Edmonton councillor wants project management overhaul, claiming delays and 'wasted dollars'

An Edmonton councillor says the city's project management is failing to finish projects on time and on budget.

On Thursday, ward pihêsiwin Coun. Tim Cartmell held a press conference to ask city council to "put the brakes" on new project spending until current work is caught up.

"Edmonton has suffered a long and difficult decade of badly managed capital projects," Cartmell said. "We need to change our approach."

Cartmell spoke outside a Stony Plain Road business that has been affected by ongoing Valley Line West LRT work, which he said the city has a responsibility to finish quickly.

Percy Wiredu opened his restaurant El Corazón near 142 Street and Stony Plain in 2022. He said he knew about the construction when he signed the lease, but didn't expect it to last so long.

"(We) were initially given a timeline for the project," Wiredu said. "However, what we didn't anticipate was the constant delays and lack of progress in the construction."

The restaurant's revenue has fallen by 35 per cent since construction began, Wiredu said, and it will be several more months before the area will clear up.

Marigold Infrastructure Partners said construction between 131 Street and 139 Street will be completed on schedule at the end of August, but Stony Plain Road will stay closed until November "to accelerate additional work and help minimize impacts on Edmontonians in 2025."

Marigold said the project remains on budget, and while "it's still too early to provide a completion date," work is underway to finish some of the "major" infrastructure this year, including the reopening of the Stony Plain Road Bridge (scheduled for the fall).  

Cartmell cites the Walterdale Bridge, the Northwest Police Campus and the Southeast Valley Line LRT as projects that have been too expensive or taken too long to finish.

"I'm saying, before we start approving any more new projects, that we learn from the projects that we're already doing," Cartmell said.

"The prime example is approving the south LRT extension with a quarter-billion-dollar cost escalation before the first shovel hits the ground."

'Look at our actual results'

Cartmell wants more accountability and transparency from city administration, and he is asking for an overhaul of the city's integrated infrastructure services department.

He also wants to see a permanent infrastructure committee created, with external third-party experts to advise city council directly.

"We have no more room for error," Cartmell said. "Our city finances are in a very difficult position, and any more wasted dollars on mismanaged capital projects will only make things worse and drive taxes higher."

Coun. Andrew Knack said he supports the idea of an infrastructure committee, but he doesn't agree that "everything is failing" in terms of city projects.

"I think we need to look at our actual results," Knack said. "Our actual data shows that project management in the city is in a much better place than we were ten years ago."

Knack said Edmonton's project management was overhauled in 2015 after some "massive failures," and it was looked at again by the city auditor in 2022.

"We have seen the number of projects that finish on or ahead of schedule typically in the range of about 80 per cent, we've seen the number of projects that finish on or under budget typically in the range of about 95 per cent," Knack said. "And that's been pretty consistent now for close to a decade."  

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi also pointed to data also showing the vast majority of the city's 215 active construction projects are on budget (93 per cent) and on schedule (82 per cent).

"This Council is committed to improving construction management and delivery, but several of the major projects that were not completed on time and on budget were approved and started construction before this council was elected," Sohi said.

Earlier this month, Edmonton city staff said major moves would be needed to bring down what could be a 13 per-cent property tax hike in 2025.

Cartmell said he will make his formal proposals to city council in the fall.

CTV News Edmonton has reached out to the City of Edmonton for comment and is awaiting a response.