Proclaiming "Race Week" in Edmonton, Doing Better to Address the Gender Gap, and K-Days Kickoff
July 18, 2015
This is the first full week Mayor Iveson has had since City Council went on summer break, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been busy. From meeting with community leaders, attending the events that make Edmonton a wonderful place to live, to being featured in a video about grass clippings (of all things!) that has gone viral. Here are only a few of the highlights from the Mayor’s week.
Monday saw Mayor Iveson meet with local photographer Shayne Woodsmith, the creator of the Faces of Edmonton Facebook page. Woodsmith is an award-winning writer who takes time to photograph regular Edmontonians who are milling about the city, making sure to get to know these complete strangers and discover their personal stories. These photographs and small conversations are published on his Facebook page for all to see and Woodsmith presented the Mayor with a paper-copy of his ‘Faces of Edmonton’ book. Woodsmith sat down with Mayor Iveson to talk about the project and interview him for the site.
City Hall was filled with sports enthusiasts again on Tuesday as the Mayor proclaimed “Race Week” for September 2-7, 2015, in recognition of the Tour of Alberta and ITU World Triathlon Series Tour taking place in the city. The Mayor expressed how excited the city was to again host these two exceptional sporting events this fall, especially on the heels of a successful FIFA Women’s World Cup run. Events like these two races only further showcase Edmonton as a premiere host city, capable of bringing the world to the city and vice versa.
Edmonton also recently hosted the Alberta Indigenous Games this week, an event that brings over 1,000 Aboriginal athletes from across the province to compete in both competitive sports and traditional games. Mayor Iveson was on hand Tuesday afternoon to greet athletes and present medals to some of these outstanding competitors before the event wrapped up on July 16.
Edmonton also took a bit of a knock this week, receiving a poor ranking on the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternative’s recent list of the best and worst Canadian cities for women. The report ranked our city poorly for having a wide economic, leadership, and personal security gap between men and women; however, it did not mention the efforts currently underway by City Council to address these gaps. Mayor Iveson knows these gaps are unacceptable and has been working to close them by first advocating for more women to become involved in civic politics. More on what the Mayor has done to be an advocate for increased representation of women in leadership roles can be found on his recent Facebook post. Some of the local initiatives taking place to empower women include the establishment of Women’s Advocacy Voice for Edmonton (WAVE), a City Council committee made up of exceptional local women who provide a gender lens on the decisions that impact all Edmontonians. WAVE is already making progress, having just teamed up with Edmonton Transit on proposing new ways to increase safety for women taking public transportation. City Council also recently created a new council initiative to combat gender-based violence in Edmonton, which will ensure that this issue stays on Council’s radar screen.
Ending the week on a celebratory note, Mayor Iveson helped kickoff 10 days of fun and jubilation for K-Days. Participating in the annual K-Days parade, the Mayor and his family greeted the thousands of Edmontonians who lined the streets. The day was a special one for the city’s first responders as the Mayor had earlier proclaimed the day “Edmonton Heroes Day,” with representatives from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police “K” Division, Alberta Sheriffs, Edmonton Police Service, Edmonton Fire Rescue Services, Edmonton Emergency Medical Services and 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group serving as the parade marshals this year. A wonderful recognition for the men and women who serve our city so valiantly and selflessly. The Mayor then took time to bring greetings at Kiyanaw, K-Day’s showcase of Aboriginal life and culture - make sure to check it out at the Klondike Park!
So ends the first week of summer break for Council. We here at the Mayor’s Office hope you get a chance to enjoy Taste of Edmonton, which is now serving delicacies from around the city at Churchill Square until July 25, 2015. Bon Appétit!
For More Information
Mayor Don Iveson
2nd Floor, City Hall
1 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, AB
T5J 2R7
| Online | Contact The Mayor Online |
|---|
| https://twitter.com/yegmayoroffice |
