Edmonton Griesbach

Edmonton Griesbach covers the north-central portion of the City of Edmonton, stretching from the Castle Downs area in the northwest southward through the former Canadian Forces Base Griesbach, past the Yellowhead Trail corridor, and into some of the city's oldest inner-city neighbourhoods along 97 Street and Alberta Avenue before reaching the North Saskatchewan River. The riding takes in communities including Dunluce, Caernarvon, Baturyn, Griesbach Village, Balwin, Belvedere, Delton, Montrose, Alberta Avenue, Parkdale, Cromdale, and McCauley. With a population of roughly 111,000, the riding is one of Edmonton's most socioeconomically diverse, containing both middle-class suburban pockets in the Castle Downs area and some of the city's most challenged inner-city blocks.

Candidates

Kerry Diotte (Conservative) -- Born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in 1956 and educated at Carleton University, Diotte spent more than two decades as a journalist in Alberta, working as a legislature bureau chief, columnist, and editor at the Edmonton Sun. He served on Edmonton City Council from 2010 to 2013 before winning the federal seat in 2015. He was re-elected in 2019 but lost to Blake Desjarlais in 2021, making their 2025 rematch a closely watched contest.

Blake Desjarlais (NDP) -- Born in Edmonton in 1993 and raised in the Fishing Lake Metis Settlement, Desjarlais is of Cree and Metis descent. He studied political science and Indigenous studies at MacEwan University and the University of Victoria. In 2021 he made history as the first openly Two-Spirit person elected to the House of Commons and the first Indigenous representative from Edmonton. He served as the NDP's deputy caucus chair during the 44th Parliament.

Patrick Lennox (Liberal) -- An international relations scholar with a PhD in political science from the University of Toronto, Lennox spent 16 years as a federal civil servant working in security, finance, and foreign intelligence. He moved his family to Edmonton to be closer to specialists at the Stollery Children's Hospital for his youngest son's rare medical condition.

Thomas Matty (People's Party) -- Matty carried the People's Party banner in Edmonton Griesbach, campaigning on the party's platform of reduced government spending, lower immigration targets, and individual freedoms.

Michael Hunter (Green Party) -- Hunter represented the Green Party, advocating for climate action, public transit investment, and environmental sustainability in Edmonton's urban core.

Crystal Vargas (Independent) -- Vargas ran as an independent candidate, offering voters an alternative outside the major parties.

About the Riding

Edmonton Griesbach is a riding of contrasts. Its northern reaches in Castle Downs are defined by the orderly residential subdivisions built in the 1980s and 1990s -- quiet crescents, local parks, and families who have lived in the same homes for decades. The Griesbach Village redevelopment, on the site of the former military base, has introduced newer housing stock and young families to the area. South of the Yellowhead Trail, the character shifts sharply: Alberta Avenue, Parkdale, and McCauley are among Edmonton's most historically underserved neighbourhoods, facing persistent challenges around housing affordability, homelessness, addictions, and public safety.

The riding is ethnically diverse, with significant South Asian, Filipino, Indigenous, and East African communities. It includes a concentration of social service agencies, shelters, and community organizations that serve vulnerable populations. Alberta Avenue's commercial strip has been the focus of repeated revitalization efforts, and the neighbourhood's arts community has worked to transform its reputation.

Politically, Edmonton Griesbach had been a Conservative stronghold until Desjarlais's surprise victory in 2021, when he won by fewer than 900 votes in a riding that had returned Conservative members since 2006. The 2025 contest between Desjarlais and the returning Diotte was one of the most closely watched races in Edmonton, reflecting broader questions about whether the NDP could hold urban Alberta seats or whether the Conservative wave sweeping the province would reclaim the riding.