Edmonton mayor congratulates Smith, hopes city receives 'fair share' of support
Edmonton's mayor congratulated Danielle Smith, Alberta's premier-designate, for her United Conservative Party leadership contest win, and hoped for a collaborative partnership.
After a seven-candidate leadership race, former Wildrose leader Danielle Smith won the party's top job after six rounds of preferential ballot voting with 53.77 per cent of the vote.
Travis Toews, former finance minister, represented her closest challenger, garnering 46.23 per cent of support.
In a statement released Thursday evening after the UCP leadership result was announced, Mayor Amarjeet Sohi congratulated Smith, saying he looked forward to collaborating with her and would continue to "advocate fiercely" for Edmonton.
Sohi congratulated Smith for the win and for becoming the premier-designate, to be sworn in next week, after which she will be the 19th premier of Alberta.
"We, as Alberta's capital city, are ready to put in the work necessary to promote and improve Edmonton under her leadership," Sohi said.
The mayor said Edmonton is a leader in several fields, including hydrogen, health sciences, artificial intelligence, renewable energy technologies, and transportation technologies.
He wants the next provincial administration to continue growing not only Edmonton's economy but the region as a whole.
"In partnership with our new premier, we can help expand our economy, create well-paying middle-class jobs and tackle climate change to make our communities more sustainable."
Sohi called on Smith to fulfill the province's responsibilities when it comes to addressing houselessness, drug poisoning, and mental health.
"Tackling these issues will reduce pressures on the overstretched healthcare and justice system," he said. "We want it to be easy for everyone to do business in our city."
"Edmonton deserves its fair share, and I will continue to advocate for equitable funding," Sohi said.
"I look forward to sharing more ideas with Premier (Designate) Smith in the near future and wish her the best of luck in this role," Sohi added. "Together, we can build an Edmonton for all of us."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.