2021 Edmonton municipal election


The 2021 Edmonton municipal election was held on October 18, 2021, to elect a mayor and 12 councillors to the Edmonton city council, nine trustees to Edmonton Public Schools, and seven trustees to the Edmonton Catholic Schools. It was held in conjunction with the 2021 Alberta municipal elections.
In conjunction with the municipal elections, residents voted in a provincially mandated Senate nominee election, a referendum on equalization and on whether to adopt permanent daylight saving time.
Incumbent mayor Don Iveson announced in November 2020 that he would not be seeking re-election.
Mayor was elected through first-past-the-post voting in at-large contest. Councillors and school board trustees were elected through first-past-the-post voting in single-member wards.
Successful candidates do not need to have majority support of the voters in their district. The successful mayoral candidate and nine of the 12 successful ward councillors were elected with less than majority of votes in their districts. Over all the 12 wards, of the more than 210,000 votes cast for councillor candidates, 99,000 voters saw their choice elected.
The total number of votes cast for mayor was 236,488.

Candidates

X = incumbent.
Candidates as listed have filed the necessary paperwork with the City of Edmonton.

Mayor

CandidateVote%
Amarjeet Sohi105,68345.05
Mike Nickel59,30925.28
Kim Krushell40,51317.27
Michael Oshry14,5006.18
Cheryll Watson6,8032.9
Rick Comrie1,7520.75
Diana Steele1,7410.74
Abdul Malik Chukwudi1,3680.58
Brian Gregg1,3440.57
Vanessa Denman9070.39
Augustine Marah6710.29

  • Abdul Malik Chukwudi – engineer
  • Rick Comrie – business owner
  • Brian Gregg – retired music artist
  • Kim Krushell – former councillor
  • Augustine Marah – teacher and community activist
  • Mike Nickel – incumbent ward 11 councillor
  • Michael Oshry – former councillor
  • Amarjeet Sohi – former councillor and MP
  • Diana Steele – President of Crestwood Community League
  • Cheryll Watson – Former Head of Innovate Edmonton

Council

The following is a list of candidates that announced their candidacy for the 2021 election. Edmonton's ward map was redrawn for the 2021 election, with each ward being given an Indigenous name.
Each ward elected one councillor through First-past-the-post voting.
The total number of candidates for council seats was larger than in any previous election in Edmonton history, beating the record set in the 1964 Edmonton municipal election.

Nakota Isga

CandidateVote%
Andrew Knack 12,10766.15
Dave Olivier3,28817.96
Steve Weston2,90815.89

  • Andrew Knack – incumbent
  • Dave Olivier – businessman
  • Steve Weston – construction manager

Anirniq

CandidateVote%
Erin Rutherford4,68926.14
Bev Esslinger 4,42324.66
Tyler Zutz3,94922.01
Ali Haymour3,59320.03
Mark Davies1,2857.16

  • Mark Davies – risk management director
  • Bev Esslinger – incumbent
  • Ali Haymour – finished third in the 2017 Ward 2 race
  • Erin Rutherford – public sector manager
  • Tyler Zutz – business consultant

tastawiyiniwak

CandidateVote%
Karen Principe6,86138.90
Jon Dziadyk 5,39130.57
Ahmed "Knowmadic" Ali2,68915.25
Cody Bondarchuk2,36813.43
Zain Hafiz1791.01
Iannie Gerona1480.84

  • Ahmed "Knowmadic" Ali – poet
  • Cody Bondarchuk – community leader
  • Jon Dziadyk – incumbent
  • Iannie Gerona – shopkeeper
  • Zain Hafiz – business owner
  • Karen Principe – finished third in the 2017 Ward 3 race

Dene

CandidateVote%
Aaron Paquette 8,24053.62
Tricia Velthuizen3,35821.85
Lana Palmer2,50716.31
Andy Andrzej Gudanowski6374.14
Gerard Mutabazi Amani6264.07

  • Gerard Mutabazi Amani – community leader
  • Andy Andrzej Gudanowski – finished sixth in the 2017 Ward 7 race
  • Aaron Paquette – incumbent
  • Lana Palmer – oral surgeon
  • Tricia Velthuizen – spokesperson for Service Alberta Minister Nate Glubish, finished fourth in the 2017 Ward 4 race

O-day’min

CandidateVote%
Anne Stevenson4,02626.71
Gabrielle Battiste2,99319.86
Adrian Bruff2,70617.95
Joshua Wolchansky1,80811.99
Tony Caterina 1,55610.32
Gino Akbari1,2168.07
Mohammed Migdaddy3072.04
Naima Haile2401.59
Ibrahim Wado1280.85
Adil Pirbhai930.62

  • Gino Akbari – entrepreneur
  • Gabrielle Battiste – lawyer
  • Adrian Bruff – entrepreneur
  • Tony Caterina – incumbent
  • Naima Haile – curator
  • Mohammed Migdaddy – clinical pharmacist
  • Adil Pirbhai – finished fourth in the 2017 Ward 6 race
  • Anne Stevenson – urban planner
  • Ibrahim Wado
  • Joshua Wolchansky – civil servant

