JULY SNAPSHOT

EMBARGOED UNTIL: 5 AM - JULY 11, 2016

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Mainstreet surveyed a random sample of 830 Edmonton residents by Smart IVR on July 8, 2016. A mixture of landlines and cell
phones were surveyed. Margin of error: +/- 3.4%, 19 times out of 20. Results were weighed by age and gender based on the 2011
Canadian Census.

A2

"Exclusive Mainstreet/Postmedia polls are protected

by copyright. The information and/or data may only
be rebroadcast or republished with full and proper
credit and attribution to Mainstreet/Postmedia.

EDMONTONIANS MIXED ON POLICE BUDGET

July 11, 2016 (Ottawa, ON) A new Mainstreet/Postmedia poll nds mixed opinions on whether the police budget
should be increased with many Edmontonians believing the city is less safe. The Mainstreet/Postmedia Poll has a
margin of error of +/- 3.4%, 19 times out of 20.
Alberta is one of three Provinces where the legal drinking age is 18, along with Manitoba and Quebec while the rest
of Canada has set the age for legal consumption at 19. A majority of Edmontonians want to keep it that way, with
nearly two thirds (63%) saying they would not want to increase it beyond 18 versus just 18% who would support such
an increase, said Quito Maggi, President of Mainstreet Research.
4 in 10 Edmontonians who would support increasing the age for alcohol consumption say it should be raised to 19,
while another 32% said 21 like in some US states, just 5% said 20 and another 22% were not sure. The most desired
options other than the current age appear to follow other jurisdictional norms.
Recent changes made by the Provincial government that loosen restrictions on serving alcohol is overwhelmingly
popular with 73% saying they approve, including 76% of men and 80% of those under 35. Just 17% disapprove,
including almost 2 in 10 women disapproving of the move (19%).
We see similar support for loosening restrictions on rules for consumption at festivals like the Edmonton Summer
Festival. Over 7 in 10 people would support such changes (71%), and signicantly higher among those under 35 with
almost 8 in 10 (79%). Only 16% would oppose such changes with another 13% not sure.
The Mainstreet/Postmedia poll also asked Edmontonians questions about crime and policing.
In recent years Edmonton has received some unwanted attention for having a a steady crime rate while other major
cities rates fell up to 2014. Since 2015, rates have increased, including a record number of murders that some attribute
to the downturn in the economy. These realities are mirrored by the perceptions of a majority of Edmontonians who
believe crime is either increasing (43%) or staying the same (37%). Just 11% believe crime is decreasing with another
9% not sure about the relative amount of crime.
Despite those perceptions, people are split on whether the City should approve an increased budget for the local
police force. 44% indicate the City should approve an increase for the Police force while 35% said no, with 21% not sure
about increasing the budget. This will present a challenge for the Mayor and Council as they decide on budget
priorities versus the safety concerns of residents. Perhaps increased attention towards Violent Crimes and Sex Trade
would be a good approach for City ocials as 22% and 21% respectively indicate these should be priorities for the
police force. The rest were closely split between focusing on Gangs (12%), Drugs (15%) and Property Crimes (15%),
nished Maggi.
About Mainstreet Research
Mainstreet is a national public research rm. With 20 years of political experience at all three levels of government,
President and CEO Quito Maggi is a respected commentator on Canadian public aairs.
Dierentiated by its large sample sizes, Mainstreet Research has provided accurate snapshots of public opinion,
having predicted a majority NDP government in Alberta, a majority Liberal government in British Columbia and a
majority Liberal government in Ontario. Mainstreet has been the most accurate polling rm in several by elections and
the most recent Toronto mayoral election. Most recently, Mainstreet was the only polling rm to correctly predict a
Liberal majority government in the 2015 federal election.
-30Available for phone interview: Quito Maggi, quito@mainstreetresearch.ca
For more information: David Valentin, 514-913-5524, david@mainstreetresearch.ca

A3

The provincial government has recently made changes to

liquor laws, removing restrictions on happy hours, and
making it easier for breweries and distilleries to operate.
Do you approve or disapprove allowing bars to stay open
and serve later?

City

73%

Males

76%

Females

70%

18-34

80%

35-49

69%

50-64

71%

65+

65%

10

17%

10%

15%

9%

19%

11%
12%

7%

21%

10%

16%

13%

24%
20

30

40

Approve

50

Disapprove

60

70

11%
80

90

100

Not Sure

City

18-34

35-49

50-64

65+

Male

Female

Approve

73%

80%

69%

71%

65%

76%

70%

Disapprove

17%

12%

21%

16%

24%

15%

19%

Not Sure

10%

7%

10%

13%

11%

9%

11%

Sample

830

131

179

258

262

398

830

A4

And would you support the province of Alberta

raising the legal drinking age?

City

18%

Males

16%

Females

20%

18-34

15%

35-49

21%

50-64

23%

65+

13%

10

63%

19%

66%

18%

60%

20%

73%

12%

59%

21%

53%

24%

63%
20

25%
30

40

Yes

50

No

60

70

80

90

100

Not Sure

City

18-34

35-49

50-64

65+

Male

Female

Yes

18%

15%

21%

23%

13%

16%

20%

No

63%

73%

59%

53%

63%

66%

60%

Not Sure

19%

12%

21%

24%

25%

18%

20%

A5

[If Yes] And what age do you think the drinking age
should be set at?

