Early Life

Born here, raised here and tirelessly passionate about the place, Don has spent most of his adult life working to build Edmonton’s future. His experiences in the private, non-profit, and public sectors have given him a well-rounded view of the diverse perspectives of this city and the opportunities we have to make it better.

Given his knack for tackling issues and engaging people, Don’s background in media comes as no surprise. While earning his degree at the University of Alberta, Don volunteered and worked for years at the Gateway, the campus newspaper. With his Bachelor of Arts degree (with Distinction) in hand in 2001, Don landed an opportunity to work for the Canadian University Press in Toronto. After two years out east, he was happy to come home to Edmonton, where he served as business manager of the Gateway. Over the next three years, he developed the organization’s commercial operations, making it the most financially successful campus newspaper in the country.

Don later served in government relations, supervising a staff of four, working on issues important to undergraduate students at the University of Alberta. In this role, Don led negotiations with the City of Edmonton, the City of St. Albert, and Strathcona County to implement a universal transit pass for students across the city. The universal pass helped boost the popularity and use of public transit in Edmonton, further fueling demands for LRT expansion.

During the same years, Don remained active in the community. In addition to serving as an alumni volunteer with the University of Alberta, he has volunteered for Canada25, the Alberta Debate and Speech Association, and the Alberta Sailing Association. As a director of the Fifth Street Lofts Condominium Association, Don pushed for improved urban design in Edmonton’s warehouse district. As vice-president of the Malmo Plains Community League, Don helped overhaul their 40-year-old bylaws and advocated for better consultation and consideration for neighbourhoods affected by the South LRT.

Don’s Time on City Council

Don’s strong interest in civic issues and urban development, as well as a concern that talent was leaving Edmonton, led him to run successfully for City Council in 2007. He represented southwest Edmonton as a councillor for Ward 5 alongside Bryan Anderson; since his commanding 2010 re-election in Ward 10, he has represented the area around Century Park, Southgate, and the University of Alberta South Campus.

Over the past six years, Don has leveraged his pragmatism, creativity, and collaborative attitude in working to build the City of Edmonton. His command of issues and his passion for people have helped to address the increasingly challenging issues faced by Edmonton during a period of rapid growth and evolution. Don has approached his work with the goal of making Edmonton a place where our children and grandchildren will have economic opportunity and a high quality of life, a place they will want to call their home.

Don has been a champion of investment that will bring long-term value for citizens. He has been a leading voice for the Neighbourhood Reconstruction Program, working to reverse short-sighted cuts to local infrastructure and injecting much-needed investment in rebuilding neighbourhood streets and sidewalks.

He has also advocated for strategic planning of transportation and transit that is better integrated with neighbourhoods and development as our city grows. Don has worked to secure investment in neighbourhood area redevelopment and transit-oriented planning. As chair of the Capital Region Board Regional Transit Committee, he has also led the development of a 30-year vision for expanding public transit throughout the Edmonton region, and the creation of a regional Smart Transit pass that is close to implementation. As a key to the success of these initiatives, Don has fostered strong and positive relationships with mayors, councillors, and other municipal leaders throughout the region. As part of these efforts, Don served as chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in 2009-10 and 2011-12. He is also the current chair of the Regional Transit Committee of the Capital Region Board.

Through his leadership as chair of the Utility Committee, Don successfully brought in utility fiscal reform that places the focus on Edmontonians’ utility needs rather than profit. This shift in perspective will have utilities work on a strictly cost-recovery basis, helping to control the rising costs of utilities for families and businesses while ensuring utility services remain financially sustainable.

Don knows that to attract and keep our best and brightest, Edmonton needs to offer a vibrant and energetic culture. As council’s liaison to the City of Edmonton Youth Council and through his involvement with the Next Gen initiative, Don has engaged young people to help bring fresh ideas and programs to our city. Supported by this energy, Edmonton has seen an upswing in networking and creativity, including events such as Pecha Kucha nights and TEDxEdmonton and initiatives such as Startup Edmonton, which are generating a wave of new organizations and innovative ventures.

Influenced by his work and relationships at the University of Alberta, Don has worked to enhance our city’s reputation as a centre of learning, championing the establishment of a school of Planning at the University of Alberta. He also serves as council’s representative on the Edmonton Public Library Board.

Edmontonians value our natural areas and environment, anchored by the gem that is our river valley. With a longstanding interest in environmental protection and sustainability issues, Don was honoured when Mayor Mandel asked to take a lead role on environmental initiatives. In this role, Don has pursued a number of initiatives to reduce the city’s environmental footprint, bringing down costs for taxpayers along the way.

Among other achievements in this role, Don drove an initiative to “green” the city’s many festivals, and shepherded an award-winning Environmental Strategic Plan through council, followed by a practical Green Building Plan for the city. These will guide Edmonton’s future development in ways that encourage the preservation of green space and help keep the city’s environment clean and healthy. Don also led the push to accelerate the conversion of street lights to LED lighting technology. This will substantially reduce energy use and maintenance, which will also lower the city’s streetlight costs by up to $50 million over the next 20 years.

As our city has evolved, so too has Don’s life. While working to build our growing city, Don has juggled a growing family. Don and his wife Sarah Chan have a 4-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter. His family is a source of strength and an enduring inspiration to Don as he pursues ways to make Edmonton more attractive and affordable for families. Don’s greatest aspiration for Edmonton’s future is to make it a place that his children and grandchildren will continue to choose to call home.