City Government

City of Edmonton Salutes Jack Layton

NDP leader Jack Layton and Edmonton Strathcona MP Linda Duncan talk with City Manager Simon Farbrother during a recent Edmonton visit.

August 22, 2011

The City of Edmonton joins Canadians in mourning the passing of national NDP Leader Jack Layton, a courageous and tenacious politician who worked tirelessly for families across the country.

“On behalf of the people of Edmonton and our City Council, we would like to express our sincere condolences and our sadness over the tragic passing of Jack Layton,” says Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel. “Our thoughts are with Jack’s wife Olivia and their children Sarah and Michael during this very difficult time.”

Layton visited Edmonton many times during his career, including launching his 2011 federal election campaign here in March.

“I was privileged to meet with Jack and learned first-hand about his passionate advocacy on municipal issues at a national level,” said Mandel. “All cities will miss his voice and perspective.”

Having started his political career in the 1980s as a city councillor in Toronto, he remained focused on issues that are keenly felt at the local level. He was also a past president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

“Jack Layton joined me and 15,000 other Edmontonians in Churchill Square to welcome the arrival of the Olympic Torch on January 13, 2010, as it crossed the country,” says Edmonton City Manager Simon Farbrother. “This was especially memorable for me as I had just assumed my role as City Manager and here I was meeting Mr. Layton, who had once called cities ‘the heart of democracy.’”

The City of Edmonton salutes Canada’s leader of the Official Opposition, who wrote in his book Speaking Out Louder: “Politics matters. Ideas matter. Democracy matters, because all of us need to be able to make a difference.”

Flags will be flown at half-mast at City Hall today and on the day of Mr. Layton's funeral.