Tim Cartmell kicks off mayoral run with pledge to ‘fix what's broken' in Edmonton
With about six months to go before the next municipal election, mayoral hopeful Tim Cartmell officially launched his campaign Thursday, promising to build bridges, literally and figuratively, for a city he says has 'drifted into big spending with little value.'
In a packed convention room where some 600 Edmontonians and Albertans had lunch while listening to Cartmell speak, the applause swelled as the current city councillor walked on stage to deliver a speech that focused squarely on rebuilding Edmonton's infrastructure and restoring trust in city leadership.
'We have bridge problems to talk about,' Cartmell said, drawing on his background as a professional engineer and a small business owner. 'We need to build — bridges, transit, parks, community hubs — but we need to do it in a way that's smart, affordable, and sustainable.'
Citing widespread frustration with tax dollars going to waste, inflated budgets and missed deadlines, Cartmell promised to take a pragmatic, back-to-basics approach to governance, a leadership that is 'rooted in experience, integrity and common sense,' saying city hall needs to prioritize the same thing every Edmontonian sitting around their kitchen table prioritizes —groceries, mortgages and childcare.
On what he sees as Edmonton's most urgent infrastructure priority, Cartmell pointed to the projects already underway.
'The most important ones are the ones that are in progress. It's going to be our bridges,' he said, warning that several major crossings will soon need replacement.
With Edmonton's population growing by about 40,000 people per year, simply rebuilding existing structures won't be enough.
'We're going to need a bridge plan, and it's not a modest concern.'
He said that building strong relationships with the province will be key to financing those efforts, especially if plans for rail connectivity from the airport, which includes new bridge infrastructure, move forward.
While he acknowledged past missteps — including approving two major recreation centre projects without fully accounting for inflation or supply chain delays — Cartmell says he's learned from those experiences.
'I'd like those back,' he said. 'Some of us felt an urgency to get moving on the recreation master plan and build a couple more facilities, and didn't look long enough at the effects of COVID on supply chains and inflation and all that kind of things.'
In addition to announcing his candidacy, Cartmell outlined a six-month campaign strategy built around assembling a council team aligned with his vision, what he called 'a consistent voice for change.'
He drew a hockey analogy that landed with laughter among the crowd, many of whom seemed eager for a playoff win as much as a political shake-up.
'You can't win a hockey game with one player,' Cartmell said. 'I am just one vote on city council. But my team will be a consistent voice for change, a team that will get (stuff) done.'
Cartmell said his team, Better Edmonton, will help bring a unified direction to council, which he believes has been missing.
'We don't have a consistent message from all of city council to instruct senior leaders,' he said. 'So, I am building a team. A team that will spend the next six months learning from each other. Sharing our values. Working together on common commitments.'
To underscore that commitment, Cartmell announced the formation of a blue-ribbon panel that would begin working immediately on a comprehensive review of the city's finances. Composed of experts across sectors, including business, labour, arts, non-profits, and community advocacy, among others, the panel's mandate will be to ensure tax dollars are being spent strategically.
'First on their list will be addressing the serious flaws in how Edmonton calculates and applies property taxes, because right now, the system is undermining our ability to grow,' he said, noting the city has 'some of the highest property taxes in the country.'
'That's not just a statistic, it's a warning sign for investment.'
If elected, Cartmell pledged to kick off his first term with a 100-day action plan, prioritizing basic services like public safety, cleanliness and snow removal. He said he'd hold daily meetings with senior city leaders, conduct a review of road construction plans, and launch a public dashboard for transparency.
Cartmell acknowledged that crime statistics may be improving in some areas but argued that the public perception of safety is still deteriorating.
'I've spoken to parents who won't let their kids take the LRT to school,' he said. 'I've spoken to seniors who feel anxious walking to the store. I've talked to business owners who arrive at work every morning to clean up needles and broken glass before they can unlock the front door.'
To address these concerns, he promised to roll out a safe streets strategy, strengthen bylaw enforcement, work with frontline police officers, and advocate for clear standards around vacant properties.
Cartmell also addressed housing and infill, emphasizing the need for a more balanced, context-sensitive approach to development. While 'we need to fill in our empty spaces,' he said current policies have created tension in mature neighborhoods and need to evolve.
'There's a need to modify it for context there — not kill it, not get rid of it — but modify it for the context of the neighbourhood, of where it's happening,' he said.
He said it's important for deliberate planning both within the core and at the city's edges, warning that restricting suburban growth entirely could drive development just outside city limits, leaving Edmonton to shoulder the infrastructure burden without the tax base.
Rebuilding trust means ensuring residents have a say in how the city spends money on major initiatives, like bridge replacements, infill housing, or transit improvements, Cartmell said.
'That's something that's actually been missing lately,' he said. 'We need to do engagement where we are more sincerely interested in what people want to see in their neighbourhoods.'
