Cracks appear in Cartmell's Better Edmonton coalition
'We need to embrace urbanism,' said Kandola. 'You can see we're falling behind in term of our targets when it comes to housing. Council engaged in unnecessary debate, using resources and time. I would like to have seen council let the market dictate what gets built.'
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Kandola chided Janz, who initially proposed the move from eight to six at the committee level, 'for making this an election issue, when it didn't need to be. Edmontonians are more worried about affordability, and if they can make ends meet and be able to have a place to live. Watching councillors melt down in the face of some opposition is not good leadership.'
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Janz's motion came in the wake of community outcries from Glenora and Crestwood, where residents are planning to band together to place restrictive covenants on their land titles, which could neutralize developers' ability to build multi-family buildings on those properties.
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'I don't think it was necessary,' said Kandola. 'I take a market-based approach. Investors want to have confidence that the regulatory framework is stable. A moratorium is something that would have potentially jeopardized that. I understand the point that Tim was trying to make, that it was to take time and re-evaluate, to take a step back. But I don't think that the way it was played out was they way he intended it to.'
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Reed Clarke, a former partner in the Edmonton Stingers and CEO of Sport Edmonton, is running in Ward Nakota Isga and is another of Better Edmonton's star candidates. He spent much of the public hearing in the gallery. When asked point blank for a vote of confidence in Cartmell, Clarke shifted the focus to his own campaign.
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'I can only speak to what I'm doing in trying to represent the ward and all the residents of Nakota Isga,' said Clarke. 'That has to be my No. 1 priority, to be listening to them and taking that feedback, hopefully back to city council. I'm more focused on representing them and making sure their feedback is going to the right places. I have to stick to that plan.'
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Clarke said he's met 'thousands' of residents so far during his campaign, and the infill debate is something he's hearing about over and over. And he said council has to come to grips with how fast eight-unit mid-block developments are changing the mature communities in his ward.
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'This is a massive issue,' he said. 'It's huge for people in really any mature neighbourhood, but even some of the other neighbourhoods as well. In speaking to people at the doors, I haven't found one person who is against density. I haven't seen anyone who doesn't believe the city needs to densify. They just have concerns and they have ways in which they want to see this happen. I think some of that argument has been lost, as I saw at the city council meetings.'
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He said he was concerned to hear councillors talk about the city's need to better 'bring the public along' when it came to the new zoning bylaw, which is just over a year old.
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'It makes sense to have an approach where you say 'We don't know better than you do on these things and we've just got to convince you to come along on this.' That language is very troubling to me.'
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Doyle: An 'unfortunate' event
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Joshua Doyle, who will be Better Edmonton's candidate in Ward papastew, where he'll face off against Janz, gave Cartmell his endorsement.
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'I'm incredibly confident as a member of Better Edmonton,' said Doyle. 'This particular event was unfortunate, but this is a tribulation in the entire campaign, in which there will be many. Our team is built on the idea that we will come together and fight for Edmontonians and hear their concerns and work as a team in these kinds of tough situations.
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'Everybody knew Tim was going on vacation and these plans were public and planned for a long, long time. Tim supported the motion to have this important part (the eight-to-six debate) moved to the front of the agenda and council voted against that. And then it took them forever to figure out when they wanted to do it, when they wanted to get to it. Finally they moved to Tuesday, when they knew he wasn't going to be there. They decided that was the appropriate time and, unfortunately, Tim's one vote turned out to be a very important one.'
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He said the current council simply can't handle the zoning issue. And he believes moving from eight to six was a proposal that didn't go far enough in the first place.
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'This went on so long because of the dysfunction in council, ' said Doyle. 'All because of ideology, because of political tactics. It's a slap in the face to Edmontonians, to watch council struggle to achieve so little and, at the same time, ignore what the people are really saying. It took them five days to get to the point that everybody was waiting for. And, then, they couldn't agree on even reducing from eight to six, which really is an insignificant amount. People I am hearing from say that does nothing.'
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Janz said in hindsight, he recognizes that future debates about infill should be tied to lot sizes. He said some larger lots can accommodate the bigger projects, while others are too small for those sorts of developments. Coming up with blanket limits doesn't work.
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Cartmell's voting record before the election campaign showed that he was supportive of infill projects. And his party includes the likes of Kandola and Nicholas Rheubottom, the former executive director of the Infill Development in Edmonton Association.
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Janz said the moratorium pitch was an about-face for Cartmell. He said the return from summer break will be telling.
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'I don't know which Tim is going to show up. Is it the Tim of four years ago who is committed to City Plan, committed to infill, committed to more housing choices? Or is it going to be 'Cartmell for mayor?' Tim has to decide.'