Métis

CandidateVote%
Ashley Salvador8,31634.46
Caroline Matthews5,35722.20
Cori Longo4,36718.09
James Kosowan1,7907.42
Steven Townsend1,4245.90
Liz John-West1,3825.73
Rob Bernshaw5552.30
Brian Kendrick3321.38
Salar Melli1900.79
Abdulhakim Dalel1570.65
Daniel John Kornak1470.61
Jim Rickett1180.49

  • Rob Bernshaw – finished third in the 2013 Ward 3 race
  • Abdulhakim Dalel – political activist
  • Liz John-West – finished fourth in the 2017 Ward 7 race
  • Brian Kendrick – finished third in the 2010 Ward 5 race
  • Daniel John Kornak – political activist
  • James Kosowan – finished third in the 2017 Ward 8 race
  • Cori Longo – postal worker
  • Caroline Matthews – entrepreneur
  • Salar Melli – entrepreneur
  • Jim Rickett – Telus operations manager
  • Ashley Salvador – entrepreneur
  • Steven Townsend – entrepreneur

sipiwiyiniwak

CandidateVote%
Sarah Hamilton 10,22744.22
Giselle General5,18022.40
Derek Hlady4,38018.94
Daniel Heikkinen2,2919.91
Scott Hayes1,0504.54

  • Giselle General – public servant
  • Sarah Hamilton – incumbent
  • Scott Hayes – realtor
  • Daniel Heikkinen – entrepreneur
  • Derek Hlady – entrepreneur

papastew

CandidateVote%
Michael Janz8,61440.58
Susan Field4,35420.51
Kirsten Goa4,08919.27
Haruun Ali1,7138.07
James Cameron1,3846.52
Tarcy Schindelka6302.97
Byron Vass4412.08

  • Haruun Ali – university student
  • James Cameron – businessman
  • Susan Field – businesswoman
  • Kirsten Goa – finished second in the 2017 Ward 8 race
  • Michael Janz – former public school trustee of Ward F
  • Tarcy Schindelka – businessman
  • Byron Vass – environmental sector

pihêsiwin

CandidateVote%
Tim Cartmell 16,25281.24
Guiscela Perez Arellano3,75418.76

  • Guiscela Perez Arellano – IT
  • Tim Cartmell – incumbent

Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi

CandidateVote%
Jennifer Rice5,83132.40
Rhiannon Hoyle5,79232.18
Scott Johnston2,10311.68
Glynnis Andrea Lieb1,7609.78
Jon Morgan1,7279.60
Jason Carter7854.36

  • Jason Carter – Indigenous artist
  • Rhiannon Hoyle – entrepreneur
  • Scott Johnston – radio reporter
  • Glynnis Andrea Lieb – social psychologist
  • Jon Morgan – community leader
  • Jennifer Rice – public servant

Karhiio

CandidateVote%
Keren Tang7,45939.72
Tom Shaw5,68230.26
Shamair Turner2,31412.32
Charan Saggu1,6678.88
Sana Kakar1,3417.14
Muhammad Herman Gill3151.68

  • Muhammad Herman Gill – businessman
  • Sana Kakar – architect
  • Charan Saggu – businessman
  • Tom Shaw – project manager
  • Keren Tang – finished second in the 2017 Ward 11 race
  • Shamair Turner – insurance broker

Sspomitapi

CandidateVote%
Jo-Anne Wright5,86034.45
Harman Singh Kandola4,62427.18
Moe Banga 4,05423.83
Sanjay Malhotra8104.76
Jasbir Singh Gill8024.71
Rashpal Sehmby6083.57
Mukesh Makwana2521.48

  • Moe Banga – incumbent
  • Jasbir Singh Gill – President of Edmonton Taxi Association
  • Harman Singh Kandola – lawyer
  • Mukesh Makwana – welder
  • Sanjay Malhotra – businessman
  • Rashpal Sehmby – postal worker
  • Jo-Anne Wright – finished second in the 2013 Ward 12 race

Edmonton Public School Board Trustees

Nine elected, one per ward through first past the post.
Ip, the elected trustee for Ward H, was elected MLA in the 2023 provincial election. He resigned as trustee – the school board voted not to hold a by-election but to have trustee Jan Sawyer cover his ward as well as her own.

Edmonton Catholic School Board Trustees

Carla Smiley resigned from the position in October 2021. As of July 2023, the Catholic School Board was refusing to hold a by-election.

Mayoral opinion polling

Polling firmDateRick
Comrie		Kim
Krushell		Mike
Nickel		Michael
Oshry		Amarjeet
Sohi		Cheryll
Watson		OtherSample
size		Polling
method		Lead
October 11, 2021–12%16%6%34%5%Undecided 20%, Other 4%503online18%
October 11, 2021–14.9%26.4%8.9%32.3%3.5%Undecided 14.0%529IVR5.9%
July 26, 20212%5%10%3%29%2%Undecided 43%, Abdul Malik Chukwudi 1%, Diana Steele 1%458online10%
January 18, 2021–7.2%11%––4.9%Undecided 62%, Andrew Knack 8.4%, Other 6.4%1,113online