EDMONTON – Ward O-day’min is Edmonton’s north-central district, encompassing communities along the north edge of the North Saskatchewan River, downtown and McCauley, and the developing Blatchford neighbourhood.
The new ward consists of more northern territory than it used to and less western; it now ends with Westmount at its western-most boundary line.
Previously, Ward O-day’min residents would have been represented by councillors in Wards 6 and 2: Scott McKeen and Bev Esslinger, respectively. The ward is without a true incumbent as McKeen is not running again and Esslinger is seeking re-election in Ward Anirniq.
O-day’min is pronounced Oh-DAY-min. O-day’min is an Anishinaabe word that means strawberry or “heart berry.” It was chosen for a name because the ward represents the centre, or heart, of Alberta’s capital city.
Here’s a look at the candidates running in O-day’min.
Gino Akbari hopes to bring his experience training troops in cultural sensitivity, negotiation and consensus building to Edmonton’s city hall. It’s one of two reasons he says he allowed himself to be convinced to run for councillor.
“We’ve lost that ability to sit and disagree with each other and then be civil to each other,” he commented to CTV News Edmonton.
The second reason was a former personal reality as a child in Pakistan: poverty.
Akbari’s platform prioritizes permanent housing solutions, starting with streamlining the permitting process for affordable housing projects, and advocating for provincial and federal collaboration.
“We can do it if we just bring everybody together to work on that – council, provincial government, federal government… I think we can absolutely solve it.”
A former small business owner, performance artist, and Riverdale resident, Akbari’s platform also includes points on economic revival, a vibrant arts scene, and community safety.
Anne Stevenson studied to be a city planner while living in other parts of Canada, west Africa and the United Kingdom, moving back to her home city in 2012 for a role with the City of Edmonton. She worked there in city planning and zoning bylaw until 2019, when she joined the staff at Right at Home Housing Society, whose board she had been sitting on.
“I love cities – that’s why I became a city planner. But I hadn’t thought this would be the year,” Stevenson, a new mom, said of running for councillor.
“It was feeling like there was a great opportunity to bring my knowledge and experience. Coming out of the pandemic we’re going to need some very clear and decisive action and decision making from council, and that’s something I’m really well placed to do.”
She says the city needs to grow efficiently by investing in core neighbourhoods and wants to see every Edmontonian be able to call a place home.
Stevenson described the Edmonton she wants to help create as equitable, efficient, inclusive and resilient.
Outgoing Mayor Don Iveson gave Stevenson his endorsement in late September, saying her “professional leadership in affordable housing delivery and her urban planning expertise are so relevant to representing Edmonton’s core.”
Naima Haile came to Canada in the 1990s as a refugee and eventually found a career helping other refugees settle into their new home. In Edmonton, where she’s lived for a decade, Haile works in the MacDougall and McCauley neighbourhoods teaching families about healthy living.
“I was scared,” she chuckled, “because in Edmonton, there has never been a Black Muslim woman elected as a city councillor… I didn’t know how and where and what entails to run for city council.”
She is running to increase representation in city hall and effect the change she’s wanted as a community member.
“We sit down with them [the city] on our own time, we give them our expertise, and then they publish a report and then it gets shoved. Nothing happens after a report is written,” Haile said.
“If we are not at the table, our voices will go silent.”
She advocates for supervised consumption sites, harm reduction strategies, affordable housing and liveable wages.
“I had always been happy to advise in the background,” Gabrielle Battiste, a lawyer and consultant, says, “but we’re at a critical time in Edmonton with crime at an all-time high, with our economy in need of being given a massive boost, and small business suffering after the pandemic.”
As a councillor, Battiste says her priorities would be creating a culture of “yes” — meaning, “less administration and more facilitation for businesses and residents” — crime reduction, improving transit, and addressing the opioid crisis.
All would help rebuild the “ghost town” Edmonton’s downtown core currently is, Battiste said.
“We are, in this ward, the people and the business that built Edmonton and drive its economy. And we should be a destination, not some area to shy away from,” she told CTV News Edmonton.
“I’ve picked up litter in Chinatown, several times, and the amount of drug paraphernalia and needles and human feces and clothes that litter the streets there makes it completely unsafe for pets and children.”