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After four years as a resident on the outside looking in, former Edmonton city councillor Michael Walters wants to return to city hall. On Monday, he officially launched his campaign to become Edmonton's next mayor. 'I had a great eight years on council. I had a great last four years running a small business, still volunteering in my community, spending more time with my family — but now my family recognizes what the city needs,' Walters said. 'I'm prepared to do this job, having had great experience before, and vision for the next four years.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I'm prepared to do this job, having had great experience before, and vision for the next four years." Walters was first elected to Edmonton city council in 2013 and was re-elected in 2017. He did not seek re-election in 2021. Story continues below advertisement Prior to entering politics, he spent 20 years working as a community organizer and policy leader. He received the Queen's Jubilee medal in 2000 for his work at Edmonton's Bissell Centre, was chosen as one of Edmonton's Top 40 under 40 by Avenue Magazine in 2009 and was named one of Alberta's Next 10 Most Influential Leaders by Alberta Venture magazine in 2013. 'I have some left-of-centre perspectives, some right-of-centre perspectives. I think those perspectives are always open to being influenced by other people who bring forward smart arguments,' Walters said, adding that the role of mayor is to bring people together. 'I don't define myself so clearly on the (political) spectrum — more as a community leader and as a unifier who believes that if you have good ideas, you deserve to be heard and we can work together to make them happen.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I don't define myself so clearly on the (political) spectrum — more as a community leader and as a unifier who believes that if you have good ideas, you deserve to be heard and we can work together to make them happen." Edmonton political analyst John Brennan called Walters a moderate politician. 'A very smart, thoughtful — like a real solid city councillor — but he wasn't really ideological. He was a very moderate centrist,' Brennan said. Walters said he is independent and is not running as part of a municipal political party, adding he feels party affiliation isn't necessary in Edmonton. 'I don't think Edmontonians were asking for it or like it particularly. I think, ultimately, it's a party during the campaign that probably won't even exist into the term. Story continues below advertisement 'So I don't have a lot of faith in its efficacy and I'm happy to work with whoever the people of the various wards send to City Hall. That'll be my job.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "So I don't have a lot of faith in its efficacy and I'm happy to work with whoever the people of the various wards send to City Hall. That'll be my job." Walters calls himself a coalition builder at a time when the city needs strong relationships. 'I think we need a leader that's practical, that's unifying and that's decisive. I feel like Edmonton has drifted a bit — we need to focus and I think it's gonna take an all-hands-on-deck approach for many of the hard issues.' Those issues, Walters said, include the city's tone on policing, the relationship with the provincial government, addressing homelessness, making downtown safer, and addressing construction delays and tax increases. 'We can do big, exciting, important city building projects without quite the mess, the cost, and the timelines. I think there's improvements we can make. We can ask more of our administration. We can ask more of community partners. And I think that's an important tone to come from the mayor.' 1:56 PACE announces its Edmonton city council candidates How to maintain Edmonton without high tax hikes? In order for Edmonton to be a successful city, Walters said it needs to run its basic services well. Story continues below advertisement 'The things people expect from council and the mayor is snow clearing, grass cutting, road maintenance, the functioning healthy drainage waste system.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Walters said Edmonton needs to make room in its budget to improve or maintain those kinds of services without perpetual tax increases. 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The city has said the increases are necessary just to maintain what it already has. Story continues below advertisement Knack acknowledged isn't sustainable, but at the same time — nothing is free. 'Now, we can't raise (taxes) the same way we did over this four-year budget. This was very much a reaction to the previous four-year budget where we kept them at that incredibly low amount,' Knack said. 'But we also have to know that if you wanna have your grass cut, if you want to have your snow cleared and you wanna do all of these things — it does actually cost money.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "But we also have to know that if you wanna have your grass cut, if you want to have your snow cleared and you wanna do all of these things — it does actually cost money." Brennan said not being a part of those decisions helps Walters. 'I think something Michael has got going for him is, he hasn't been part of this council for the last four years. This council is very unpopular,' he said. 2:06 What will Edmonton's next municipal election look like? Walters noted issues such a poverty, housing affordability, inflation and homelessness were simmering beforehand, but the pandemic led to an eruption that is still an ongoing concern. Story continues below advertisement So how would he guide Edmonton in addressing them? Safety is the first step. 'Council needs to do that predominantly through partnerships. Our job is strong relationships with the police, strong relationships with the province, strong relationships with the downtown business community and downtown residents.' But it isn't just downtown — areas across Edmonton, from the suburbs to the core, are dealing with an increase in social disorder — which affects both residents and businesses alike. 