Edmonton Election Update: Oct. 11, 2017

By Mack Male and Anna McMillan

Welcome to our 10th roundup of election-related news and links. We'll be publishing this kind of collection regularly right through to Election Day, which is Oct. 16, 2017. We hope you find it useful, and welcome any feedback or tips you might have.

Into the home stretch

With Election Day now less than a week away, campaigns are going to be making their final pushes, and voters are going to be doing their research to figure out who to vote for.

Voters who haven't already cast a ballot in the advance vote, that is! The City announced today that 8,495 citizens had voted in the first six days of advance voting. That compares to 8,438 votes in the first five days of advance voting in the 2013 election. While that means turnout is down, consider that the 2013 election featured an open mayoral race. Advance voting runs until 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13, so there's still time to take advantage if you'd like to avoid the Election Day rush.

If you're still unsure about who to vote for, we can help. Our election microsite has been updated with more than 200 categorized links to make it easier for you to learn more about your ward and candidates. To get started, simply use the Election Guide. We'll tell you where to vote, which wards you're in, which candidates are running, and more.

The polls will be open on Election Day from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Green Drinks: The Election

Karen and Mack will be at The Local Good's next Green Drinks event on Thursday, Oct. 12, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m at Yellowhead Brewery. We hope you'll join us to talk all things election! Tickets are just $10 in advance or $15 at the door.

Tweeting about the event? Use the hashtags #yegvote and #greendrinksyeg.

Forums

• If you can believe it, David Xiao, candidate in Ward 5, read the newspaper in socks while other candidates spoke at the ward's forum.
• A forum organized by Edmonton Catholic Teachers Local 54 took place last week at the former Royal Alberta Museum. Janet French covered it live.
• Here's a recap of the Ward 9 forum that took place last Wednesday.
• Here's a recap of the Ward 10 forum that took place last Wednesday.

Candidate surveys

• A number of candidates responded to the Journal's survey on how to ensure Edmonton thrives in a world of $60 oil.
• Another Journal survey looked at property taxes, and found that "keeping taxes low was the biggest theme."
• Candidates make a lot of promises during a campaign, but can they keep them? How quickly can they expect to make significant change? "Some seem to understand the constraints of city government, others don’t," wrote Elise Stolte. "They’re in for a rude awakening if elected."
• Here is what the candidates think about low-income housing in Edmonton.
• Ward 12 candidates weighed in on pedestrian safety and how to achieve Vision Zero.
• In Ward 6, which includes downtown, "empty lots and derelict houses can be a blight on the changing face of the area." The Journal asked candidates about the issue.

Mayoral race

• A new poll conducted by research firm Leger between Sept. 28 and Oct. 1 found Don Iveson, Don Koziak, and Carla Frost were the top three mayoral candidates. Asked if the current mayor and council "deserve to be re-elected," 51 per cent of respondents said yes.
• Who is Henry Mak? That's the question that everyone was asking after the second mayoral forum. Paula Simons looked into the matter and got some assurances that Henry Mak is a real person, distinct from George Lam. Then a few days later she got call from Lam to confirm that Henry Mak and Shiu Wing Mak, who ran for council in 2007, are the same person.
• Richard Warnica writing about mayoral candidate Don Koziak for Postmedia: "Koziak may be Canada’s preeminent expert in losing elections." And later: "Barring a miracle, Koziak will lose again next week, for the 10th time, this time to incumbent Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson."
• One of Don Iveson's policy proposals is an "innovation corridor" along the LRT between the University of Alberta and NAIT. Elise Stolte interviewed author Richard Florida about the idea.
• In his final policy announcement, Don Iveson calls for free transit for children aged 12 and under. "It costs next to nothing actually," said Iveson.
• Dave Cournoyer told Global Edmonton "there's no real serious challenger in this mayoral election."

Other updates

You can find an up-to-date listing of election-related links at our #yegvote microsite! Here's what else we've found:

• Funny videos seemed to be the theme this week. Here's the "mayoral race summed up in 97 seconds" from CBC. Here's another one featuring mayoral candidate Carla Frost called "The Shooting Sweetie Star."
• Calgary introduced drive-thru voting for the first time this election, and now Edmonton is considering something similar for future elections.
• Here is John Brennan's look at Wards 7 through 12. "Ward 7 is going to be an interesting race to watch," he wrote.
• Global Edmonton spoke to Keren Tang, candidate for council in Ward 11, and Eli Schrader, candidate for council in Ward 8, about the final push with just a week to go.
• North Edmonton residents want "more Griesbach, less Blatchford" writes David Staples. At least that's what Kris Andreychuk, candidate for council in Ward 7, has heard on the doorsteps.
• Columnist Graham Hicks says if he were running for council, he would "bring fiscal conservativism back in favour."
• Janet French has the scoop on special interest groups wading into school trustee elections.
• Asking your candidates about issues that matter for seniors? Consider these questions prepared by the Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council.
• Need a break from the 2017 election? Here are some election ads from 1971 to enjoy instead, courtesy of Vintage Edmonton.
• Want to catch up on previous editions of our Edmonton Election Update? You can read them all in our newsletter archive.

Events

You can find an up-to-date listing of election-related events at our #yegvote microsite! Here's what's coming up:

• The third and final mayoral forum takes place at the Italian Cultural Centre on Oct. 11.
• The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees is hosting an election forum at the AUPE offices on Oct. 11.
• An all-candidate forum is being organized for Ward 4 at the McLeod Community Hall on Oct. 11.
• The North Glenora Community League is hosting an election forum for candidates of Wards 5, 75, and C on Oct. 11.
• The Greater Edmonton Alliance is hosting an election forum at the St. Clare Catholic Parish on Oct. 11.
• The Bellevue and Highlands Community Leagues are hosting a forum for candidates in Wards 7, D, and 73 at the Highlands Golf Club on Oct. 12.
• Kris Andreychuk, candidate for council in Ward 7, is hosting another "Taste of Ward 7" fundraiser at El Rancho on Oct. 13.
• CBC Edmonton will be hosting an Election Night event on Oct. 16 at The Garneau Theatre featuring John Brennan, Lana Cuthbertson, and Omar Mouallem.

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