Edmonton Minute: Tax Increase, Transit Numbers, and Salary Cut Rejected

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

This Week In Edmonton:

• There is only one meeting at City Hall this week. The Agenda Review Committee will meet on Tuesday at 8:30 am. No agenda is available for this meeting yet.
  
  
• Councillors are working to manage a projected $34 million deficit while discussing options for a property tax increase in 2025. City Administration recommended an 8.1% increase, but some Councillors expressed dissatisfaction with this proposal. We think this is unacceptable. Council should be cutting taxes, not raising them, and they could absolutely afford to do so if they got wasteful spending under control. If you agree, please sign our petition calling on Council to get “Back To Basics”.
  
  
• Edmonton Transit numbers show a record-breaking 6.4 million rides in October - a 22% increase from the previous year. Factors such as affordability are driving more Edmontonians to choose transit over driving, with many citing the cost savings from avoiding car insurance and parking fees. The Valley Line Southeast also hit a milestone with 300,000 monthly riders, doubling since its opening. On-demand transit services reached a new high, with over 72,000 riders. The City is on track to surpass 60 million riders by the end of 2024.

Last Week In Edmonton:

• Mayor Amarjeet Sohi proposed a nearly $3,000 pay cut to align his salary with Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek's, but Council rejected the motion. Some Councillors feared adjusting the Mayor’s salary could politicize the independent process that has been in place for over two decades. Sohi argued that the responsibilities of the two Mayors are similar and that the pay gap could increase by the time the next salary review is set for 2032. Meanwhile, Councillor Aaron Paquette suggested freezing salaries for the year to demonstrate leadership during potential tax hikes, but that was also not acceptable to the rest of Council.
  
  
• Eddie Robar has been appointed as Edmonton's new City Manager, following his role as Interim Manager since April. Robar has worked at the City of Edmonton for over eight years and previously served as Deputy City Manager, overseeing various departments. Robar expressed his commitment to staying in Edmonton for the long term and building a city that his children would want to live in.
  
  
• A recent City of Edmonton survey revealed limited support for a higher property tax increase in 2025, with only 16% of respondents in favour of surpassing the already approved 7% increase. The survey, conducted in October, found 42% of people support higher user fees, while 33% are willing to accept reduced services to curb costs. Many respondents expressed financial strain due to rising costs of living. We’re not sure why a survey was necessary to tell the City that higher taxes aren’t popular…

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