He added that the tone of public consultations must shift from ''what's the matter with you' to 'what matters to you,'' by breaking down complex planning decisions into tangible questions about how developments look and feel at the end of the block for the people who live there.
Cartmell also took time to reflect on his deep roots in the city — his family has called Edmonton home for four generations. He spoke of his great-grandfather helping to establish the Edmonton Museum of Art, his grandfather returning from war to work as a carpenter, and his own experience raising a family and running a business in the city.
'This city gave my family everything,' he said. 'And now, it's time to give back.'
cnguyen@postmedia.com
Election 2025: Sohi loses in Edmonton Southeast as Conservative Mahal clinches victory
Edmonton city councillor Sarah Hamilton not seeking re-election
Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
6 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
RFK Jr. ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory committee
WASHINGTON — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday removed every member of a scientific committee that advises the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to use vaccines and pledged to replace them with his own picks. The 17-member Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices had been in a state of flux since Kennedy took over. Its first meeting this year had been delayed when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services abruptly postponed its February meeting. Kennedy, who was one of the nation's leading anti-vaccine activists before becoming the nation's top health official, recently took the unusual step of changing COVID-19 recommendations without first consulting the panel. In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, Kennedy said the committee members had too many conflicts of interest. Committee members routinely disclose any possible conflicts at the start of public meetings.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
COVID Crusader Writes Open Letter To RFK Jr On mRNA
A prominent group of health activists is threatening a political revolt against HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over what they call a betrayal of their movement's central cause. In a blistering open letter dated June 4, COVID crusader Dr. Mary Talley Bowden and several allies from the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement — a grassroots coalition of vaccine-critical and medical freedom activists — accused Kennedy and FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary of watering down policies related to the controversial mRNA vaccine platform, especially in guidance affecting children and pregnant women. 'We did not fight for you to be in positions of leadership so that our clearly stated policy goals would suffer a 'bait and switch,'' Bowden wrote, warning Kennedy that MAHA voters 'can walk away' if their demands are not met. The letter criticizes recent CDC and FDA policy changes, calling them deceptive and insufficient, and claims the administration is engaging in 'linguistic misdirections' to hide the continued recommendation of mRNA shots for vulnerable populations. The MAHA letter insists the mRNA platform — particularly COVID vaccines — should be pulled from the market entirely, citing adverse event data and peer-reviewed studies. It demands sweeping reforms: a full ban on mRNA technologies, repeal of the PREP Act, elimination of vaccine-related conflicts of interest in federal agencies, and an end to direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising. The signatories include author Naomi Wolf, podcaster Shannon Joy, and several other activists who rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic by challenging government vaccine narratives. The backlash comes amid growing scrutiny of RFK Jr.'s recent actions as HHS secretary. Once one the nation's most vocal mRNA vaccine skeptic, Kennedy has walked a careful line in office, telling Congress in May that his personal views on vaccines are 'irrelevant' and vowing not to make sudden changes to CDC policy. 'I don't think people should be taking medical advice from me,' Kennedy told lawmakers, as reported by The Hill on June 2. Still, his critics on both sides see Kennedy's recent moves as consequential. Late last month, he released a 58-second video on X stating that COVID vaccines for healthy children and healthy pregnant women had been removed from the CDC's immunization schedule — a declaration Bowden and others say was misleading. Indeed, as The Hill previously reported, the CDC quietly changed its guidance to say healthy children may receive the COVID vaccine after consultation with a healthcare provider, while maintaining stronger recommendations for other vulnerable categories. For pregnant women, the recommendation was similarly softened but not eliminated, and pregnancy remains classified by the FDA as a high-risk health condition, allowing continued vaccine use under certain circumstances. Bowden's letter zeroes in on this ambiguity, arguing that wordplay is being used to sustain vaccine availability under the appearance of reform. 'Pregnant women have not been made any safer by your wordplay,' she writes, warning that MAHA activists are prepared to run their own candidates in upcoming elections if their demands are ignored. The political threat underscores the friction between Kennedy and the movement that once celebrated his nomination. While Kennedy has taken steps to reshape HHS in ways consistent with his skepticism — including canceling hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for Moderna's mRNA flu vaccine— his first few months of actions have not thus far rendered the swift action that some would have hoped. Former CDC acting director Dr. Richard Besser and other public health experts have voiced alarm at Kennedy's willingness to circumvent the CDC's vaccine advisory panel, which has traditionally guided immunization policy through public, evidence-based deliberation. 'We're seeing a total side-stepping of the nation's leading public health agency,' Besser told The Hill. The vaccine panel has not yet weighed in on the updated COVID shot guidance. Its next meeting is scheduled for late June, and observers expect tense debate over whether Kennedy's changes represent science-based reform or political overreach. In the meantime, Bowden's warning reflects the fragile coalition Kennedy is attempting to hold together. The MAHA movement — built in part from disaffected MAGA voters, vaccine skeptics, and parents concerned about government overreach — played a pivotal role in rallying support for Kennedy's confirmation and the broader medical freedom agenda. Now, its leaders are openly questioning whether Kennedy's tenure will deliver the systemic change they demand — or whether they were simply used to fuel a political ascent. 'MAHA is not the possession of Secretary Kennedy,' Bowden wrote. 'It is the voice of millions of desperate parents… and their activism will outlast any administration.' The Dallas Express reached out to HHS but did not immediately receive a response. Kennedy previously spoke to The Dallas Express about a lawsuit Bowden brought against the FDA for misleading the public about using ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19 during his presidential campaign in 2024 and just after the FDA settled the case. 'All three of the principal health agencies [CDC, NIH, FDA] suffer from agency capture,' Kennedy said. 'I would say 50% of the FDA's budget is from pharmaceutical companies. NIH scientists are allowed to collect royalties on drugs that they regulate –– which is clearly a conflict of interest. CDC … has devolved into an agency that primarily promotes the mercantile interests of the pharmaceutical companies.' He told DX that the agencies are overly influenced by perverse incentives from the pharmaceutical industry and added, 'I will change those incentives and unravel the culture of corruption that now has turned these agencies against public health.'
