Edmonton Journal: Where Edmonton's mayoral candidates stand on tackling city crime
Public safety is emerging as a top issue in the race for mayor.
Mayoral candidate Rahim Jaffer unveils his plan to "take back our streets" with Phong Luu, left, owner of Kim Fat Market and Chip Tang, owner of the Hong Kong Baker on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, in Edmonton. Photo by Greg Southam /Postmedia
Public safety is emerging as a top issue in the race for mayor.
An Edmonton Police Service survey suggests repeat criminal offenders and acute social disorder are making Edmontonians feel unsafe in their city, and mayoral contenders say they’re hearing it on the doorsteps of concerned Edmontonians.
Current council members contending for the mayoral slot told Postmedia they want things to change.
Tim Cartmell said trust between city council and frontline emergency service providers is absent.
“What’s missing is the relationship with city council, the stated and demonstrated support that city council wants to make this better and that they support our police service and our fire rescue service in the matters that people are seeing on a daily basis,” Cartmell said.
He’d like to work with the Edmonton Police Commission and the police service to deploy community officers embedded in neighbourhoods, similar to Chicago’s CAPS model, establishing relationships with the community.
Some training in cultural nuances and trauma-informed approaches to diffuse situations may be needed, he said, calling for zero tolerance for those activities people don’t want to see in public spaces — and preventative, restorative programs, like supportive housing, mental health and addiction supports, and support for Indigenous-led service providers.
He supports bail reform and increased prosecution capacity, “on fixing this seemingly revolving door policy that is present in our justice system which is having a dramatic impact on our streets, and that there’s federal and provincial responsibilities to make this better,” he said.
Andrew Knack said crime and social issues are interconnected, calling for the city to work with EPS and social agencies to address homelessness and the mental health and addictions crisis.
“We’re hearing about policing. We’re hearing about encampments, we’re hearing about transit safety, we’re hearing about traffic safety,” he said.
Knack said he’s looking at the geographic borders of the EPS south division and what they have to cover, from the river to the city’s southern boundaries, so that southwest and southeast don’t have to travel as far as they currently are in order to do proactive enforcement.
Rahim Jaffer hosted a news event on a Chinatown rooftop Tuesday to discuss his crime platform, including more boots on the ground for more deterrence against potential crimes.
“We know there’s a lot of unfortunate people caught within the cycle of poverty. We need to be focused on being able to give them the supports and help that they need. But there’s others that are preying on those people and consistently involved in property crime and other forms of crime, including what I was shocked to learn — the increase in crime is more personal, physically assaults and such that have gone up,” he said.
“This is something that we feel has not been addressed very well when it comes to the current council.”
The challenges call for relationship building between the city and police, he said.
“Their job has really significantly changed over the last decade, with the amount of challenges they have to face,” Jaffer said, adding that Edmonton businesses face cost hikes not only in property taxes and fees, but increases in security measures to protect their businesses.
“This shouldn’t be the way that people have to run their lives and their businesses,” he said.
Michael Walters said safety is the top issue he hears about on doorsteps across the city.
“Edmonton can’t make progress until everyone feels safe. And I would say definitely over the last four years Edmonton has become far less safe than it was,” Walters said.
Walters said the city should commit to a long-term predictable funding formula that the previous council created and leave politics out of it.
“I think we know in large cities that these kinds of social policing partnerships are really important these days, because you have so many social issues adjacent to a lot of the crime that people are struggling with in our communities,” he said.
Walters said he’s heard from many people that they will not put their young kids, teenagers, high school students and university students on the LRT.
“That is a testament of the failure of the last four years at city hall, that we’ve let our transit system become to be that negative in the eyes of the public,” Walters said, calling for cohesive, consistent day shelter space.
“Right now, the day shelters are LRT stations, bus shelters, library hallways, commerce places, the libraries. People are feeling increasingly uncomfortable and unsafe,” he said.
Vanessa Denman said she’s calling for Edmonton to stop reacting to problems and start creating solutions.
“Fear fuels crime — connection reduces it,” she said.
“When we choose compassion, our communities become safer and stronger. Raising Edmonton’s vibration means moving beyond crime toward belonging. A city rooted in courage and love doesn’t just fight crime — it outgrows it,” Denman said.
Malik “Chase” Chukwudi said Edmonton’s safety crisis ranges from organized crime and extortion targeting South Asian businesses, to arson, random violence, and a Downtown where many residents no longer feel safe, and where city hall has been “complacent.”
“I will work closely with EPS and community leaders to dismantle organized crime networks before they escalate, push for stronger partnerships with the province and federal government to ensure Edmonton has the prosecutors, funding, and resources to deal with violent and organized crime, and refocus city hall’s priorities — less money on vanity projects, more investment into frontline safety, prevention programs, and youth engagement,” Chukwudi said, calling safety “the foundation of a thriving city.”
Dr. Omar Mohammad said safety starts with security.
“As home insecurity and food insecurity go up, safety goes down not only for the vulnerable, but for everyone, because crime goes up when people become desperate,” he said.
Edmonton needs a visible presence of peace officers and police on buses, trains and in business areas, Mohammad said, suggesting turnstiles at LRT stations, better lighting and cameras, with zero tolerance for violent repeat offenders and chronic fare evaders.
“Too many people are cycling between encampments, shelters, emergency rooms, and jail,” he said, calling for work with community leaders, nonprofits, and frontline workers to expand supportive housing, addiction treatment, and mental health services
Mohammad said small businesses struggling with theft, vandalism, and safety concerns need direct support, including faster graffiti removal, and city-backed grants to help with security cameras and better lighting.
“When our small businesses feel secure, our communities feel stronger too,” Mohammad said.
Olney Tugwell said the mayor needs to meet on a regular basis with law enforcement figures, including EPS, RCMP, peace officers and sheriffs.
“I’m going to ask the question to the chief, plain and simple, what do you need and what are you willing to compromise on just to ensure that Edmontonians are looked out for in regards to our budget,” Tugwell said, calling for more manpower and a strategic plan for each neighbourhood.
Tugwell said he plans to rezone for small houses to help with the homeless situation.
“I’m going to be engaging with each community to make sure the community has a say on whether or not they want these small homes in their community, which is the right of Edmontonians,” he said.
Tony Caterina said he’d seek to rebuild trust between city council and the Edmonton Police Commission, and find better ways to enhance public safety with EPS, Edmonton transit and the corporate security peace officer program.
“Policing affects 100 per cent of Edmontonions and also helps surrounding municipalities,” Caterina said.
“The budget handed to the police commission requires a very strong working relationship with mayor and council,” he said.
