Andrew Knack — quotes in The Progress Report on police funding / diverted money

The Progress Report, "Edmonton city council takes $25 million diverted from police budget for community programs and homelessness and gives forty per cent of it back to police."

Andrew Knack direct quotes: - "I'm not going to sit here and tell the people in the audience that this will solve every problem because I guarantee you it will not." - "I will support it. Maybe we'll see something meaningful done but I'm not holding my breath any more." - "No, not if we don't change the funding source at budget." - "There isn't an absolute guarantee that council will approve that change but based on the conversation at council, there were three councillors who voted against it plus several other councillors who expressed concern. I have very little doubt that if we move to change the funding source that it will get approved."

(Michael Janz is named as one of the councillors who voted against the motion; no direct quote from Janz in this piece.)

Reading: the resigned register — "I'm not holding my breath any more" — is Knack's characteristic posture. He votes yes while narrating his own low expectations, which reads as candor but functions as pre-emptive absolution for the outcome.

Original source: https://www.theprogressreport.ca/edmonton_city_council_takes_millions_diverted_from_police_budget_for_community_programs_and_homelessness_and_gives_forty_per_cent_of_it_back_to_police Retrieved: 2026-07-04