SAMU, with support from MacEwan University, hosted Let’s Get Down(Town), a Municipal Election Forum focused on an issue important to many MacEwan students: downtown revitalization. Taking place on September 26 from 5:00-8:00 PM at SAMU’s The Lookout (SA-200), this event provided students and the community a chance to connect directly with mayoral candidates, ask questions, and share ideas. Attending mayoral candidates included:
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Andrew Knack
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Tim Cartmell
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Rahim Jaffer
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Michael Walters
With help from moderator Stephanie Swensrude, Curator and Reporter at Taproot Edmonton, this event provided valuable insight to the mayoral candidates as well as answer any questions or concerns from the following covered topics:
- Affordability for students
- Accessible housing
- Safety and support for the unhoused
- Treaty rights and obligations, encampment sweeps
- Transit and bike lanes
- Public spaces bylaw
- Approaches to drug use and crisis
- Protest rights
- Funding for the arts
- Municipal relationship with the province
- Edmonton Police Service
- Student civil engagement
From topics ranging from student affordability and transit access to drug policy and protest rights, this forum was all about putting student voices at the center of the conversation. Not only did Let’s Get Down(Town) empower students to make informed choices on voting day, it also ensured the next mayor knows exactly what matters to MacEwan students and downtown community members.
Voting in the 2025 Edmonton Municipal Election takes place on October 20th. For more information on who is running and how to cast your vote, visit the City of Edmonton website.