City

40%

Males

36%

Females

44%

18-34

50%

37%

35-49

50%

27%

50-64

21%

65+

40%

10

32%

22%

36%

24%
30%

21%

7% 38%

10%
20%
34%

10% 20%
20

30

19

40

20

50

21

30%

60

70

80

90

100

Not Sure

City

18-34

35-49

50-64

65+

Male

Female

19

40%

50%

50%

21%

40%

36%

44%

20

5%

3%

3%

7%

10%

5%

5%

21

32%

37%

27%

38%

20%

36%

30%

Not Sure

22%

10%

20%

34%

30%

24%

21%

A6

And should the province loosen restrictions on

security requirements to allow festivals such as the
Edmonton Folk Festival to have open liquor sales
through festival site?

City

71%

16%

13%

Males

70%

16%

14%

Females

72%

18-34

79%

35-49

69%

50-64

60%

65+

73%

10

16%

12%
11%

17%

14%

24%

16%
13%

20

30

40

Yes

50

No

60

10%

70

80

15%
90

100

Not Sure

City

18-34

35-49

50-64

65+

Male

Female

Yes

71%

79%

69%

60%

73%

70%

72%

No

16%

11%

17%

24%

13%

16%

16%

Not Sure

13%

10%

14%

16%

15%

14%

12%

A7

Do you believe crime is increasing, decreasing or

staying the same in Edmonton?

City

43%

Males

46%

Females

40%

18-34

45%

35-49

51%

50-64

42%

65+

24%

10

37%
34%
40%

11%

9%

11%

9%

11%

10%

44%
30%

10% 9%

30%

16%

44%
20

Increasing

30

12%

19%
40

50

Staying the Same

60

70

Decreasing

14%
80

90

100

Not Sure

City

18-34

35-49

50-64

65+

Male

Female

Increasing

43%

45%

51%

42%

24%

46%

40%

Staying/Same

37%

44%

30%

30%

44%

34%

40%

Decreasing

11%

5%

10%

16%

19%

11%

11%

Not Sure

9%

5%

9%

12%

14%

9%

10%

A8

Edmontons police chief has suggested that if the

service doesnt get its budget request that response
times could be cut for minor calls. Should city council
approve a larger police budget?

City

44%

Males

47%

Females

41%

18-34

48%

35-49

32%

50-64

44%

65+

56%

10

35%

21%

31%

22%

39%

20%
36%

16%

45%

23%
29%

28%
25%

20

30

40

Yes

50

No

60

19%
70

80

90

100

Not Sure

City

18-34

35-49

50-64

65+

Male

Female

Yes

44%

48%

32%

44%

56%

47%

41%

No

35%

36%

45%

29%

25%

31%

39%

Not Sure

21%

16%

23%

28%

19%

22%

20%

A9

What crimes do you feel police should prioritize?

City

18-34

35-49

50-64

65+

Male

Female

Gangs

12%

13%

10%

12%

11%

12%

12%

Drugs

15%

16%

13%

17%

13%

14%

16%

Violent Crimes

22%

32%

20%

13%

14%

26%

18%

Property Crimes

15%

5%

20%

19%

25%

16%

14%

SexTrade/Child
Exploit 21%
PC

25%

17%

20%

20%

15%

27%

Commercial

3%

1%

2%

6%

5%

4%

2%

Something Else

4%

2%

5%

5%

5%

5%

3%

Not Sure

8%

5%

12%

8%

8%

7%

8%

A10

SCRIPT

The provincial government has recently made changes to liquor laws, removing restrictions on happy hours, and
making it easier for breweries and distilleries to operate. Do you approve or disapprove allowing bars to stay open
and serve later?
Approve
Disapprove
Not Sure
And would you support the province of Alberta raising the legal drinking age?
Yes
No
Not Sure
[If Yes] And what age do you think the drinking age should be set at?
19
20
21
Not Sure
And should the province loosen restrictions on security requirements to allow festivals such as the Edmonton
Folk Festival to have open liquor sales through festival site?
Yes
No
Not Sure
Do you believe crime is increasing, decreasing or staying the same in Edmonton?
Increasing
Staying the Same
Decreasing
Not Sure
Edmontons police chief has suggested that if the service doesnt get its budget request that response times could
be cut for minor calls. Should city council approve a larger police budget?
Yes
No
Not Sure
What crimes do you feel police should prioritize?
Gangs
Drugs
Violent crimes
Property crimes such as break-ins
The sex trade, including prostitution and child exploitation
Commercial crime
Something Else
Not Sure

ONLY WE
CALLED
THE
LIBERAL
MAJORITY.

I recommend "Raiders of the Lost Campaign Arc," released Oct. 18, because its an interview
with a pollster that everyone who follows politics should hear. Quito Maggi, of Mainstreet Public
Research, was the only pollster I saw call the Liberal majority with such condence, a week
before we voted.
Maggi also has the distinction of being the guy who predicted the BC Liberals would win in 2013,
in deance of the majority of the polls.
His technique involves picking a true bellwether riding and polling it thoroughly. His explanation
for how he does it is well worth a listen and should be required research for anyone running a
political campaign. - Shannon Rupp, The Tyee, November 4th, 2015
Mainstreet Research | 1322255B Queen Street East
| Toronto | Ontario | M4E 1G3 | Canada

Mainstreet is a national public research rm. With 20 years of political experience at all three
levels of government, President and CEO Quito Maggi is a respected commentator on Canadian
public aairs.
Dierentiated by its large sample sizes, Mainstreet Research has provided accurate snapshots of
public opinion, having predicted a majority NDP government in Alberta, a majority Liberal
government in British Columbia and a majority Liberal government in Ontario. Mainstreet has
been the most accurate polling rm in several by elections and the most recent Toronto mayoral
election. Most recently, Mainstreet was the only polling rm to correctly predict a Liberal majority
government in the 2015 federal election.

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