As municipal politicians in Alberta continue to question the need for a bill giving the province more powers over local governments, an Edmonton group has established a party it says will run candidates in next year's city elections.

And not only does TapYeg seek to elect seven people to city council "to form the next government in Edmonton," says president Jeffrey Hansen-Carlson, its members believe the city can run more efficiently and see an opportunity for big savings.

"We crunched the numbers in our platform," he told CTV News Edmonton on Tuesday.

"Essentially, what we're saying is we think the city can run more efficiently, deliver on redefined core services better with $400 million less revenue.

"So, $400 million is what we are saying we can cut quite quickly."

TapYeg promises to cut taxes within 100 days of being elected, maintain peace and order, and reboot relations with the province under a centrist vision.

"We've got a big tent in the middle for people that are idea-driven and action-orientated, Hansen-Carlson said.

The TapYeg effort — with Tap standing for Transparent and Active Partnerships, Yeg the long-time airport code for Edmonton that's become somewhat synonymous for local concepts/subjects — is not the first time Hansen-Carlson has stepped into the municipal spotlight.

He was the founder of The Edmonton Project, which in 2017 solicited ideas from residents for a privately funded competition that resulted in a gondola system being pitched to the city.

The project that morphed into Prairie Sky Gondolas, which sought to string a 2.5-kilometre operation from downtown to Old Strathcona and brought international attention to the effort, was effectively halted by city council in 2022.

Hansen-Carlson said the creation of TapYeg came from what he saw as "a void in the discourse" around municipal politics.

"There are 13 political parties in this city right now, and I think there's a lot of effectiveness to be had if we can consolidate that to be more clear about our expectations over time, get focused, and approach it with more of a coherent, underlying strategy," he said.

Competitive disadvantages feared

TapYeg's foray into local politics comes in the wake of the Alberta government introduction of Bill 20, which allows political parties to run in municipal elections in both Edmonton and Calgary.

Coun. Andrew Knack, who represents Ward Nakota Isga on Edmonton city council, says one of his concerns about parties entering the local election fray is the prospect of competitive disadvantages for those who run independently.

"Under the old rules, you could run as a slate, but you weren't allowed to share financial resources, you weren't allowed to share volunteer lists amongst each other, you weren't allowed to share any of that type of information because, as you can imagine, that puts somebody who wants to be run independently at a disadvantage because now you're combining those resources," Knack told CTV News Edmonton on Tuesday.

"I have no problem with political parties running — all the power to them — what we have concerns about is are they going to be given a competitive advantage over somebody who runs as an independent, which from what we can gather for this legislation, they will be given a competitive advantage, which will mean our local elections are less fair and democratic."

Paul McLauchlin, the president of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta and reeve of Ponoka County, told CTV News Edmonton the province's push to allow political parties to run in local elections "is not a problem that anybody's asking to be solved" and that introducing a party system to the municipal level is something that could have an adverse effect.

"One of the other things that's horrible in our party system is the whip system, where I've had MLAs constantly vote against the will of their communities, whether at a federal or provincial level, because they had to tow the party line," McLauchlin said.

"It's not a way to govern, to address those needs in local communities as well. I see nothing but a degrading of democracy come out of this. I want the best people to represent the communities, and I think in many cases, that's what you get through the local nonpartisan process across Canada and Alberta, as well."

Alberta Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver said Tuesday local leaders "will have a voice" in helping the province develop legislation, "which is where most of the authority will rest at the end of the day."

Parties 'part of democracy'

Consultations on regulations are slated to begin this summer with the legislation taking effect in January.

Hansen-Carlson said he doesn't agree that Bill 20 takes away from municipal power.

"I think parties are a part of democracy. You can't just say they're wrong on some undefined level. They exist. They function, They contribute," he said, adding while he's "not interested" in partisan politics, he believes people want to "be part of something."

"There's a reason voter turnout in local elections here in Edmonton is horrendous because nobody feels like they're a part of it," he said. "TapYeg is a vehicle for people to feel like they're a part of something, get involved, and show up and vote."

Knack defends the current nonpartisan system, saying the "beauty" of it is councillors "don't all vote the same way."

"This council isn't a monolith," he said, describing debate between councillors today at city hall about a discussion from last year.

