Former Edmonton mayors on downtown's decline: 'heartbreaking' and 'crap hole'

Five former Edmonton mayors gathered in a packed ballroom of business leaders on Tuesday to discuss the city's trajectory, and their assessment was bleak.

Don Iveson, who led Edmonton from 2013 to 2021, spoke of his lingering anguish. "I'm still haunted by the fact that we haven't been able to end homelessness," Iveson said. "And sometimes in the comment section, which you shouldn't read, people say, 'how's that 10-year plan to end homelessness going?' Obviously it's not going very well. This should be heartbreaking to all of us."

Iveson connected the homelessness crisis to broader city concerns. "And it has consequences for our downtown. It has consequences for the felt sense of safety in our community," he said.

Stephen Mandel, who served as mayor from 2004 to 2013, was more direct in his criticism. "Tears come to my eyes when I see what's going on," Mandel said. He described downtown as follows: "The only thing downtown that has anything is the arena. If you didn't have the arena downtown, you could blow it up and no one would know." He then called downtown a "crap hole."

Mandel was critical of current city council and Mayor Andrew Knack's direction. "I'd push people back, I'd have all the city employees come back to work. This is craziness that a whole bunch of them – I don't know how many, but several thousand – are sitting at home, and you can't get anything done," he said.

Jan Reimer, who led Edmonton from 1989 to 1995, struck a different tone, emphasizing relationship-building. "We really need to build relationships with the business community, the investment community, the neighbourhoods. Our neighbourhoods are our strength. The relationship of council with one another," Reimer said.

Bill Smith, mayor from 1995 to 2004, offered fiscal advice and a forward-looking perspective. "The easiest budget to balance in the City of Edmonton is the operating budget. But you have to be determined to cut out stuff that you don't need and can't afford now," Smith said. He also weighed in on technology: "The city needs to be out front with AI, what they're doing, what they should be doing. Is it dangerous? Yeah, I guess it could be. I mean, I use it instead of going to the doctor now."

Amarajeet Sohi, the fifth former mayor, spoke virtually to the group. The event, titled "Edmonton Then and Now: The Leaders Who Shaped the City," also touched on construction, the LRT, downtown public safety, and taxes.