Having focused on Edmonton’s mayoral contest in last week’s edition, I decided that this week’s ‘Substance and Style’ review should focus on the City Council and School Board campaigns across the city.
Aboriginal issues
Ward 6 candidate Kyle Brown wants to bring Aboriginal issues to the civic discussion. This is important, because by 2017 Edmonton is expected to have the largest urban aboriginal population in Canada.
Ward issues
CBC reporter Steve Finkelman reports on a day spent doorknocking with Ward 11 candidate Sonia Bitar. Ward 10 candidate Michael Walters focused on arts and culture in a blog post this week. And with 15 candidates in the running, urban sprawl was a hot topic at last night’s forum in Ward 6.
In Ward 3, incumbent councillor Dave Loken was endorsed by retiring Ward 2 councillor Kim Krushell.
Surveys
A significant part of a candidate’s time during an election is spent answering surveys from community organizations and advocacy groups. The Local Good has published responses to their candidate surveys, as has the Professional Arts Coalition of Edmonton and the Edmonton Public Library.
Donor transparency
A number of city council candidates have publicly released the names of campaign donors, including David Dodge in Ward 3 (list here), Heather Mackenzie (list here) and Scott McKeen in Ward 6 (link here) and Dave Colburn in Ward 7 (list here). Mr. Colburn has taken the unusual step of refusing to accept donations from developers or unions as a matter of principle. If I have missed any others, please post in the comments section below.
Covering the media
Mack Male has published a round-up of how Edmonton’s media companies are offering civic election coverage.
School board candidates
The Edmonton Public School Board has posted video interviews with candidates competing in the nine wards across the city. Here are the two candidates contesting the election in my area, Ward D:
Election forums online
Archived video from mayoral and city council candidate forums can be found on the City of Edmonton website.
Advanced voting
Election Day is October 21, but advanced voting locations are now open in five locations across Edmonton. Three special post-secondary advanced voting locations will be open next week at NAIT, MacEwan University and the University of Alberta.
You are eligible to vote if: you present authorized identification, you are at least 18 years of age, you are a Canadian citizen, you are a resident of a ward within the city of Edmonton on Election Day, you have lived in Alberta since April 23, 2013, and you have not already voted in the current election.
Who is your candidate?
Not sure who the candidates are? Browse through this list of candidates and their social media links.