New York Post
7 hours ago
- New York Post
NY auctions off unused decorative lights in $100 million Cuomo boondoggle
The lights have finally gone out on this project. In an extraordinary fire sale, the state Power Authority is auctioning off a huge storehouse of unused decorative bridge lights — which were supposed to be part of a $106 million project to brighten up the city's spans by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but which never got installed. With a minimum bid of just $25, the lights are only expected to fetch pennies on the dollar — and leave the state out a massive amount of cash for the failed lighting project, officials told The Post of the sale, which was was first reported by Politico. Advertisement 5 In an extraordinary fire sale, the state Power Authority is auctioning off a huge storehouse of unused decorative bridge lights. AP Cuomo announced the 'New York Harbor Crossings Project' in 2017, which was supposed to slap multi-colored light fixtures on all nine MTA bridges and tunnels, along with the Port Authority's Hudson River crossings and the Thruway Authority's Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. Critics lampooned the decorative lighting show as an unnecessary vanity project, at a time when breakdowns in transit service caused what was dubbed 'the summer of hell.' Advertisement Facing outrage over a declining subway service, Cuomo suspended the bridge lights program after buying $106 million worth of the lights and equipment, putting them in storage. 5 The lights were supposed to be part of a $106 million project to brighten up the city's spans by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but which never got installed. William Farrington Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit New York. The bulbs have been gathering dust in storage for eight years after Cuomo promised the harbor light show would 'blow people away.' Advertisement NYPA has paid about $300,000 a year in storage costs, bringing to the total tab of the bridge light project to $108 million. The unused lights became an orphan, after Cuomo resigned as governor amid sexual misconduct accusations he denies. MTA senior management, which had more pressing problems, wanted nothing to do with the light show. 5 Critics lampooned the decorative lighting show as an unnecessary vanity project, at a time when breakdowns in transit service in that was dubbed 'the summer of hell.' AP 'We have tried to repurpose these lights. Despite these efforts to identify new uses across the state, demand was not what was expected, so the next logical step is to auction the lights,' said NYPA spokeswoman Linday Kryzak. Advertisement Transit advocates and government watchdogs said the light show boondoggle calls into question the claims by Cuomo and his backers that he's a good manager. 'Andrew Cuomo can talk about building big stuff but he's noted for boondoggles that allowed transit service for millions of people to slide toward a cliff,' said Danny Pearlstein, spokesman for the NYC Riders Alliance. 5 NYPA has paid about $300,000 a year in storage costs, bringing to the total tab of the bridge light project to $108 million. STEPHEN YANG It's not the only arguably wasteful project pushed by Cuomo. As The Post reported, he also ordered the MTA to burn as much as $30 million to retile two city tunnels — the Brooklyn Battery and Queens Midtown — in the state's blue-and-gold color scheme, instead of using the dough for desperately needed subway repairs. The agency originally ordered white tiles. 5 Transit advocates and government watchdogs said the light show boondoggle calls into question the claims by Cuomo and his backers that he's a good manager. STEPHEN YANG 'This is a guy whose supporters tell us is a management genius. This bridge light project was a boondoggle, debacle and fiasco rolled into one,' said John Kaehny, executive director of the watchdog group Reinvent Albany. 'Cuomo stuck taxpayers with this gigantic bill. It was government by ego, by whim Sometimes you make mistakes when managing during a crisis. This was premeditated mismanagement,' he said. Advertisement Cuomo's campaign declined to comment. Gov. Kathy Hochul — who was lieutenant governor at the time — also declined to comment.