“With me, what you see is what you get,” Joshua Wolchansky promises. “I’m going to be someone who shows up, someone who is approachable, and who wants to take care of my neighbourhoods.”
An employee of the Alberta Public Service, he feels he’s been training to be a councillor for a while. Most recently, his role has been in the area of environment protection. Previously, he worked in economic development and international relationships.
“What I bring to the table is the ability to wear different hats and bring people together,” Wolchanksy says.
He says his topmost priorities as a councillor would be addressing the social and housing crisis and reinvigorating downtown Edmonton.
“We’re currently seeing candidates that are either single issue or single background. The next council is going to have the ability to have empathy, compassion and courage when addressing our social and housing crisis.”
He also thinks the city needs to take action on sustainability, prevent brain drain, and invest in neighbourhoods.
Tony Caterina represents the closest thing to an incumbent candidate Ward O-day’min has. His 2021 campaign is for a fifth term on Edmonton city council.
“If people don’t know me, I’m surprised,” Caterina said.
He sees a role for himself in guiding Edmonton’s next council through the aftershocks of the pandemic and helping shorten the learning curve for newbies.
“I feel obligated; I can’t quit at this point now. The city needs that experience and effectiveness.”
However, Caterina isn’t technically the incumbent candidate. He just finished a term as councillor for Ward 7 in east Edmonton, which was divided almost in two between new wards Métis and tastawiyiniwak.
He said he decided to run for re-election in O-day’min — a central area where Coun. Scott McKeen won’t be running again — because it is the face of Alberta’s capital city and therefore most important to get back on track.
If elected, he said would also prioritize faster progress on Blatchford.
Of his previous work as councillor, Caterina was most proud of his contributions to Edmonton’s neighbourhood and alley renewal programs, and the Yellowhead’s conversion through the Building Canada Plan.
He also said he was not surprised to see Iveson throw his support behind another O-day’min candidate, noting the outgoing mayor has never been his supporter. “I’m glad that I’m not getting his endorsement because if it was offered I would not accept it.”
MOHAMMED MIGDADDY
Mohammed Migdaddy moved to Edmonton a recent Canadian immigrant and re-certified pharmacist. His kids, now burgeoning teenagers, were born at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and raised in Little Italy.
One of his pharmacy businesses is located downtown, and has given him a good understanding of the people and their concerns.
“I know what they feel, what they have a problem with, what the city can improve in my area,” he told CTV News Edmonton.
“I go with these people. My kids, they go with these people.”
Migdaddy believes Edmonton needs to focus more on supporting local business, so much of which he says he has seen close during the pandemic. An economic recovery plan should include either grants for businesses or tax relief, he told CTV News Edmonton.
He also said he would support the continued expansion of Edmonton’s transit system, affordable housing, and bringing together the diverse communities of O-day’min.
Adrian Bruff has run one of the longest councillor campaigns in 2021. He decided two years ago to put his name forward and started door knocking in 2020.
“It is a long time,” he acknowledged. But he says it has paid off.
“Within that time – 13 months – of the 13 communities in my riding, we’ve door knocked each house three times.”
His two-part plan to address homelessness suggests the number of Edmontonians living on streets and in parks could be reduced by 80 per cent by 2026: the first step is converting existing infrastructure into wellness spaces with wrap-around services; the second is to turn unused homes into supportive living.
The plan is part of his broader platform on safety, which also proposes halving police’s automatic budget increase, investing in other community services like crisis diversion teams, and partnering with stakeholders to redevelop abandoned properties.
On economic recovery: As a councillor, Bruff says he would use the provincial and federal connections he has made over 10 years of social work to bring $5 million in grants for small businesses during the fourth COVID-19 wave, propose a commercial rent freeze, and help local entrepreneurs move into vacant commercial space at a cheaper price.
Adil Pirbhai did not respond to CTV News Edmonton’s request for an interview.
The Kenya-born candidate appears to have run in several previous municipal elections, and put his name forward as an Independent candidate in the 2019 federal election.
His website says it is “time for real change.” There, he promises to protect Edmonton’s best features and stand up for all residents, suggesting the provincial government prioritizes the concerns of special interest groups.
This information will be updated if it becomes available.
IBRAHIM WADO
CTV News Edmonton could not find contact or campaign information for Ibrahim Wado.
This information will be updated if it becomes available.
