Amarjeet Sohi versus Tim Cartmell. Is this Edmonton’s next mayoral race?
Well, neither will confirm just yet what their plans are, but a divide is clearly forming on city council, with the two now publicly at odds over how to deal with the province.
“I encourage people to consider who presents the best set of tactics and strategies that they would like to see employed,” Cartmell told CityNews Thursday.
The dispute surrounds property taxes, technically called grants-in-place-of-taxes (GIPOT), on provincial buildings in Edmonton.
Last week, Sohi launched a website claiming $80 million is overdue, after the UCP began reducing the rates Alberta pays to cities in 2019.
The mayor is asking Edmontonians to send a form letter to the province demanding payment, but Cartmell says this was not approved by council. He issued a statement Wednesday calling for collaboration and conversation rather than confrontation.
“I think people, quite frankly, are sick of this rivalry, of this calling out of another level of government, of trying to shame and annoy and embarrass another elected official,” Cartmell said, adding he’d rather “engage in actual conversations with my provincial colleagues.”
Sohi did not agree to an interview Thursday but Coun. Keren Tang defended the website decision saying city council has been trying for years to get the province to reinstate GIPOT to pre-2019 levels.
“I am very interested to know how councillor Cartmell would like us to communicate because we have tried many different ways,” Tang told CityNews.
“But at the end of the day, we represent Edmontonians and we have a duty to speak up.”
Former-political-reporter-turned-strategist Tom Vernon agrees with Sohi and Tang that encouraging citizens to email politicians is a good idea, although he said form letters are easier to ignore than original ones.
“The fact is, grassroots campaigns like this, they are effective. They do grab government’s attention,” said Vernon from Crestview Strategy.
As for the Sohi-Cartmell divide, Vernon believes it could make for a competitive mayoral race.
Polling for CityNews last month concluded just 26 per cent of Edmontonians think Sohi and city councillors deserve to be re-elected.
“The election is not for another year. Sohi could galvanize support. It’s very tough to defeat an incumbent mayor. They don’t lose that often,” Vernon said.
Cartmell is in his second term as Ward pihêsiwin councillor.
He’s recently started holding press conferences calling for change and meeting with community members in campaign-style events, but he would not yet confirm or deny a plan to run for mayor.
Sohi has also refused to reveal what his plans are for next election.
Edmontonians are scheduled to vote again on Oct. 20, 2025.
As for the property tax issue, Alberta premier Danielle Smith recently told municipal leaders in Red Deer that she is open to reconsidering the GIPOT cuts brought in before she became premier.
A spokesperson for Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver said Thursday he recently met with Sohi to discuss GIPOT but the statement did not mention any commitment to increase it.