1 week Ago By Michael Joel-Hansen
Zach Jeffries knows exactly what the new members of Saskatoon city council will be thinking — and feeling — in the coming days and weeks. A total of six new city councillors were elected in Wednesday’s civic campaign. Jeffries was in their shoes back in 2012, when he was first sent by voters to council in Ward 10.
This year, Jeffries was acclaimed in his ward to serve another term on council. He said he’s looking forward to being able to offer his assistance to new councillors, acknowledging that being new to the scene can at times be an overwhelming experience. “I can tell you that being elected for the first time is very much a process where you feel like you’re drinking from a firehose,” he said.
Jeffries said the new councillors should work to represent the views of people living in their wards, while acknowledging that they may have a big learning curve. “I remember thinking that it took me the better part of a year to realize exactly how things work, how I can be most effective and how to make things happen,” he said. In Ward 2 in Wednesday’s election, Senos Timon made history by becoming the first visible minority elected to city council.
He emigrated to Saskatchewan as a refugee from war-torn South Sudan more than 20 years ago. Other candidates in the riding included Franklin Arthurs, Jean Beliveau, Janna Horn, Fraser Kent and Karen Kobussen. Previous councillor Hilary Gough did not seek reelection.
“I am very honoured and grateful for the opportunity, that (the) people of Saskatoon really didn’t see (race) as a barrier,” he said. Timon feels Saskatoon has become a more diverse city over his two decades and seeing that diversity reflected in the local government is something he believes will be a positive for many people. In Ward 1, long-time incumbent Darren Hill finished third and was knocked off by Kathryn MacDonald.
Other contenders in the ward were Kevin Boychuk, Dallas Burnett and Russell Nadin. For the second civic election in a row, it was Ward 1 that was closest throughout the night. In 2020, Boychuk lost to Hill by 56 votes.
On Wednesday, MacDonald received 1808 votes, compared to 1,756 votes for Boychuk. The margin of difference: 52 votes. “It has been an incredible honour to serve the citizens of Saskatoon over the past 18 years,” Hill wrote on Twitter.
“I want to welcome Kathryn MacDonald as the new councillor for Ward 1. Wishing her all the best for a successful and rewarding journey ahead.” In Ward 6, Jasmin Parker will be succeeding mayor-elect Cynthia Block as councillor after finishing well ahead of Jonathan Naylor, Tony Bassett, Terry Alm and Terry Hoknes.
Parker said it was incredible to win an election by a large margin, adding that she appreciated the strong show of support from the community. “It’s incredibly humbling being voted in by your neighbours,” she said. During her campaign, Parker said she heard concerns from people about homelessness, housing and affordability.
Parker said dealing with the challenges will require working with other levels of government, but she’s also looking to see what can be done at the local level. “I am excited, I am anxious to get started,” she said. In Ward 3, Coun.
David Kirton did not seek reelection. In his place, Robert Pearce was edging out Mike San Miguel. Also entered in the race was Devyn Gregoire.
In Ward 7, Holly Kelleher will replace Mairin Loewen, who chose not to run again. Kelleher defeated Jamie Kirkpatrick, Justin Wiens and Edward Agbai. In Ward 8, with Sarina Gersher not seeking reelection.
voters elected Scott Ford as new councillor. Other candidates included Darren Abrey, Henry Tsz Lok Chan, Prathamesh Kale, Ron Mantyka, Malvina Rapko, Peggy Schmeiser and Kevin Zarycki. Multi-term councillor Troy Davies easily repeated in Ward 4, beating Courtney Saliken and Numaan Shafqat are vying to replace him.
In Ward 5, as well, Randy Donauer easily won another term as councillor, beating. Kyla Kitzul, Tyler Knihnitski, Nick Prytula and David Prokopchuk. Acclaimed candidates include two veterans of city council: Bev Dubois in Ward 9 and Jeffries in Ward 10.
