What started out as a sleepy campaign of shoo-in incumbents in Edmonton's municipal elections has turned an unexpected corner this summer as - seemingly out of the blue - "volunteers" began appearing on street corners and canvassing major events for signatures to celebrate the Edmonton City Centre Airport open.
The aerodrome has served as a secondary airport, mainly for private jets, pilot education and medevac flights.
t has not had scheduled passenger flights since a plebiscite in 1995 consolidated scheduled traffic at the Edmonton International Airport.
Current Mayor Stephen Mandel has lobbied for airport closure in favor of a walkable, sustainable urban community with high environmental standards. This sight is now an international competition, with proposals to be submitted by five firms in November.
Nearly a twelvemonth since council voted 10 to 3 in favor of ending the airport, a group called Envision Edmonton came forward with a request to break the closure. They called upon municipal election candidates to speak the issue, and eventually endorsed a list of known pro-airport candidates, including David Dorward for mayor.
Another candidate, Daryl Bonar (whose macho campaign began at a UFC match and continued as a grassroots campaign targeting youth voters in bars) claimed that Envision Edmonton requested that he step down from his effort in society not to separate the pro-airport vote. This coincided with the declaration that another candidate, pro-airport Don Koziak, would be stepping out of the mayor's race to run for councillor in Ward 2.
As a reaction to Envision Edmonton's flashy media campaign, the Edmonton Airport Authoritystarted Share the Facts, which started running ads to counter E.E.'s claims. Another group - Yes For Edmonton - created what is essentially a number of big and not-so-prominent Edmontonians in favor of developing airport lands as comfortably as other progressive views. A media bun fight has since ensued, with each side claiming the former to be in the bag of various interest groups, with mini-scandals involving rogue emails, leaked letters, and conspiracy theories.
The downtown area has likewise been another hot button topic, some may say a red herring, during this election. The proprietor of the Edmonton Oilers has made it no secret that he wants to move the team to a new arena, which he plans to build downtown. The current area is in the union east. Mandel seems to prefer a downtown arena, which promises public spaces and attractions, such as dining and casinos.
However, the struggle over how much public funding will go into the plan has been contentious as Oilers boss Daryl Katz has presented proposals that see virtually no promised revenues outside of taxes. As a hockey town, this notice is a cunning one to play: show too much spine against Oilers management brings up the ghost of losing the team altogether (Katz has indiscreetly been sniffing around Hamilton for prospective arena development), but appear too willing to cave into demands rallies the non-fans who balk at millions coming out of their pockets to store a man who is already a billionaire.
It has been a foreign one.
In Edmonton, city councillors and mayors do not officially identify with any political party (though some are participating in parties provincially and federally), so the right-left labels are not necessarily obvious, nor consistent. What municipal politicians do, then, is to cope with issues.
What has emerged during the preceding month of campaigning are 3 major contenders to the mayoral seat. Incumbent Mandel has promoted a sight of Edmonton as a metropolis of quality, (his "no more crap" policy on architecture, a stress on creativity and retaining young professionals, and the arts), as good as focus on more nitty-gritty city issues (our aboriginal population, revitalization of older neighbourhoods, homelessness and urban sustainability). David Dorward is a chartered accountant (and former unsuccessful provincial Conservative candidate) whose claim to fame seems to be the construction of the Go! Centre recreation centre, espouses the traditional conservative line of lower taxes through fiscal restraint. Daryl Bonar is a 31-year-old military officer whose aggressive stance (Fight Back! is meant to pull young men. His program is informed by a "grassroots" philosophy, resulting in a program that runs from the sensible (urban revitalization) to the impractical(monthly neighbourhood meetings to supplement city hall forums). Other candidates are mostly seen as being on the fringe.
The airport issue enrages many Edmontonians on both sides of the political spectrum, and is distracting. In the meantime, citizens have expressed their concerns on some less rhetorical issues.
Edmonton has adopted a 10-year homelessness plan. The density of social housing (which includes low-income affordable housing, halfway houses, and group homes) has been mentioned numerous times, and is one of Bonar's pet causes. Bonar himself was elevated in a low-income figure in Vancouver, and claimed that they are best spread throughout the city rather than concentrated in the inner city; wards 6, 2, and 7 being the most affected. Mandel's business for social housing is in fact a concern for housing overall, he says, which ties into planning, development, and his homelessness efforts which cause a housing-now focus.
And urban sprawl has become an ongoing concern: with schools closing in the interior city while infrastructure is scrambling to be reinforced in the outer edges of the city, many are disturbed about the cost of our ever-expanding borders to taxpayers, not to name the environmental cost. Urban sprawl goes deal in hand with the airport development issue - or does it? Dorward and Bonar, who both are in favor of holding the airport open, take an anti-sprawl stance. Mandel's plan for inner city revitalization and growth of the airport (which would be an easy bike commute to downtown, if it were a residential area).
Perhaps the most interesting issue (and one people can hold on) is the menace of school closures and the deficiency of co-operation between council and both world and Catholic school boards.
An unprecedented amount of candidates has stepped up for the school board elections, with 24 candidates run in the world system's nine wards (two wards acclamated their candidates) and 20 candidates vying for the seven Catholic wards. Most candidates have uttered a business over the school situation, and it is probable that this subject will end up at the top of the schedule with the new council.
Many Edmontonians have brought up public transit as a concern. Mandel during his three-term, nine-year tenure has pushed LRT development, with a major line running south to a proposed south University campus now complete, and lines to be built west and north, crossing the old new airport development and to the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (which itself would likely expand onto airport lands). LRT development had been stalled for years, with no new development since the downtown line crossed the river to the university in the 1990s. However, Dorward feels that we cannot give the planned LRT expansion, ("line-by-line" seems to be a favourite buzzword for this accountant), but feels that a zero-tolerance policy on transit safety should be adopted, even though such a policy already exists. Bonar is cautiously in favor of LRT expansion, although he feels that the western route must be re-debated. Cycle Edmonton has also been active in promoting policies that encourage safe cycling in the city.
Despite Alberta's reputation for political complacency and heterogeneity, alternative voices are quite active in Edmonton. Two interesting surveys are an exercise of this. The Professional Arts Coalition of Edmonton (PACE) runs its Artsvote campaign every election (city, provincial and federal) and quizzed candidates on their side on the arts, as well, a queer survey was taken by The Washington Club, a business network for queer professionals. Mandel has comfortably included gay rights into his tenure, finally overturning former Mayor Bill Smith's stubborn refusal to sign the Pride Week proclamation. He has taken office in Pride parades, and is the supporter of Camp Fyrefly, a summer camp for gay youth.
Mari Sasano is a freelancer author and the editor of The Rat Creek Press.
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