With the Edmonton election just five days away, the final push is on for municipal candidates trying to sway voters.
For those running this time around, the campaign trail has undergone some changes since 2021.
Four years ago, the inauguration of Edmonton’s new mayor and council looked a little different.
When the outgoing council took the reins, the world was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and the issues top of mind were quite different.
“There were public health restrictions with the city, so many city facilities were closed,” said political analyst John Brennan.
“It was such a different time than now.”
Ward sipiwiyiniwak Coun. Sarah Hamilton is not running for re-election this October.
During her campaigning in 2021, she remembers explaining to voters the new boundaries of her ward and being asked about public health restrictions.
“There were voters I talked to that didn’t like my position on masking one way or another, or vaccines one way or another,” Hamilton said. “I can tell you I know I lost votes in 2021 over that.
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“Fast forward to 2025, I don’t think anyone is talking about those issues.”
Data scientists at Janet Brown Opinion Research note that this time around, some other similar issues are not at the forefront for voters.
“Decreasing the importance placed on social justice-type issues,” said data scientist John Santos. “If we look at addressing climate change, only 47 per cent of people say that that’s a very important issue for them.”
Pollsters also found there are more concerns about the city’s growth in this election and the pains that come with it.
While the capital region as a whole has been home to over a million people for many years, under the current council, Edmonton itself reached a population of one million residents inside city limits.
Many issues stem from that growth, Hamilton says.
“The minute your city hits a million people, there’s a change in the way people deal with each other. There’s a change in the scope and scale of the issues that you’re managing.
“I think this election, a lot of the issues we’ve heard about are also about the growing pains of becoming a city over a million people.”
Some typical priorities like snow removal, public safety and construction are still present on voters’ minds.
“The issue of taxes, tax increases, spending at city hall, fiscal responsibility — that was an issue in 2021 and is still a big issue today,” Brennan said.
For Hamilton, she believes the heart of the election will come down to regaining trust after four years of profound change.
“Who do Edmontonians trust to manage these issues and get us through this?”
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