Ward Six

Profile:

Ward Six is in the heart of Edmonton’s downtown. While it is one of the smallest Wards by geographical size, it is one of the larger Wards in terms of population and has been the spotlight of Edmonton politics for years. Ward Six will be home to the new Edmonton arena and the developments sure to come along with the project. That is just the latest change in this Ward which has already seen tremendous development especially in the Boyle Street and McCauley neighbourhoods which city council made cleanup projects in the past as they were plagued by homelessness and crime. They’re not out of the woods yet as more work needs to be done to clean up the core.

Population: 72,281
Eligible voters: 57,539
Neighbourhoods: 15
Councillor: Jane Batty (since 2001)

Key Issues:

In a word, redevelopment. With the new arena project there will be tremendous growth in this Ward during the next term. The councillor elected in Ward Six will need to make sure that growth is done responsibly, that the right businesses are being brought in and that neighbourhoods currently on the rebound like Boyle Street and McCauley do not slip back into hot spots for crime and homelessness.