Edmonton Minute: Issue 264

Edmonton Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Edmonton politics

📅 This Week In Edmonton: 📅

• Today, at 8:30 am, there will be special meetings of the Community and Public Services Committee, the Executive Committee, and the Urban Planning Committee. The Committees will each elect a Chair and Vice-Chair, but there is little else on the agenda. At 9:30 am, City Council Orientation continues, and Councillors will receive presentations from Administration on Supporting Financial Sustainability. Tuesday’s orientation session will focus on Economic Development, on Wednesday Council will hear about Service Delivery and Advancing Safety and Security.
  
  
• Council budget meetings will also begin today, at 1:30 pm, and continue on Tuesday at 1:30 pm and Wednesday at 1:30 pm, as well as December 1st to 4th beginning at 9:30 am each day. Edmontonians are facing a 6.4% property tax increase, which Administration says is needed to address the City’s growing fiscal pressures from inflation, population growth, declining provincial grants, and debt limits. Many planned capital projects, including new buses and road expansions, have been left unfunded, though $6.5 million is allocated for the Rossdale Power Plant roof. Officials warn that any reductions to offset the tax hike would likely come at the expense of service levels. The budget marks the final year of the current four-year cycle, with the new Council expected to draft a fresh budget in 2026.
  
  
• Edmonton is facing a rise in traffic fatalities, with 30 deaths so far this year, up from 26 in 2024 and 24 in 2023. Nearly half of these collisions involved speeding, and excessive speed violations over 50 km/h above the limit are up 19%. Street racing and reckless driving are also reportedly contributing to the problem. Police stress that automated enforcement could reduce dangerous driving, but high-risk intersections remain a concern. Most fatal crashes occur on arterial roads and during darkness, with speed being the key factor. The City is targeting priority areas, such as 118 Avenue near Highlands School, using measures like flashing beacons, which have cut average speeds by 14%. Despite these efforts, officials warn that speeding and traffic fatalities continue to pose a serious threat to public safety.
  
  
• Edmonton Ward Dene Councillor Aaron Paquette is proposing to turn the City’s ED Tel Endowment Fund into a sovereign wealth fund to reduce reliance on property taxes and attract more development. The fund, currently worth $1 billion, generates about $48 million annually for property tax relief, but Paquette aims to grow it to $6 billion over 10-15 years to fully offset tax increases. He argues the City has already squeezed all efficiencies from its budget and needs alternative revenue streams. Concerns have also been raised that businesses are moving just outside Edmonton to avoid high taxes, leaving the City to shoulder rising costs. Paquette suggests the City offer incentives and better infrastructure support to attract developers while including safeguards to protect taxpayers.

• Former Mayoral candidate Tim Cartmell has announced he is leaving the Better Edmonton Party, which he co-founded during last year’s municipal election. Cartmell said he decided to step back after a period of reflection but praised the remaining team for continuing to push core issues and potentially prepare for the next election. The party saw three Councillors elected in October, though two of them recently left the party as well. Cartmell expressed pride in the campaign’s accomplishments and in his eight years of service on City Council, calling it an enriching experience despite the recent departures.

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