"It was funny, when I pulled the voting record, it was a 7-6 vote," Knack said.

"Some people make their assumptions about where every member of council sits on the (political) spectrum, but that 7-6 vote back in February was very different than anyone would expect.

"If you looked at all the names, people might have assumed how are those six people voting the same way because every issue municipally is not right or left. What is the right-wing way to do snow removal? What is the left-wing way to do snow removal? Well, there isn't. The issues you deal with locally are not ideological."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Chelan Skulski and Brandon Lynch

A new bill would give the Alberta government more power over municipalities, including granting cabinet the power to remove councillors from office, and forcing councils to repeal bylaws the province doesn't like.

Bill 20, the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment, was tabled in the legislature Thursday afternoon.

The bill would also allow the creation of municipal political parties, but it comes in the form of a pilot project only affecting Edmonton and Calgary.

Bill 20 proposes many other changes to the Local Authorities Election Act and the Municipal Government Act to reinforce the province's authority over municipalities.

If passed, the bill would allow cabinet to call a public referendum on the fate of a municipal councillor, or go as far as to unilaterally remove them from office if it is deemed in the public interest.

There are no legislative guardrails or limits for when that can happen but the decision can be appealed to the Court of King's Bench.

Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver insisted that provision would be rarely used.

"First of all, I hope it never has to happen. But second of all, if it does, then it will be incumbent upon cabinet to have a really good explanation for the public," he told reporters at a news conference prior to the bill's introduction.

"I think the public will judge cabinet kindly or harshly depending upon the facts and the circumstances around when this decision is made."

LISTEN | Edmonton Mayor reacts to provincial government's proposed municipal changes:

Radio Active11:39Mayor Sohi on the province's new municipal elections bill

This afternoon the province introduced Bill 20, full of changes to municipal elections. Amarjeet Sohi is Edmonton's Mayor.

Cabinet has had the power to force municipal councils to amend or repeal land-use bylaws and statutory plans for 30 years. Bill 20 extends that power to all bylaws passed by councils.

McIver said the current amendment power has never been used so the public shouldn't worry about the government having an "itchy trigger finger."

Cabinet would also gain the ability to tell municipalities what to do in protecting public health and safety, although the government already exercised that authority in 2022 when it prohibited cities and towns from passing or extending their own masking bylaws.

Other measures proposed in Bill 20 include:

Municipal political parties would not be allowed to have the same name or formal affiliations with provincial or federal parties.

McIver said studies conducted by the government found the majority of Albertans and municipalities did not want political parties in local government.

'Is this democracy?'

Aaron Paquette, an Edmonton city councillor, suggested on social media that the new rules would be a threat to municipal politicians who didn't share the same views as the governing United Conservative Party.

"Bend the knee or be fired?" he asked on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Is this democracy?"

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek expressed concerns about the bill and asked how the government planned to define "public interest" when removing a municipal mayor or councillor from office.

"Are we now in a world where elections can be bought by big money, and elections can be overturned by a cabinet that doesn't like the results?" she asked in a written statement.

"The provincial government claims this is intended to ensure that local elections are transparent, fair and free.

"I'm left asking why they have inserted themselves into municipal government in a manner that actually strips the voting public's right to elect the council they deem to be the best to serve them."

Kyle Kasawski, the NDP Opposition critic for municipal affairs, said it's inappropriate for the provincial cabinet to decide when to fire a councillor or a mayor.

Like Paquette, he worried about the bill could affect councillors, who may try to make their decisions align with the province's views.

"They're worried that they might actually lose their job and not be able to serve their constituents," Kasawski said. "That's a major problem for our province."

If the bill is passed, the province plans to develop regulations by consulting with municipalities in the upcoming months.

The next province-wide municipal elections are scheduled to take place in October 2025.

Flames and smoke engulfed Edmonton's Second World War-era Hangar 11 as the historic building north of downtown was destroyed by fire Monday night.

Located at 109th Street and 117th Avenue, the building sits on the site of a former airport.

A spokesperson for Edmonton Fire Rescue Services said the call for the fire came in around 6:56 p.m. There are 11 total crews on scene, with heavy smoke and flames at the site. No injuries have been reported.

Ryan Lee, curator at the neighbouring Alberta Aviation Museum, watched a significant portion of the building collapse Monday night in disbelief.

