A Leger poll conducted last month found that only 2% of the citizens surveyed have confidence in the direction Edmonton is going.
The Leger survey included 401 Edmontonians who were questioned about their confidence in the city’s direction and the effectiveness of elected officials in addressing issues.
With housing prices and affordability being the main concerns, 67% of respondents felt that Edmonton was on the “wrong track,” while 20% viewed the city as “somewhat” on the right track.
Only 2% of citizens “strongly” feel the city is headed in the right direction, with 11% saying they don’t know or prefer not to answer.
Additionally, the poll asked Edmonton residents how satisfied they felt with Amarjeet Sohi as their mayor, and only 16% of respondents said they would vote for him in the upcoming 2025 election.
Leger added that citizens believe Sohi is performing the worst in terms of property taxes and housing prices/affordability.
“People are looking for a clean, well-run, well-functioning city, and they’re just not seeing that, and they’re frustrated,” Councillor Tim Cartmell said, adding that he feels the same way.
He stated this poll should be a wake-up call for the mayor, and failing to prioritize what Edmontonians want in their city led to this result.
“I think that if people are planning on being around after the next election, there’s going to need to be a real effort to earn the trust of constituents and voters back. I’m here for that challenge. I hope that some of my colleagues are too,” said Cartmell.
Sohi appreciates Edmontonians’ “sacrifices”
A statement released by Sohi on Tuesday said, “I chose to run for mayor at a time when Edmonton was facing economic and social pressures of a devastating pandemic, leading to inflation and an affordability crisis… and council needed to make tough decisions to face these challenges head-on.”
He added, “I know that tax increases have been hard on many, and I deeply appreciate the sacrifices Edmontonians are making.”
Recently, Edmonton increased property taxes to 8.9% for citizens, with Councillor Aaron Paquette noting that “no one is happy” about it.
After almost reaching its debt limit following the $82 million purchase of climate-friendly buses that don’t work, the City of Edmonton now struggles to afford funding for transit stations, LRT cars, and homeless shelters.
The city’s Chief Financial Officer and Deputy City Manager, Stacey Padbury, stated that half the money from the 8.9% increase will be used to sustain some of these services.
