The Pulse
Oct. 16, 2025

A rookie candidate who wins a seat on city council in the upcoming election on Oct. 20 should expect a steep learning curve, two former city councillors told Taproot.

Jon Dziadyk, who was the councillor for the former Ward 3 from 2017 to 2021, and Bev Esslinger, who was the councillor for the former Ward 2 from 2013 to 2021 (ward names and boundaries changed in 2021), talked about their experiences running, winning, and losing, with Taproot managing editor Tim Querengesser during a members-only livestream on Oct. 10.

Some reporting suggests that some council incumbents may be at risk of losing their seats. Meanwhile, current Mayor Amarjeet Sohi is not running for reelection. Given this context, Esslinger and Dziadyk offered insight for any rookie candidates who win.

Both used the idiom of "drinking water from a firehose" to describe the experience of arriving at council as a newcomer.

"The learning curve is great on a lot of issues," Esslinger said. "You're learning a lot of information quickly, and I think you have to be willing to put the time in to do the work, because when you get a huge binder of information before a meeting, you've got to do the work and read it and figure it out. You can't just wait until the council meeting to understand issues."

Dziadyk said councillors receive an orientation shortly after the election, but there's pressure to learn quickly. He added that in the hurry, he could struggle to keep up at the beginning. "At the end of the day, I was laying in bed (asking myself), 'Did I really just vote for that thing that I didn't really want to do?' It happened so fast. You have some reflections like that, and I don't know what the best answer is … Maybe you could add another week or two for familiarization."

Esslinger said candidates are likeliest to succeed if they are currently knocking on doors and making connections as the time before the Oct. 20 election winds down. "I heard one candidate say, 'I'm just doing events; I don't really have time for the doors,'" she said. "Then I don't think people have time for you. I mean, you have to go out and do the work. That's the job. That's how you get signs, that's how you get commitment, that's how you get dollars. So if people aren't doing that, they've missed the key element."

She added that candidates have to be comfortable doing face to face work. "If you're not willing to do the work, it's probably not the right job for you."

Dziadyk won in 2017 having self-funded his campaign but lost four years later. The result was a "gut punch," he said, but also a mixed blessing. "Don't get me wrong, there's some fear of missing out," he said. "But also, I see the existing councillors walking around with their two cell phones, heads down. They look tired half the time, and they're hustling, because that's part of the job. But I'm currently getting good sleep and I have time to go to the gym."

Taproot holds members-only livestreams, which we call Taproot Exchange, every second Friday, where guests such as Dziadyk and Esslinger go deep on issues of interest to Edmontonians. Become a member for access to future livestreams.

• Talks between the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) and the province stalled on Oct. 15, as a provincewide teachers' strike continued into its second week. The dispute centres on wages and working conditions. Finance Minister Nate Horner said the ATA's new proposal seeks nearly $2 billion more than the government's $2.6 billion four-year budget, while ATA President Jason Schilling maintained its request, including class size caps, is realistic. The government's previous offer of a 12% pay raise over four years was rejected. Horner said the province will consider back-to-work legislation if the strike is still happening when the legislature reconvenes on Oct. 27.
• The federal government, City of Edmonton, and Canada Lands Company announced the grand opening of 91 affordable rental homes in Edmonton's Village at Griesbach community on Oct. 15. The Parkside North Townhomes received $44.9 million in combined funding, including from CMHC's Affordable Housing Fund and the Federal Lands Initiative. Nonprofit organization HomeEd developed and will operate the homes.
• A CBC News poll found three in four Edmontonians want the next city council to prioritize housing affordability due to rapid inflation and significant population growth. Since October 2021, renters in the Edmonton area have seen costs jump almost 26%, with median rent rising $220 by October 2024. Homeowners' costs are up 22%, and single-family home prices increased $84,000 from October 2021 to August 2025. While City of Edmonton policy changes, like the new zoning bylaw in 2024, boosted housing starts, overall supply remains level. The municipal election is set for Oct. 20.
• The Food Security and Food Justice Edmonton (FSFJE) network, a collaboration of community organizations, invited candidates for the Oct. 20 municipal election to share their vision for addressing rising food insecurity in Edmonton. Organized by the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, FSFJE asked mayoral, city council, and school board trustee candidates about the City's role, existing plans, land access for urban agriculture, and strengthening community-led initiatives. As of Oct. 15, 19 of 119 candidates responded.
• The University of Alberta Students' Union (UASU) hosted an Edmonton Student Alliance mayoral forum on Oct. 10, featuring candidates Tim Cartmell, Andrew Knack, Michael Walters, and Rahim Jaffer. Moderated by former CBC radio host Mark Connolly at the Horowitz Theatre, the forum addressed transit safety, youth unemployment, and student consultation. Candidates discussed increasing police presence, partnering officers with social workers, creating more day shelters, attracting international investment, and fostering a robust tech economy. All candidates emphasized involving students in city decision-making. Edmonton's municipal election is Oct. 20.
• The Alberta government is changing the design and slogan of its licence plates to incorporate the phrase "Strong and Free." The phrase is already found in Latin on Alberta's coat of arms, and is also used by the governing United Conservative Party. Albertans can vote for a new design from Oct. 15 until Nov. 5. The new plates are expected to be available in late 2026.
• The Alberta government received a final third-party report into allegations of corruption over health contracts on Oct. 15, and plans to release it in a few days. Premier Danielle Smith commissioned former Manitoba judge Raymond Wyant in March to review multimillion-dollar contracts for children's medication and for-profit surgeries. The allegations stemmed from a wrongful dismissal lawsuit by former Alberta Health Services head Athana Mentzelopoulos, which also triggered ongoing RCMP and Auditor General investigations. The United Conservative Party government denies any wrongdoing.

