The unmistakable scent of autumn fills the crisp morning air as I make my way down Jasper Avenue in downtown Edmonton. A business owner sweeps glass from the sidewalk in front of her shop – the third break-in this month, she tells me with a weary sigh.
Two blocks away, a community outreach worker named Miguel guides a man experiencing homelessness toward a warming shelter. “It’s getting worse,” Miguel explains, glancing around at the storefronts – nearly a quarter of them vacant. “And it feels like nobody’s listening.”
Across Alberta’s two largest cities, a singular issue has emerged as the defining focus of municipal elections: the growing crisis of social disorder. From encampments to open drug use, property crime to perceptions of downtown safety, this complex web of urban challenges has overshadowed traditional election debates about transit expansion or property tax rates.
“I’ve never seen an election where a single issue so completely dominates the conversation,” says Dr. Lisa Trimble, political scientist at Mount Royal University. “For Edmonton and Calgary voters, this election has essentially become a referendum on which candidates can best address street-level disorder.”
The numbers paint a troubling picture. Calgary Police Service reported a 22% increase in downtown-related calls last year, while Edmonton saw similar spikes in both property crime and disorder-related complaints. A recent Leger poll found that 68% of Edmonton residents and 71% of Calgarians rank “addressing social disorder” as their primary concern heading into municipal elections.
For incumbent mayors Amarjeet Sohi in Edmonton and Jyoti Gondek in Calgary, the pressure is mounting. Both progressive-leaning leaders face criticism that compassion-centered approaches haven’t delivered visible improvements to downtown safety.
“People have compassion fatigue,” explains Sam Whalen, who operates a coffee shop near Edmonton’s Chinatown. “We all want to help vulnerable people, but when your staff doesn’t feel safe walking to their cars after closing, something has to change.”
In Calgary’s Beltline neighborhood, community association president Peter Oliver describes the tension between compassion and consequences. “Residents support harm reduction, but they’re increasingly frustrated by the lack of visible enforcement when it comes to disruptive behavior,” Oliver tells me as we walk past a small tent encampment near the C-Train line.
The political landscape reflects this growing impatience. Challengers in both cities have seized on the disorder issue, promising “common sense” approaches that emphasize enforcement alongside social supports.
Edmonton mayoral challenger Amarjeet Sohi faces criticism from councilor Karen Principe, who has gained traction promising to address “lawlessness” in the downtown core. “We need to restore balance,” Principe stated during a recent community forum. “Compassion without boundaries isn’t working for anyone – not for businesses, not for residents, and certainly not for vulnerable people themselves.”
In Calgary, similar sentiments echo through campaign literature and debates. “When you talk to voters, the conversation inevitably turns to feeling safe in public spaces,” says pollster Janet Brown. “The candidates who can speak convincingly about this issue have the advantage.”
The roots of this urban challenge run deep. Alberta’s ongoing housing affordability crisis, combined with the aftermath of pandemic disruptions and the opioid epidemic, created a perfect storm of social challenges. Provincial decisions to restructure mental health services left gaps that municipalities struggle to fill.
“Cities are being asked to solve problems they weren’t designed to address with tools they don’t control,” explains Ray Swonek, former CEO of GEF Seniors Housing and urban policy expert. “Mental health, addiction, poverty – these require provincial leadership and resources.”
Inside Edmonton’s Boyle Street Community Services, outreach coordinator Jamie Wood offers perspective from the frontlines. “The visible disorder people complain about represents profound system failures,” Wood says while preparing harm reduction supplies. “We’re seeing more complex cases with fewer resources to help.”
The political challenge for candidates lies in proposing solutions that balance immediate safety concerns with long-term approaches to underlying issues. Voters seem increasingly skeptical of promises without concrete timelines.
“I don’t need another task force or study,” says Maria Gonzalez, who operates a family restaurant in Calgary’s downtown. “I need to know exactly what you’ll do in your first 90 days to make my customers feel safe walking here again.”
Provincial dynamics further complicate the picture. Premier Danielle Smith’s UCP government recently announced $187 million for homeless supports and addiction recovery, but mayors from both cities argue the province still hasn’t provided adequate mental health resources.
“The reality is that solutions require coordination across all government levels,” notes former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi. “But voters will hold their municipal leaders accountable regardless, because they’re closest to these street-level problems.”
Business improvement associations in both cities report growing frustration among members. “We’ve lost seventeen businesses from our district in the past year,” says Patricia Jones of the Edmonton Downtown Business Association. “When owners cite safety as their primary reason for leaving, that’s a five-alarm fire for the city.”
As election day approaches, candidates face the challenge of proposing realistic solutions to complex problems. Promising quick fixes risks disappointing voters, while acknowledging the complexity might not win elections.
“The successful candidates will be those who can articulate a balanced approach – immediate actions to address visible disorder alongside systemic changes,” suggests political strategist Stephen Carter. “And they’ll need to communicate realistic timelines for improvement.”
For ordinary citizens like Miguel, the outreach worker I met on Jasper Avenue, the political debate sometimes misses the human element. “These are our neighbors experiencing crisis,” he reminds me. “The solution isn’t just about making problems invisible – it’s about creating communities where everyone can thrive.”
As the autumn leaves continue to fall across Alberta’s two largest cities, voters prepare to cast ballots that could reshape urban approaches to one of the most visible and challenging issues facing our communities. The only certainty is that whoever wins will face immediate pressure to deliver visible change on city streets.
