By Brett McKay, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Investigative Journalism Foundation
Donations from connected corporations and numbered companies brought big money into Edmonton’s 2025 civic election, and council candidates have had to return thousands of ineligible contributions, according to final elections financing reports from the city.
Alberta’s last municipal elections were the first in nearly a decade where corporations, unions and associations were allowed to give to political campaigns, up to a maximum of $5,000 per year to all candidates.
An IJF analysis of interim financial statements found council candidates received tens of thousands of dollars from connected companies. Corporations that are associated with one another are considered a single corporation under the province’s local election rules.
Financial disclosure statements show that 18 city council candidates had to return a total of $67,890 throughout their election campaigns. The source of the returned funds and the reason they were returned are not disclosed in the financial statements.
Candidates associated with the Better Edmonton political party were the largest recipients of funds from associated companies, and many of the same candidates were responsible for the bulk of the money returned to contributors.
More than $54,000 in contributions was returned by the party and its candidates, about 80 per cent of all contributions given back.
Better Edmonton itself sent back a total of $15,000. The campaign for the party’s mayoral candidate Tim Cartmell returned more than $34,000 in donations and city council candidates Caroline Matthews and Karen Principe returned $2,964 and $1,750 to contributors, respectively.
During the campaign, Cartmell’s campaign manager Alex Hryciw told the IJF that there was confusion among donors as to what was allowed under the new contribution rules, and the team anticipated they would have to return several donations that were discovered to be outside the parameters of the legislation.
Other larger returns were reported by independent candidates, including $5,250 from Coun. Ashley Salvador’s campaign, $2,300 from council candidate Nicky Gocuan, and $1,510 from Coun. Anne Stevenson.
