Election 2025: Campaign Roundup - Day 12

Welcome to Day 12 of our Edmonton 2025 Campaign Roundup!

With the 2025 municipal election underway, we'll be bringing you daily updates on all the policy proclamations, platform promises, and political point-scoring from the campaign trail.

As always, our work is entirely funded by donations from residents just like you, so if you appreciate the updates, please consider making a one-off donation or signing up as a supporter for just $10 a month - that's just 36 cents per email!

Campaign Roundup - Day 12:

• New polling from Leger shows that voter engagement this election is moderate, with 64% reporting they are likely to vote, especially older and higher-income residents. Mayoral support is split - Tim Cartmell and Andrew Knack are tied for the lead (14% each), followed by Omar Mohammad (6%), Michael Walters (5%), and Tony Caterina (3%), while 41% remain undecided. Awareness is highest for Cartmell (49%) and Knack (47%). Top election issues include lowering taxes (42%), downtown safety (28%), and reducing poverty (25%). Most voters (54%) say candidate affiliation with a party or team is not important.
  
  
• At a mayoral forum hosted by the Edmonton Downtown Business Association, candidates and organizers criticized City Council’s record on arts, nightlife, and downtown vibrancy, with EDBA’s Puneeta McBryan calling it an “absolute disaster.” Candidates Tim Cartmell, Andrew Knack, Michael Walters, and Rahim Jaffer all argued the City has failed to support festivals, venues, and businesses struggling with safety, construction, and permitting red tape. Walters pledged to appoint a music industry officer, Knack pushed for more downtown housing, and Jaffer promoted free downtown parking and transit to draw people in.
  
  
• At a forum hosted by Edmonton’s real estate and construction associations, Mayoral candidates Michael Walters, Rahim Jaffer, and Andrew Knack pledged not to slow down development despite calls from some for a pause. Walters emphasized the need for 5,000 new rental units annually and warned against sacrificing competitiveness, though he suggested shifting some spending to smaller projects. Knack argued that with 200,000 new residents in four years, halting growth would leave new communities without needed services and infrastructure. Jaffer focused on cutting permitting delays and restoring a pro-business climate to speed up construction.
  
  
• With the Canada Post strike underway, Edmonton’s elections office says voter information cards likely won’t be mailed out ahead of the municipal election, affecting more than 700,000 eligible voters. Instead, residents are being urged to use the City’s online “Where to Vote” tool, phone the elections office, or visit libraries for polling details. To offset the disruption, office hours have been extended, and alternative delivery options are being arranged for special ballots, including in-person pick-up, courier service, or on-site voting at the elections warehouse. The “Where to Vote” tool can be accessed by clicking here.

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