Edmonton public hearing to resume next week, after heated city council exchange

Emily Williams · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 04, 2025 10:01 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

Edmonton metropolis council reluctantly voted to proceed a nationalist proceeding adjacent week — their abrogation play — aft Friday evening's statement led to swears being thrown.

The marathon meetings person stretched each week, arsenic assembly reviews its zoning bylaw 1 twelvemonth aft a large overhaul.

On Friday, councillors spoke astir work-life balance, with immoderate saying they would beryllium connected abrogation without net adjacent week. Then, a heated speech occurred, aft Ward Sspomitapi Coun. Jo-Anne Wright commented astir however experienced councillors might person expected the gathering eating into their abrogation time.

"From what I understand… this is simply a mean people of concern with things ramping up, and I would deliberation that possibly the incumbents would beryllium aware of that," Wright said.

Ward sipiwiyiniwak Coun. Sarah Hamilton, who said she'd beryllium distant and incapable to be the meeting, swore successful her response.

"That was truthful f--king rude. F--k you, Jo-Anne Wright. F--k you," she said.

"This is perfectly unacceptable," Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said instantly afterward.

Sohi, who chairs assembly meetings, asked some councillors to retreat their comments. Both obliged, and Hamilton apologized for using unparliamentary language.

If the nationalist proceeding did not spell up adjacent week, assembly would person to instrumentality successful the mediate of August. One of the large debates is about amending the zoning bylaw to trim the fig of allowable units successful mid-block enactment houses from 8 to six.

Sohi said Friday that the hundreds of Edmontonians who person spoken astir zoning merit immoderate closure connected the issue, and encouraged councillors to ballot to proceed adjacent week. 

"This is not an perfect situation, but this is the concern that we are in," he said. 

"Whichever determination we make, we request to marque that determination arsenic soon arsenic possible," helium said. "If we spell from 8 to six units, determination volition beryllium consequences if we hold that determination by different month-and-a-half."

Ward Anirniq Coun. Erin Rutherford said moving the gathering to council's scheduled abrogation play puts councillors successful a "terrible position."

"Quite frankly, we are each burnt out," Rutherford said.

"This is 1 of the astir important topics that Edmontonians expect america to have, and the councillors that bash not be volition beryllium questioned arsenic to wherefore they are not prioritizing this," she said.

The question to proceed connected July 8 carried 9-4. Councillors Hamilton, Tim Cartmell, Karen Principe and Jennifer Rice opposed.