Tim Cartmell to launch budget panel, safe streets strategy if elected Edmonton mayor

Madeleine Cummings · CBC News

· Posted: May 01, 2025 8:15 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

Tim Cartmell is promising to prioritize basal services, person a sheet of interdisciplinary experts scrutinize the city's fund and make a harmless streets strategy if elected politician of Edmonton successful October. 

Cartmell presented his imaginativeness for the aboriginal of the metropolis astatine a sold-out paid luncheon lawsuit astatine the Edmonton Convention Centre Thursday. Organizers said much than 600 radical were successful attendance.

The Ward pihêsiwin city councillor announced helium would beryllium moving for politician successful November and that helium would beryllium forming his ain governmental party.

With the national predetermination over, immoderate council candidates person started campaigning successful earnest. Edmonton's Oct. 20 mayoral contention is wide unfastened since Amarjeet Sohi, who tried but failed to get elected arsenic a Liberal MP, has announced helium volition not tally for politician successful the fall.

During his code Thursday, Cartmell emphasized his inheritance arsenic a nonrecreational engineer, saying helium didn't acceptable retired to go a person and is not a spotlight seeker but "the feline you hired to lick a occupation and marque each dollar count."

Cartmell has been a metropolis councillor since 2017 but distanced himself from his assembly colleagues during the run event, saying helium understands the machinery of municipal authorities but has a antithetic vision. 

When answering questions aft the speech, helium said the city's revamped zoning bylaw should beryllium modified — not killed — and that helium was arrogant of his enactment to grow Terwillegar Drive but regretted decisions to walk ample sums of wealth on recreation centres.

"Frankly, I deliberation that immoderate of america felt an urgency to get moving connected the recreation maestro program and physique a mates much facilities, and didn't look agelong capable astatine the effects of COVID connected proviso chain, ostentation and that benignant of thing," helium told reporters.

Cartmell said if elected, his blue-ribbon fund sheet would see business, labour, arts and non-profit experts. The panel would behaviour a line-by-line reappraisal of the metropolis fund to place inefficiencies, cost-saving opportunities and reinvestment areas. 

Cartmell besides promised to merchandise a 100-day enactment program the time aft the election, prioritizing nationalist safety, snowfall clearing and a roadworthy operation review.

As portion of his harmless streets strategy, Cartmell said helium would advocator for enforceable standards for vacant properties and bare lots, attraction for main streets similar Gateway Boulevard and Kingsway Avenue, strengthen partnerships with the province, and propulsion for coordinated city-led relationships with different groups to code the opioid crisis.

He is besides readying to present a "standing partnerships table" done which helium would invitation residents, builders, entrepreneurs and Indigenous leaders to stock their ideas and enactment connected solutions.

"Let's reconstruct pridefulness successful our metropolis — let's get crap done," helium said successful his speech. 

Cartmell utilized that four-letter-word 5 times connected signifier during the event, including arsenic an reply to however helium would picture the city's existent relationships with the provincial government.

Omar Mohammad, a pediatric dental surgeon, is besides moving to pb the city.

Similar to Cartmell, helium has said connected his website that the metropolis is suffering from "the effects of irresponsible overspending" and that helium stands for a "common-sense approach."

Ward Nakota Isga Coun. Andrew Knack has said helium is considering a mayoral tally but has not filed a announcement of intent with Edmonton Elections. 

Tony Caterina, who was a metropolis councillor from 2010–2021, has declared helium is running.

Caterina, who reviewed a property merchandise summarizing Cartmell's run announcements Thursday, described them arsenic "typical cut-and-paste, generic statements." 

Caterina said arsenic politician helium would rein successful spending, focusing lone connected indispensable projects, instrumentality to issues successful municipal jurisdiction, rebuild relationships with the state and constabulary commission, and adhd numbers to wards' names.

Unlike Cartmell, helium said helium volition not beryllium moving arsenic portion of a governmental enactment and opposes their instauration successful Edmonton and Calgary.

"My biggest interest is that municipal governments are supposedly independent," helium said.

One governmental party, Principled Accountable Coalition for Edmonton (PACE), and 1 slate, Edmonton First, person been registered truthful far.

Slates are impermanent groups of candidates during 1 predetermination rhythm portion governmental parties whitethorn proceed moving implicit aggregate predetermination cycles.

Cartmell said his party volition beryllium called Better Edmonton and it volition dwell of "an aligned radical of astute leaders" pushing for change.

He said candidates successful the enactment volition beryllium announced adjacent month.