The Edmonton Downtown Business Association held a Mayoral Forum on October 1 with the top four polling candidates as of mid-September, Andrew Knack, Tim Cartmell, Michael Walters and Rahim Jaffer. The candidates were questioned about the most pressing issues facing Downtown, as well as the arts and culture sector.
Below are the questions from moderator, Puneeta McBryan, and a brief recap of each candidates’ response. We’ve done our best to summarize the responses; this does not include any direct quotes from the candidates. Wherever a candidate directly referenced a policy that is posted online, we have included a link.
Question 1
Puneeta: Please introduce yourselves to our audience and share with us if and why you believe that our city’s downtown and our city’s arts & cultural sector should be priorities for our city’s leadership.
A: Rahim Jaffer
- The first Muslim Member of Parliament to be elected, served from 1997 – 2008
- Owns a business, Rooster Kitchen, where he makes it a priority to incorporate arts and culture by bringing in live music.
- Wants to create a safe place for creativity.
- As a city, wants to be able to facilitate connecting the arts and philanthropists in Edmonton.
- Says we must clean up Downtown and include the arts to help create vibrancy.
A: Michael Walters
- Stated that change is needed at City Hall.
- He is part owner of a creative business located downtown, and the business has remained downtown because he knows that Downtown can be the beating heart of the city once again.
- Remarked that as the capital city of Alberta, Edmonton deserves respect, support and investment to tackle the social issues and safety issues that the city is facing.
- Wants the feeling of safety and dignified support for the unhoused, construction that builds momentum not frustration and affordability.
- Remarked that the arts drives our economy because when people gather, they fill restaurants, shops and hotels.
A: Tim Cartmell
- A lifelong Edmontonian, two-term City Councillor, spent 30 years working as an engineer. He and wife Cathy built their business and raised their family here.
- Acknowledged that when meeting with Edmontonians, he is hearing that people don’t feel safe walking around downtown and other areas of our city.
- As Mayor he will launch a Safe Streets Strategy that will provide more visible policing with community partnerships.
- Wants to get Edmonton’s fiscal situation in order as Edmonton has some of the highest property taxes, and as a result businesses are investing outside the city instead of here.
- Added that it’s hard to revitalize downtown when you close the roads and bridges to the city’s core and that we need to build better.
- Regarding the importance of the arts, his Great Grandfather was a founder of the Edmonton Arts Society, which is now the Art Gallery of Alberta, and has a musician son whose band performs around the city.
A: Andrew Knack
- Has served on City Council for 12 years.
- Remarked on Edmonton’s speed of growth and wants to turn that into an opportunity by ensuring everyone has a fair chance to succeed here. That includes ensuring we fund strong public services that people can count on.
- Wants safer communities where the city addresses housing and homelessness with empathy and not indifference.
- Envisions a stronger economy so that businesses can thrive, not survive.
- Sees the arts and nightlife of Edmonton supported in the future as economic drivers that help build a health community.
- Would plan to build more housing and see more residents downtown.
Question 2
Puneeta: Let’s first dive into issues affecting our arts & cultural sector, which is a critical piece of a successful downtown and a thriving city. This is a question that was provided by our partners at the Edmonton Arts Council:
What do you believe is the role of the municipal government in fostering art and culture in our city, and what role would you play in this sector as Mayor?
A: Andrew Knack
- Wants to see consistent and sustainable funding for the arts, including consistent and stable funding for the Edmonton Arts Council.
- Wants to make sure that our festivals and events are also supported with funding that allows them not only to survive but to grow.
- He also wants to ensure that new festivals that are just getting off the ground have enough funding to become ‘the next big thing’.
A: Tim Cartmell
- Sees the City’s role as being an enabler of the arts.
- He wants to see funding and support that enables artists to earn living wages.
- For many of our venues and festivals, it all starts with being able to get downtown and to feel safe when people arrive.
- He wants to reduce red tape so that, for example, the Arts District isn’t stalled in providing programming, like shutting down a street for an event.
- He wants to see the Arts District enlivened with patios at each facility
A: Rahim Jaffer
- Jaffer also wants to see stable funding for the Edmonton Arts Council, festivals and art institutes.
- He also addressed the red tape and that shouldn’t be part of the equation in ‘Canada’s Festival City’.
- He remarked on grants that have been available but they required an investment up front for the program which small businesses can’t do.
- He wants to create councils of excellence in different sectors so that there’s collaboration and can help guide the City in decisions.
A: Michael Walters
- He wants to recognize and celebrate the arts knowing that every dollar invested has a large return.
- Walters has been a season ticket holder at many theatres in the city.
- Regarding Arts District, he talked about a lack of leadership for many years even prior to COVID when LRT construction made the area difficult to access and then it was impacted further by the pandemic. He cited a lack of partnership between the city and the arts community to solve the problems.