'There are pockets where people aren't feeling as comfortable as as we used to and I think we can tackle that. So once the neighbourhoods feel safe or downtown feels safe, it becomes investable.' 1:55 Former mayor, current candidates weigh in on Edmonton's ballooning budget woes While housing is a provincial responsibility, cities are often left to address the fallout that comes from homelessness — and Walters said it's key for all levels of government to work together. Story continues below advertisement 'This is our job — we can't have people suffering among us and that we're sort of weaving in and around them every day. There is an opportunity for us to work way more proactively with the province.' 'I have no doubt in my mind that the better the relationship is between the city and the province, the more lives we're going to save.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I have no doubt in my mind that the better the relationship is between the city and the province, the more lives we're going to save." Where does Walters stand on infill? The need for more infill, along with the challenges that it raises in mature neighbourhoods, has been a dominant topic at city hall in recent months — but Walters said it isn't a new issue. 'Infill has been a big conversation for mature neighbourhoods for 10 years. You know, I dealt with it when I was on council the first time,' Walters said. Walters said he is pro-density because the city does need to be more compact and sustainable — but it also can't come at the expense of ignoring the concerns of Edmontonians who live in mature areas. 'I think where we need start is not judging that, not characterising them as NIMBY(not in my back yard) — but to really listen carefully to what they're worried about.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I think where we need start is not judging that, not characterising them as NIMBY(not in my back yard) — but to really listen carefully to what they're worried about." Story continues below advertisement Earlier this month, hundreds of people spoke at city hall during a multi-day hearing about infill. It was a heated debate. Mayoral candidate and current councillor Tim Cartmell proposed a motion to reduce the maximum allowable units per infill from eight down to six, after some residents expressed concerns with property values, not enough parking, predatory developers, quality of builds and housing affordability. The debate spilled over into several days and was extended into the scheduled summer break, leading to a vote in which Cartmell and fellow councillor Sarah Hamilton were not present. The vote passed with a slim margin of 6 to 5, with councillors electing to maintain the current cap of eight. Those in favour were Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, councillors Aaron Paquette, Erin Rutherford, Anne Stevenson, Karen Tang, and Jo-Anne Wright. Councillors who voted in opposition included Michael Janz, Andrew Knack, Karen Principe, Jennifer Rice and Ashley Salvador. Walters said the vote was a missed opportunity. 'I think the motion that was made recently to kind of modify the policy, moderate it, bring it back from eight units to six was a sign of good faith — that could have turned down the temperature and created the space for a healthier conversation,' he said. Story continues below advertisement Strong mayoral race emerging: analyst Current or former members of city council vying for the mayor's seat are Knack, who has been on council since 2013, Cartmell, who has been on council since 2017, and Tony Caterina, who served from 2007 to 2021 when he changed wards and lost to Anne Stevenson. 'We now have a very competitive mayoral race with two sitting counsellors and two former counsellors,' said Brennan, noting the candidates are from across the political spectrum. 'The way I see the race shaping up now is, Andrew Knack is running from the centre-left. He's the progressive candidate. He's following very much in the tradition of, say, Don Iveson and Amarjeet Sohi: tax-and-spend, city-building mayors. And there's a constituency for that in this city. Whereas Tim Cartmell was running for change. He was running to be the fiscal conservative candidate. You know, the small-C conservative,' Brennan said. 'They're all experienced councillors. They could all do the job because they've all been on council. But the question is, how are they gonna get the messaging out to Edmontonians that, 'This is who I am, this is what I stand for?'' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "They're all experienced councillors. They could all do the job because they've all been on council. But the question is, how are they gonna get the messaging out to Edmontonians that, 'This is who I am, this is what I stand for?'" Story continues below advertisement There are less than three months until election day and Brennan said this is late in the game for new candidates to emerge and gain traction. He was surprised to see Walters join the fray and said his focus on taxes and crime aligns with topics others are also pushing. 'I really see him focusing on a lot of the issues that Tim Cartmell has already raised. So it's gonna be interesting to see where he fits in in the campaign,' Brennan said. So will that result in vote splitting? 'It's hard to say at this point,' Brennan said. 'I think where Michael Walters is coming from is, he's hoping to straddle the middle for people that don't want to go to the right or don't wanna go to the left. 'Here I am, I'm a moderate centrist.' And he's gonna try to carve out that part of the political spectrum for himself.' Community members who have either filed their official paperwork with the city or publicly declared their intention to run for mayor include former MP Rahim Jaffer, engineer Abdul Malik Chukwudi, business consultant Vanessa Denman, dental surgeon Omar Mohammad, and Olney Tugwell. Election day is Monday, Oct. 20.