Most candidates for mayor and council said they would aim to balance climate change with other goals in response to the question Which of the following comes closest to how you would incorporate climate change into decision-making? in Taproot's candidate survey.

Seventeen candidates said The climate crisis must be a consideration in every single decision, including just two mayoral candidates, Ronald Stewart Billingsley, Jr and Andrew Knack.

Meanwhile, 43 candidates said The climate is important, but must be balanced with other goals. Out of the seven incumbent council candidates that completed the survey, Erin Rutherford was the only one to select this answer. The mayoral candidates who selected this answer are Paul Bakhmut, Tim Cartmell, Tony Caterina, Rahim Jaffer, Omar Mohammad, Utha Nadauk, Olney Tugwell, and Michael Walters.

Ten candidates said that A climate lens on all decisions would create unacceptable costs and delays. Those candidates are Rob Fediuk, James Gosse, Andy Andrzej Gudanowski, Danny Heikkinen, Mark Hillman, Terrie Holgerson, Albert Mazzocca, Lana Palmer, Thu Parmar, and Diana Steele.

Mayoral candidates Abdul Malik Chukwudi and Vanessa Denman skipped the question.

As of this writing, 22 candidates have not yet completed the survey.

Climate resilience is a goal in ConnectEdmonton, the city's strategic plan for 2019 to 2028. Before the current council's term, in 2019, the previous council declared a climate emergency. During the current term, council approved new climate-focused procedures and the Climate Resilience Planning and Development Action Plan. It also tabled its first carbon budget, which forecast that the city is not on track to hit its targets. One report found that many city buildings are vulnerable to climate-related hazards; another showed that a majority of Edmontonians remain concerned about climate change.

When it comes to Edmonton's road infrastructure, candidates for council and mayor overwhelmingly said that Expansion is important to reduce traffic congestion and accommodate growth when answering Taproot's candidate survey.

Forty-four candidates chose this option. Among candidates for mayor, Paul Bakhmut, Ronald Stewart Billingsley, Jr, Tony Caterina, Abdul Malik Chukwudi, Rahim Jaffer, Andrew Knack, Utha Nadauk, and Olney Tugwell chose this response. Among candidates for council, incumbent candidates Aaron Paquette, Keren Tang, and Jo-Anne Wright said the same.

Eight candidates answered that Maintaining existing roads would be a better use of funds than expansion. Mayoral candidates Tim Cartmell, Omar Mohammad, and Michael Walters chose this option Erin Rutherford was the lone incumbent council candidate to pick it.

Andy Andrzej Gudanowski was the only mayoral candidate to answer that Investing in transit would be a better use of funds than expansion. Three incumbent councillors — Michael Janz, Anne Stevenson, and Ashley Salvador — chose this response. Anand Pye, who is running against Stevenson in Ward O-day'min, also did.

As of this writing, 22 candidates for council and mayor have not yet completed the survey.

Enacting decisions made by previous councils, Edmonton is building the Terwillegar Drive Expansion, which will see extra lanes for drivers and dedicated lanes for buses. The total cost, split between the city and province, is more than $200 million. Edmonton is also building the Yellowhead Trail Freeway Conversion. The provincial and federal governments are contributing up to $241.6 million each; Edmonton is responsible for the rest (and costs have escalated beyond $1 billion). During this council, Edmonton created a plan for housing developers to foot the bill to add lanes on Winterburn Road.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Premier Danielle Smith - 2025 State of the Province Address starting at 11:30am at Rogers Place
• Insights and Lessons from Emerging Entrepreneurs starting at 12pm online
• Trust, Bias, and Responsible Use of AI Today starting at 4:30pm at Fu's Repair Shop
• Terroir & Table: A French Wine Journey starting at 6pm at Butternut Tree
• Banking Essentials For Non – Profits starting at 6pm at Stony Plain Community and Social Development
• New Wave Canadian Whiskies starting at 6pm at L'OCA Quality Market (Sherwood Park)
• Felted Wool Pumpkin Workshop starting at 6pm at Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse
• Where Science Meets Cocktails starting at 6:30pm at TELUS World of Science - Edmonton
• When you think of home starting at 7pm at City of Edmonton Archives
• In Spite of Ourselves: A Celebration of the Music of John Prine starting at 7:30pm at Arden Theatre
• Deep Dark Woods starting at 7:30pm at Festival Place

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Nov. 2: Rutherford House Remembers at Rutherford House
• Nov. 5-8: Farmfair International at Edmonton EXPO Centre
• Nov. 7: The Mental Health Foundation's November Lunch & Learn online

Visit the beta version of the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.

Test your crossword prowess and deploy a little of your Edmonton knowledge. Complete the puzzle.

Once you're done the crossword, take the Taproot Survey to see how the candidates for mayor and council in Edmonton align with you.