- He said he wants to see more funding but also wants to see the arts and culture sector have a seat at the table because Edmonton is one of the only cities in Canada without a creative industries strategy that layers into the city’s economic development plans.
- He also noted that the live music scene in Edmonton needs to be addressed and revitalized.
Question 3
Puneeta: A key area where arts & culture overlaps with our city’s economic health and the success of our downtown is in our nighttime economy. We’ve lost almost all of our independent live music venues, it’s more expensive and difficult to run a small hospitality business than it ever has been, and even our institutional venues like the Citadel, where we’re standing today, and the Winspear are struggling to stay afloat. The City of Edmonton work that was done on this file over the past two years was, in our opinion, an absolute disaster that went nowhere.
What do you believe the challenges are facing this sector, and what is your plan for Edmonton’s nighttime economy?
A: Michael Walters
- Remarked on the days decades ago when he spent a lot of time at live music venues downtown and said that we have lost that.
- He said of course if we can rebuild our live music scene it’s going to help with feelings of safety in the area.
- He noted that the Nighttime Economy Strategy that was developed was incomplete and had little follow through by the City and partners. He also noted that West Anthem brought a thorough report to City Council on the music industry in Edmonton and that it wasn’t discussed.
- Walters mentioned his Arts, Culture, and the Non-Profit Sector plan that includes appointing a Music Industry Officer to focus reports and efforts in the industry to City Council to ensure it gets the attention.
A: Andrew Knack
- Acknowledged many challenges including safety downtown, delays in business licensing and lack of 24/7 support from the city.
- He proposes regulatory systems and City personnel that are accessible to the nighttime economy which is outside standard business hours.
- He wants to reimagine Edmonton as a 24-hour city.
- Wants to prioritize the creative sectors on all main streets and Business Improvement Areas across the city by growing jobs which includes attracting more visitors. Wants to focus on making Edmonton a destination of choice for events, concerts, sporting events, tours, conferences, and meetings (both large and small scale).
A: Rahim Jaffer
- Said that we can’t mince words and we have to clean up downtown first and that includes more police presence.
- Besides safety he is proposing free parking after 5 or 6 p.m., as well as Sundays and statutory holidays.
- He wants to create a ‘free fare zone’ for LRT or transit so people are encouraged to move around and support all areas of downtown.
A: Tim Cartmell
- Wants to first and foremost focus on the venues and people that are already downtown. Proposes to take an inventory of the venues and establishments we do have to identify the gaps and overlaps in this ecosystem.
- Noted a project he worked on in his ward a few years ago that ensured a theatre was attached to the local recreation centre. That enables youth and those that want to get involved in the arts and culture a place to do that. This rebuilds the arts community.
- Wants to provide spaces for people to be outside in the summer months but also refocus on bringing colour and light to key areas like downtown during the darkest days in the winter. That creates an environment for others to create a vibrant space for people to enjoy.
Question 4
Puneeta: Obviously, an issue that’s on many voters’ minds in this election is the safety, cleanliness, and attractiveness of our downtown sidewalks, public spaces, and our transit system. I’m sure you’ve heard from many Edmontonians what we hear every day – that many don’t feel comfortable or confident bringing their kids or their elderly parents downtown, that businesses are struggling to get staff downtown, and that people just don’t feel confident or optimistic about our city as a result, and it’s affecting office and retail leasing, and it’s affecting massive economic issues like the fate of Edmonton City Centre Mall. When it comes to these issues in our downtown – what is one thing we need to keep doing, thing we need to stop doing, and one thing we need to start doing?
A: Tim Cartmell
- Keep doing: work with the EDBA as a partner in the downtown space because it is the connector to the businesses and residents.
- Start doing: Community policing which sees officers become part of the community and get to know the shop owners and residents. They attend community league and EDBA meetings.
- Stop doing: As a community we have to stop walking past the things we see and instead when someone is in distress do our part, call 911 or 211.
A: Rahim Jaffer
- Stop doing: Supporting the status quo leadership at the City.
- Start doing: Consider bold solutions to help clean up downtown by centralizing services. That includes moving services north of the city by Alberta hospital to create a recovery village. He wants to think outside the box and bring all government partners to the table.
A: Michael Walters
- Keep doing: Continue to deploy peace officers and police to work together to expand the social policing model. Edmonton is a leader in ensuring frontline staff includes all services, so social workers don’t feel unsafe and police don’t have to be involved in social issues.
- Stop doing: Stop defunding crucial supports like overdose response teams, housing response teams and encampment response teams.
- Start doing: A day shelter space when outreach teams work with someone they’re taken somewhere to get the services and support they need.
A: Andrew Knack
- Keep doing: Centre City Optimization work which provides enhanced cleaning and repairs.
