Plenty of change, with six new city councillors in Saskatoon
It's municipal election day in Saskatoon! Reporter Michael Joel-Hansen will be providing updates on the ward races here.
Published Nov 14, 2024 • Last updated 3 hours ago • 4 minute read
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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.
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“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.
For the second civic election in a row, Ward 1 was the tightest race throughout the night.
In 2020, Kevin Boychuk lost to Darren Hill by a mere 56 votes. On Wednesday, Boychuk was again runner-up, but this time to Kathryn MacDonald by just 52 votes.
MacDonald received 1808 votes, compared to 1,756 votes for Boychuk and 1,453 for Hill. Other contenders in the ward were Russell Nadin (439) and Dallas Burnett (146).
“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 received 3,456 votes to succeed mayor-elect Cynthia Block as councillor after finishing well ahead of Jonathan Naylor (1,930), Tony Bassett (1,378), Terry Alm (1,256) and Terry Hoknes (623).
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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 (2,553 votes) edged out Mike San Miguel (2,242). Also entered in the race was Devyn Gregoire (282).
“What an incredible late night finish!” Pearce wrote on his Facebook page. “And to the 2,553 people who put their trust in me with their vote, I promise to work tirelessly for you, for our city, and especially for Ward 3.”
In Ward 7, Holly Kelleher will replace Mairin Loewen, who chose not to run again. Kelleher earned 2,672 votes to defeat Justin Wiens (1,835) Jamie Kirkpatrick (1,622), and Edward Agbai (577).
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In Ward 8, with Sarina Gersher not seeking reelection. Scott Ford received 2,203 vote to become new councillor. Other candidates included Henry Tsz Lok Chan (1,642), Malvina Rapko (1,548), Peggy Schmeiser (1,392), Ron Mantyka (832), Darren Abrey (270), Kevin Zarycki (233) and Prathamesh Kale (208).
Multi-term councillor Troy Davies received 3,144 votes to easily repeated in Ward 4, beating Courtney Saliken (1,233) and Numaan Shafqat (627).
In Ward 5, as well, Randy Donauer also cruised to another term as councillor, receiving 3,888 votes to beat Kyla Kitzul (1,905), David Prokopchuk (1,208), Tyler Knihnitski (725) and Nick Prytula (458).
Acclaimed candidates include two veterans of city council: Bev Dubois in Ward 9 and Jeffries in Ward 10.
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