Edmonton Election Update: Aug. 9, 2017
By Mack Male
Welcome to our third 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.
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Where are the Ward 12 candidates?
Troy Pavlek, candidate for council in Ward 11, has written a blog post about the race or lack thereof in Ward 12. "February of 2016 was a blisteringly cold month notable because of the 32 candidates all running in the by-election to take the seat on Edmonton City Council vacated by Amarjeet Sohi," he wrote. But so far only Moe Banga, who won that by-election, and first-time candidate Nigel Logan, have declared their intention to run.
Pavlek reached out to many of the candidates who ran last year and heard back from a handful who confirmed they will not be running again this time around. He also reached out to Banga for his thoughts. "He deftly responded that he's focusing only on his campaign and won't comment on the motivations of others."
For more on Ward 12, see Pavlek's post on how much the by-election cost and my update from February 2016.
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Mayor Don Iveson and Ward 12 Councillor Moe Banga at his swearing-in ceremony
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Should we vote on issues directly?
630 CHED's Bob Layton tackled the suggestion from mayoral candidate Fahad Mughal that we should have referendums or plebiscites to give citizens direct input into major issues. But Layton highlights a few examples that may not have led to the outcome you might want. Would bike lanes have gone ahead if we left it up to citizens? Would the downtown arena?
Jon Dziadyk, candidate for council in Ward 3, had actually written about the topic in a previous post. "Referenda are democratic tools that are currently under-utilized, and I think we should use them more," he wrote. "They can be ways for citizens to reconnect with elected officials between elections."
The last time a ballot question was used in Edmonton was the 1998 municipal election. Voters were asked about their support for removing video lottery terminals from the city. The measure was narrowly defeated. Some councillors suggested making the City Centre Airport a ballot issue in 2010 and the downtown arena a ballot issue in 2013, but neither of those went ahead.
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Time for change on the Edmonton Catholic School Board?
In an interview with the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton's Pastoral Scene publication, Debbie Engel, who is trustee for Ward 74 and is running for re-election, said too often reporters are focused on the “drama” at the ECSD board meetings. "We need to focus on the positive rather than negating what we're doing," she said. "Our budget is balanced. Our enrolment is up. Our Provincial Achievement Test results are good. We should be focusing on that."
The Edmonton Journal's Janet French has been covering the ongoing "drama" caused by trustees. "The board has spent months wrangling with issues that have nothing to do with students’ education or running a school district, often hidden behind closed doors, records show," she wrote earlier this year. "Time and again, they are in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons: yelling matches, talking over one another and marching out of public meetings."
Laura Turchansky, candidate for school trustee in Ward 76, told Pastoral Scene: "I really think it’s time for a change. I’m really frustrated about defending faith, especially when the board is constantly in the news. It’s crazy and unfortunate."
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Other updates
- Bob Ligertwood, owner of Naked Cyber Cafe, has announced he is running for mayor. He previously ran for mayor in 2007 and 2010. He called downtown bike lanes "astonishingly foolish" in a recent tweet.
- ICYMI, here is Elise Stolte's recap of Mayor Don Iveson's re-election campaign launch. "Iveson said next to the economy, transportation and redevelopment will be a key focus for his campaign," she wrote.
- Stolte has asked for input via Facebook on a survey she is planning to send to all candidates. The four questions she has suggested cover residential speed limits; job creation; operating and capital budgets; and walking and cycling infrastructure.
- David Climenhaga has an update on the race for mayor in St. Albert: "Have the key players in City Councillor Cam MacKay’s campaign to become mayor of St. Albert somehow missed the fact incumbent Mayor Nolan Crouse is not running for reelection? You’d almost think so, judging from their frequent and furious attacks on Mayor Crouse."
- Our friends at Edmonton Quotient have compiled a list of ways you can provide input on important Edmonton issues this summer. "If you have the time this summer, and some comfy shoes, door-knocking with a candidate is a great way to explore parts of Edmonton, including neighbourhoods you’ve never been to."
- In our previous update, I wrote about the large list of female candidates who intend to run in the election. Macleans published an opinion piece last month by Rona Ambrose on why she ran for office and why more Canadian women should run, too. "One of the most important things political leaders and parties can do is to just ask women to run; women have to be asked to run an average of five times before considering a future in elected office," she wrote.
- Former mayor Stephen Mandel showed up recently at Ward A school trustee candidate Ahmed Knowmadic's fundraising dinner.
- The latest figures from the 2016 census prompted Richard Liebrecht to ask an interesting question: "With single living now the most common household arrangement, why are campaigns most often speaking about families?"
- Mimi Williams, candidate for council in Ward 7, has responded to the Edmonton & District Labour Council's survey.
- Kris Andreychuk, candidate for council in Ward 7, has launched a redesigned website built by Big Pixel Creative.
- Wade Izzard has announced he will run for council in Ward 4. "Wade Izzard has decided to take up the Larry Decore mantel and run for Ward 4 Edmonton City Council to make the lives of Edmontonians better for disabled people."
- The Spruce Grove Examiner is planning to introduce three candidates running for office each week. Here are the July 29 and Aug. 3 editions. The Examiner also interviewed Rod Shaigec, who is seeking re-election as mayor of Parkland County.
- You can see the current list of declared candidates on daveberta.ca. There are at least 91 individuals who plan to run, as of this writing.
- Edmonton Elections has released information on Special Ballots. If you require a Special Ballot, you can apply online. If you require "audio cues, braille & sip-n-puff technology when casting your ballot" then plan to attend an Advance Vote location from Oct. 4 to 13.
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Events
- The Edmonton District & Labour Council is hosting a Municipal Election Information Session at the Clareview Recreation Centre on Aug. 12.
- Hassan Haymour, candidate for council in Ward 4, is hosting a volunteer rally at his new campaign office on Aug. 13.
- Joseph Luri, candidate for school trustee in Ward A, is hosting a campaign extravaganza at the Glengarry Community Hall on Aug. 16.
- Ahmed Knowmadic, candidate for school trustee in Ward A, is hosting a campaign launch BBQ at Grand Trunk Park on Aug. 18.
- Coun. Scott McKeen, who is running for re-election in Ward 6, is hosting a Flyer Blitz at the Rossdale Community League on Aug. 19.
- Keren Tang, candidate for council in Ward 11, is hosting a Door Knocking Blitz & BBQ on Aug. 20.
- Chris Henderson, who ran Mayor Don Iveson's campaign in 2013, is speaking about the value of positivity in politics at Chartier in Beaumont on Aug. 28.
- The North Edmonton Business Association is hosting a North East Meet & Greet for candidates in Ward 4 and Ward 7 at the Royal Canadian Legion on 50 Street on Sept. 28.
- An all-candidate forum is being organized for Ward 4 at the McLeod Community Hall on Oct. 11.
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Have an election-related tip for us? Let us know by email, or share it on Twitter with the #yegvote hashtag and tag us @taprootyeg.
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