edmonton-Ellerslie, capturing 51% of the vote, though the NDP's support, and the margin to the second-placed UCP, dropped significantly. Nenshi pledged to advocate strongly for issues like public healthcare, education, workers’ rights, and community safety. Brar, a local broadcaster and tech enthusiast, emphasized his commitment to improving health care, education, community safety, and the reinstatement of a cancelled south Edmonton hospital project.
• Current Councillor and Mayoral candidate Tim Cartmell says he wants City Council to pause approvals for large mid-block infill developments, arguing the City’s strategy is moving too fast. Cartmell plans to introduce a motion that would place a moratorium on bigger projects while the City reviews how infill fits with its 15 districts. He says smaller projects like duplexes are not the issue, but larger buildings between single-family homes are fuelling neighbourhood frustration. Supporters of the City’s new zoning rules say more infill is critical to tackle housing costs and make Edmonton’s neighbourhoods more sustainable. Critics argue big multi-unit buildings bring traffic, parking headaches and tree loss. Cartmell says the City must listen more closely to residents. Council’s Urban Planning Committee recently backed a proposal to cut allowable units in mid-block row houses from eight to six.