- Stop doing: Waiting on the province to support the city. He appreciates the conversation about fixing the relationship but said people are dying and we need solutions. He wants to work with the private sector and federal government. He announced a Housing and Homeless Strategy after the forum.
- Start doing: Create more incentives for housing in the core because with more people living in the core there’s more eyes and greater vibrancy. That includes incentives in the core of the city, as well as around transit hubs so people can get around.
Question 5
Puneeta: As at least two of you are aware, while we’re very excited as a downtown community about the Downtown Action Plan and the extension of the Downtown CRL, the EDBA had a handful of very serious concerns about how that plan could very easily fall short to address the basics of urban place management and economic development. As Mayor, how do you want to see the Downtown Action Plan implemented?
A: Tim Cartmell
- The City must formalize a relationship with the EDBA to support Core Care services like the Ambassador Program and Downtown Shine.
- Cartmell wants to see a management framework for open spaces and public parks to ensure they’re activated, as well as kept clean and safe.
- Referenced that we have a great public-private partnership in place with City Council which includes the extension of the Community Revitalization Levy to help bring investment downtown to add housing and they need to stay focused on expanding investment through the CRL.
- He wants to see a development plan and incentives for developers to build new residential towers and convert old office buildings to residential.
- He also wants a neighbourhood renewal program for downtown which is seen in a lot of suburban neighbourhoods but not downtown.
- Wants to see public realm continue to be improved, such as LRT entrances effectively “making it look like the city cares about downtown and cares what it looks like.”
A: Rahim Jaffer
- He wants to reduce commercial vacancies and in conversations with developers he’s found out that people are using creative ways to convert downtown spaces that haven’t been used. He was encouraged to hear about this investment.
- It’s all about making sure we bring more people downtown through ‘cleaning up downtown.’ He’s proposing 125 new officers to continue the community policing.
- He wants bold solutions like the recovery village he referenced earlier.
A: Andrew Knack
- He wants to prioritize housing which is one of the four pillars of the Downtown Action Plan.
- He expressed concern over the recent deal between the City, provincial government and Oilers Entertainment Group that we’re spending a lot of money on the front end and alleges that it doesn’t guarantee the housing that is needed.
- He stated that he was the first Councillor to talk about and encourage incentivizing office conversions a few years ago.
A: Michael Walters
- He mentioned that a lack of safety downtown and increase in taxes have hurt investor confidence.
- It’s important that Edmonton focus on doubling the downtown population and that includes leveraging the colleges downtown that bring 30,000 students to the area.
- He wants to see everyone work together to create a safe space downtown that increases confidence and start with projects that are underway to increase hope and optimism.
Question 6
Puneeta: What kind of a role do you believe the Mayor, Council and City Administration should play in highly consequential issues like the future of Edmonton City Centre mall and other critical commercial real estate assets that impact the entire downtown tax base?
A: Michael Walters
- Mayor as convener, champion to bring together an investment roundtable because there’s people in the city who want to be a part of reimagining Edmonton City Centre Mall.
A: Andrew Knack
- The Mayor’s role is as a partnership to bring non-profits, private development working on a new model and reimagining of the spaces.
- The world has changed and people want access to amenities and retail services close to their home, not driving to a destination.
- Create retail that you can’t get elsewhere.
A: Tim Cartmell
- Noted that the city should not talk about and try to get involved in private real estate deals because it can unintentionally hurt the deal.
- Said that more than anything business owners and investors need to be confident that downtown is safe enough and is a predictable market, so that investment comes back.
- Cartmell wants to create a derelict property tax class or category so that property owners just holding on to land or property are held to account.
A: Rahim Jaffer
- He mentioned that business owners and property owners like the ECC owners are having to spend too much money on security and the City of Edmonton could help by reducing property taxes.
Question 7
Puneeta: The elephant in the room in most conversations about the future of our city and cities across Canada is the municipal-provincial relationship, and how little power and resources the City of Edmonton and the Mayor really holds. What is your plan for working with the Provincial Government and why do you believe you’re the best candidate to move that relationship forward to ensure that Edmonton gets what we need to succeed?
A: Tim Cartmell
- Mentioned he already has many of the relationships that are needed to move forward productively.
- Edmonton leadership needs a more mature and deliberate effort with the decision makers at the province.
A: Michael Walters
- We are the capital city and have to act like the capital city and understand what that means.
- He wants to take a unique approach where it’s not one person working with the province but including the whole community, the business community, faith community, the not-for-profit community.
- Mentioned that Calgary is far more united in provincial relations.
A: Rahim Jaffer
- Said it’s about mutual respect and taking partisanship out of the equation. It’s about ensuring the taxpayer gets value.
A: Andrew Knack
- Referenced his 12 years on council has had great success working with the Government of Alberta.
- He wants to remind people that when advocacy isn’t working, like that being done right now on homelessness, the City has to stand up and be vocal.