'Decisive victory': Iveson welcomes Sohi as Edmonton's new mayor
Outgoing Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson welcomed his successor Amarjeet Sohi back to Edmonton City Hall on Tuesday.
Sohi won Monday night’s mayoral contest by a more than 46,000 vote margin over second-place finisher Mike Nickel.
Iveson said he was “thrilled with the results,” calling Sohi’s win “a decisive victory.”
“I want to thank Edmontonians for rejecting the politics of fear, and anger and division and embracing hope and a continued progressive vision for this city,” said Iveson.
Sohi and Iveson became friends after both were elected to city council in 2007.
“Our friendship is pretty strong,” Sohi said, citing their shared values.
“Our journeys are quite different from each other but we share a goal … building an Edmonton where we feel we all belong.”
Sohi becomes the first person of colour to occupy the mayor’s chair in Edmonton after having previously served two terms as a city councillor.
He also tweeted that Premier Jason Kenney called him earlier on Tuesday to offer his congratulations.
“This is not the first time I’ve worked with Premier Kenney,” the mayor-elect said, citing his time as federal minister of natural resources.
“I will engage with partners in a very respectful way.”
Iveson said that kind of respectful engagement deteriorated along with the level of debate in the outgoing council.
“A council is not meant to agree all the time,” he said. “The expectation is they disagree without being disagreeable … that broke down with the previous council.”
Iveson remains the mayor until Oct. 26 when Sohi will formally take over the job.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.