Edmonton City Council Welcomes Four New Members After Election

Four new members will join the Edmonton City Council following the municipal elections held on October 16, 2023. The election saw a mix of seasoned incumbents and fresh faces, with a total of eight incumbents retaining their seats alongside the newcomers.

In Ward Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi, transit worker Jon Morgan emerged victorious over former councillor Jennifer Rice. Morgan, a dedicated employee of the Edmonton Transit Service for nearly 19 years, previously held roles including LRT inspector and control room superintendent. Active in his southwest Edmonton community, he has volunteered for local initiatives such as the Heritage Point Community League and as a youth soccer coach. “For this area, it’s going to be infrastructure,” Morgan stated, highlighting his immediate focus on addressing the needs of high-density areas, particularly in the Heritage Valley.

This election marked Morgan’s second attempt at council, following a loss in 2021. He emphasized the need for improved infrastructure, especially in neighbourhoods experiencing disrepair. “Sidewalks are really in disrepair in a lot of our neighbourhoods up there,” he noted, referring to the communities north of Anthony Henday Drive.

Michael Janz, the incumbent councillor for Ward papastew, received the most votes overall, amassing 10,620 votes, which accounted for 56.87 per cent of the 18,675 ballots cast. This marks Janz’s second term on the council, solidifying his position in central Edmonton.

Not all wards experienced equal voter turnout. The highest participation occurred in the west end ward of sipiwiyiniwak, where Thu Parmar claimed victory. After a closely contested race—initially finding her trailing by just six votes—Parmar ultimately secured 6,667 votes, representing 30.36 per cent of the 21,962 ballots cast. With a background in management at Alberta Health and leadership roles within the Canadian Red Cross, Parmar has a strong commitment to community engagement. “I’d love to be able to increase engagement, to increase transparency and make it easy for people to reach out to the government,” she expressed, reflecting on her campaign efforts that included knocking on over 35,000 doors.

In contrast, the ward of O-day’min, which encompasses downtown Edmonton, recorded the fewest ballots, with 12,443 votes. Incumbent Anne Stevenson was re-elected, receiving 6,269 votes, or 50.38 per cent of the total.

In the southwest ward of pihêsiwin, Michael Elliott, a staff sergeant with the Edmonton Police Service and former union leader, won with 7,984 votes, translating to 41 per cent of the support. Elliott aims to leverage his policing experience to enhance public safety. He remarked on the need to repair the relationship between the city council and the Edmonton Police Service, stating, “I believe it was quite fractured.”

Reed Clarke, an entrepreneur and former CEO of the Edmonton Stingers basketball team, also joined the council, winning in Nakota Isga, the ward previously held by mayor-elect Andrew Knack. Clarke’s focus will be on fostering collaboration within the council, stating, “Have the approach ‘we’re all here together, we’re all on one team. We all have the best interests of Edmonton at heart.’”

Knack was elected mayor with 78,519 votes, which is 37.98 per cent of the ballots cast. The election saw a total of 205,758 of the estimated 679,830 eligible voters participating, resulting in a voter turnout of 30.27 per cent—the lowest since 2007.

Advance voting took place over five days earlier in October, with 41,340 residents casting their ballots. The new council members will be sworn in on October 25, 2023, marking the beginning of their terms in office.