Edmonton's housing market is on fire. And unfortunately, I mean that literally.
Over the past couple of weeks, there have been six fires in new infill projects, with four of them confirmed to be arson and two others still suspicious.
An infill home under construction burns on Saskatchewan Drive, Nov. 2, 2025.
EPS hasn't officially linked these crimes, but only a few days ago, a man was sentenced for his role in Project Gaslight, an extortion scheme that involved the torching of under-construction homes. So, it's easy to draw parallels.
The weirdest parallel
But the weirdest parallel comes from the Edmonton Journal, who today published an article that ostensibly made the case that these arsons are political actions to protest the new zoning bylaw.
Or put another way, terrorism.
Lorne Gunter made sure to say “arson is bad” before going on to justify and explain the theoretical terrorists' actions.
Really?! Because I think the infill that has been forced on plenty of the city's most desirable neighbourhoods truly has pushed some residents to the breaking point.
They have convinced themselves these monstrosities are necessary to get Edmonton to a population of two million without increasing its footprint. So not matter how much the most-affected residents have pleaded with them to stop destroying their streets, and driving down their property values, and increasing traffic, garbage and parking problems, council's lefty majority and administration have shrugged off the fears of residents.
He uses extreme rhetoric about residents “pleading” to stop “destroying their streets” and being pushed to the “breaking point.” He's continuing to push a persecution narrative that frames council as tyrannical.
In one breath, he says these actions are bad, but in another, he says that these actions are easily understood as the path of a people pushed to the brink.
I wonder if he'd extend that same courtesy of thought overseas.
I suspect not.
Let's look at the facts
But let's stop and look at the facts. Edmonton just went through a huge accountability and consultation exercise: an election.
The two wards that are most acutely feeling infill, papastew and Métis, saw the incumbents who supported the new zoning bylaw re-elected unambiguously with wide support.
- Michael Janz, re-elected in papastew
- 56.9%
- Ashley Salvador, re-elected in Métis
- 48.6%
- of Edmontonians named infill a top-three priority
- 14%
Michael Janz won the clearest mandate of any councillor in the entire city. Six other councillors are once again returning to be seated in chambers.
Despite outspending his competition 10 to 1, the mayoral candidate pushing for a stop to infill was rejected soundly at the ballot box.
Polling leading up to the election made very clear that infill was not a top issue for Edmontonians. Affordability was.
And Edmonton has an affordability advantage in our country because of a progressive approach to development, not in spite of it.
My heart goes out to the people who lost current or future homes to these crimes. It's inexcusable.
But unlike Lorne Gunter at the Edmonton Journal, I'll end by saying that terrorism is bad without the need to explain the motivations of potential perpetrators in our communities.
Terrorism is bad.
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