"It's completely gutted, there is absolutely no saving it and I just watched it collapse about five minutes ago," Lee told CBC News. "It's pretty scary. There's very little original buildings left at the [former] airport here.… It's pretty gutting to see it go."

WATCH | Fire breaks out at former airport grounds:

3 hours ago

Duration 1:18

A massive fire was raging in Edmonton’s Blatchford neighbourhood on Monday, April 22, 2024 at around 7 p.m. MT.

The large building at Edmonton's Blatchford development, located just west of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), was one of the last surviving structures of its kind.

The 7,400-square-metre hangar was constructed of wood and built in partnership with the U.S. military in 1942 as part of a critical channel to deliver aircraft and war materials to allied forces on the eastern front during the Second World War.

"There's a lot of history in that building that we're not going to get back," Lee said.

Jordon Ashley, who lives nearby, said he saw a lot of heavy smoke around 8 p.m. and came to see what was happening

"[It's] the destruction of a historic building, honestly, I wish I could've visited it myself but I didn't have the chance," he said.

There were discussions that the building was going to be repurposed by a private company. A website for the redevelopment describes it as "one of Edmonton's most exciting up and coming new development projects. A building rich in history, preserved, restored and modernized, to offer a world-class building where commercial and residential come together to build community."

Hangar 11 recently became a designated Municipal Heritage Resource.

The building was included on the National Trust for Canada's 2017 list of the country's 10 most endangered buildings.

Transit service was temporarily cancelled to the new NAIT-Blatchford Market LRT station, but was expected to reopen late Monday.

Reactions

Like

7

Los Angeles Kings interim coach Jim Hiller didn't offer any in-depth, detailed breakdown for why his team was eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night.

"It's a pretty simple write-up on this one: You saw one team execute and one team not on special teams," Hiller said after the Kings' 4-3 loss in Game 5 that marked the third straight season Edmonton sent Los Angeles packing in the opening round. "That was the difference. If we had performed well, we'd still be playing."

The Oilers scored nine times on 20 power-play opportunities.

"Special teams hurt us a lot in this series," Kings center Anze Kopitar said. "There were parts of the games where we were good, but you have to do it more often."

The Oilers' power play was so potent that it would score at even strength, too: Twice in Game 5 the Oilers scored in the immediate aftermath of a successful Kings penalty kill. Leon Draisaitl scored four seconds after Pierre-Luc Dubois left the penalty box to give Edmonton a 3-2 lead in the second period. Zach Hyman scored the eventual winning goal three seconds after Drew Doughty's penalty expired near the end of the second.

Draisaitl also scored on the power play, as the puck traveled over the line inside of Kings goalie David Rittich's glove. Edmonton scored at least one power-play goal in each game against the Kings and in 15 of its past 17 playoff games overall.

"Yes, they have an amazing power play. They threw a lot of things against us," Doughty said. "But I think a lot of those goals were preventable. With a better PK, I think the series could have been ... we would have taken it deeper, for sure."

Oilers star Connor McDavid, who had two assists in the win, said their power play wasn't even the best part of their special teams against Los Angeles.

"The penalty kill not giving up a goal, that's really impressive," McDavid said. "I think of the penalty kill in the third period of Game 4. Everybody on the kill was moving their feet, doing their job and sacrificing their bodies, which is not the most fun thing to do."

The Oilers were shorthanded 12 times and didn't allow a Los Angeles power-play goal.

"When you evaluate the series, it was our inability to score on the power play and their ability to score on the power play," Hiller said.

The defeat marked the first time a team had been eliminated by the same opponent in three straight playoff seasons since the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Minnesota Wild from 2013 to 2015.

"Definitely a disappointing feeling for the third year in a row. Just sucks right now," Kopitar said. "Obviously not a great feeling getting the worst of it [against Edmonton] three years in a row."

The Oilers will play the winner of the Vancouver Canucks' series against the Nashville Predators, which Vancouver leads 3-2 heading into Game 6 in Nashville.

EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Oilers made it look easy but insisted eliminating the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference First Round in five games with a 4-3 win on Wednesday was anything but.

It was the third consecutive season Edmonton, the No. 2 seed from the Pacific Division, eliminated Los Angeles, the No. 3 seed from the Pacific, in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and each time it took fewer games: seven, six, five.

