Week in Review #3

It has been another hectic and invigorating week — one that reminds me why I am passionate about public service. Interest in the mayoral race is mounting and it will only grow as we get closer to Election Day. It is clear to me that Edmontonians see this election and our campaign as a city-building opportunity.

In the past week I have covered the breadth of Edmonton, engaging with people of all ages. I visited six schools: Mount Pleasant, McKernan, Glengarry, Kensington, Pollard Meadows and Ross Shepard (which was a mayoral candidates forum). I was impressed by the interest of the students. They asked the type of questions I appreciate: straightforward, critical and constructive. It is clear to me that young people have a sense of the Edmonton they want to live in. It affirms the importance of articulating a vision for the city that builds responsibly on what we have achieved to date, while positioning us for the future.

In addition to meeting with students, I had the pleasure of visiting several seniors’ homes this week. The messages from our elders echoed what I heard from the students. One fellow, a World War II vet, pulled me aside after the forum on Thursday night and said, “I like what you’re saying, Don. It is positive. And I believe in this city.”

It was also a busy week of media events. I met with the Global editorial board on Monday. On Wednesday, I visited Breakfast Television and CBC in the morning and then met with CJSR and Gateway in the afternoon. On Friday, I met with the Sun editorial board, who posed tough and forward-looking questions – it was a great conversation.

I closed out the week by meeting with leaders from Edmonton’s Indigenous Peoples. We smudged and afterwards shared a heartfelt dialogue about what can be done to strengthen relationships and to better engage in mutual, productive work with the Indigenous communities.

John Dewey once said, “Democracy starts in conversation.” The past week has demonstrated this axiom for me. It is in dialogue that we learn to cooperate and question and create new ideas. I can’t wait to see where the conversation with Edmontonians takes us over this final week.