Andrew Knack brings to the mayoral race a record of 12 years on Edmonton’s city council and a campaign rooted in putting “everyday Edmontonians” first. He positions his platform around three key priorities: affordability, safety and smart growth, arguing that Edmonton is at a moment where growth must deliver benefits rather than burdens. As you explore his plans for housing, affordability and safety, you’ll be probing how he translates that broad vision into concrete strategies.
Regarding safety, Knack frames the issues of homelessness, mental health and addictions as root causes of public-safety problems that go beyond policing alone, he sees a role for the city in partnership with the province and federal government to address these underlying issues, not simply enforcement. At the same time, he emphasises a balanced approach that combines enforcement, better emergency services and community-based prevention initiatives (such as lighting, neighbourhood programs and violence-prevention) rather than relying entirely on more police. He also stresses that safety must be felt everywhere across Edmonton including suburban and lower-income areas not just in the downtown core or affluent neighbourhoods.
When it comes to housing, Knack emphasises that Edmonton’s rapid growth demands proactive responses he points to infill, transit-oriented development and a willingness to use city assets and partnerships rather than leave housing supply to market forces alone. On displacement he acknowledges the risk in neighbourhoods undergoing redevelopment and signals that protecting long-time residents means combining incentives for developers with protections for current occupants and the use of city-owned land to ensure affordability. While he has not laid out a fully detailed three-point blueprint in his publicly available materials, his emphasis is on mixed-use, transit-linked development and safeguarding community amenities so that affordable housing isn’t isolated but embedded within sustainable neighbourhoods.
On affordability, Knack argues that rising costs in property taxes, utilities and services must be tackled through disciplined budgeting, rather than reflexive tax increases. He commits to protecting core services while looking for waste, procurement reform and better contract oversight as levers to keep cost pressures down. He also links infrastructure and amenity investment, such as transit, parks and rec centres with cost risk for existing residents, and signals he wants to ensure that growth-driven investments do not inadvertently drive up rents or living costs for those already in the city.
In sum, Knack’s candidacy is built on the promise of independent leadership focused on delivering for “everyday Edmontonians” rather than big developers or partisan interests. His focus areas: housing, affordability and safety are interconnected: more affordable housing reduces cost pressures; disciplined budgeting frees up capacity for services; and stronger communities help improve safety outcomes. The interview will test how detailed his proposed actions are and how he plans to move from vision to delivery. His success in the mayoral race will hinge not only on his ideas, but on how convincingly he articulates the “how” behind them.
KEEP IT LONG TERM!