“I think we’re probably a better team this year than we were last year or the year before, we’re more mature, which plays a big part sometimes,” Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said. “But that’s a really good team over there, they make it hard on you. It’s an absolute grind against them every night. Hats off to the way they compete and play the game. That being said, we did a really good job of getting our minds ready for that and mentally being ready for the challenge.”

Edmonton will play either the Vancouver Canucks or Nashville Predators in the second round. Vancouver leads that best-of-7 series 3-2. Game 6 is at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Friday (7 p.m. ET; MAX, TNT, BSSO, SN, TVAS, CBC).

For the Oilers, this season’s playoff series against the Kings was decided by special teams. Edmonton scored on nearly half of its power-play opportunities (9-for-20, 45 percent) and Los Angeles was 0-for-12 on the man-advantage.

Officially, the Oilers scored one goal on the power play in Game 5, but for all intents and purposes, had three with the man-advantage.

Draisaitl’s goal at 7:44 of the second period was the only official one scored on power play. He scored again at 12:21 on set-up from Connor McDavid, four seconds after a holding penalty to Pierre-Luc Dubois expired and the Kings forward had yet to get back in the play.

Zach Hyman scored in similar fashion at 19:07, three seconds after a penalty to Kings defenseman Drew Doughty had expired.

McDavid was asked after the win which half of the special teams he thought was more impressive?

“I would say the penalty kill, not giving up a goal that’s real impressive,” the Oilers captain said. “The job that those guys did, killing big ones along the way. I think of the penalty kill in Game 4 in the third period (of a 1-0 win), that’s huge. I thought everybody on the kill was moving their feet and doing their job and sacrificing their bodies, which is not the most fun thing to do. The kill not giving up one is a great thing.”

Oilers advance to the second round of the playoffs

The Kings had the 12th-ranked power play during the regular season, converting at 22.6 percent. Their penalty kill was even better, ranked second at 84.6 percent, but had few answers for the Oilers power play.

“Our power play gets a lot of momentum from creating and having success,” Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. “I know it works both ways, so to be able to sniff that out and to have our PK rolling like it did in this series it definitely is something that we’re all proud of.

“We can definitely still keep pushing. Whoever is next is going to be a new challenge, so we look forward to that. It’s fun to be on both sides of it for sure. Special teams throughout the whole season plays a big part of any game, but when it comes down to playoffs, it can be the difference-makers and I think special teams is huge for us this series and we want to keep building on that.”

Of the four wins in the series, Edmonton might have been proudest of the Game 4 victory in Los Angeles on Sunday. The Oilers were outshot in the game 33-13 but found a way to win on the strength of Stuart Skinner's first playoff shutout and a power-play goal from defenseman Evan Bouchard.

Winning games in that manner is a sign of maturity, according to McDavid.

“We’ve been in these situations before and that’s maybe where you can draw on your experience,” McDavid said. “Experience and maturity; we’re not a young team here, we have lots of guys that have played in big games and in big situations, and those ups and downs and those momentum swings are all part of it.”

LAK@EDM R1, Gm5: Oilers and Kings exchange handshakes at the conclusion of Game 5

Winning the opening game of a playoff series for the first time since the second round in 2017 set the tone against the Kings. The Oilers lost Game 2, 5-4 in overtime, but were able to regroup and win both games in Los Angeles, setting up the elimination game Wednesday.

“You think about the series, we get off to a good start, kind of give momentum away but we were able to get it back and I think that shows some growth,” McDavid said. “I think for us also finding a way to stack some games, get it to 3-1 and finish off the series in Game 5, that’s a big step for our group. A lot of good signs, but it’s only one series.”

After defeating the Kings in six games last season, the Oilers lost in the second round in six to the Vegas Golden Knights, who went on to win the Stanley Cup. In 2022, Edmonton defeated the Calgary Flames in five games in the second round and were swept out of the Western Conference Final by the Colorado Avalanche, who went on to win the Stanley Cup.

“I think there’s a level of comfort having been through this a few times,” Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse said. “I think that adds to the calm within our game and being able to weather different storms. It was a good sign of what’s to come, but there is still so much hockey that we’re hoping to play throughout the rest of the spring here. For us it’s important to keep picking it up.”