Exiting Calgary councillors mark final council meeting ahead of municipal election
Surrounded by purple balloons and a giant 'thank you' sign, current and former staff and volunteers of Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi marked his final council meeting on Monday.
Nenshi is one of six current members of council who will not run in October's municipal election. Monday is the start of what is expected to be a three-day council meeting, the final one scheduled in the current term.
"Ultimately there are 1.4 million people in this city who love this city and spend their days trying to make this city even better," Nenshi said.
"That work will continue, no matter who is lucky enough to hold this gavel and sit in this chair at the next meeting of council. That work will continue because the citizens will make it continue."
Councillors Druh Farrell, Evan Woolley, Shane Keating, Ward Sutherland and George Chahal have each announced they will not seek re-election in October. Chahal is running as a Liberal candidate in next week's federal election.
Thirteen of the remaining 14 sitting councillors (Sutherland is sick and attended the meeting virtually) posed on the steps of old city hall for a final group picture. It's the first time the group has been together in-person since the onset of the pandemic.
"I'll never have a job like this again. I will never have the opportunity again -- even for a second -- to hold in my hands the hopes and dreams and fears of people in our community for their future," Nenshi said.
Surrounded by purple balloons and a giant 'thank you' sign, current and former staff and volunteers of Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi marked his final council meeting on Monday.
LONG AGENDA
The mayor and council now turn their attention to the rest of a long agenda. Included in the items is an update on the city's COVID-19 response, which will be a discussion of whether the city should implement its own vaccine mandate to access city-run public buildings.
The final meeting of this council is expected to run into Wednesday afternoon.
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.
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.
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.
Being harassed at work? What to consider when deciding what to do next
If you've been the victim of workplace harassment, it can be difficult to feel you're not alone - and even more difficult to know where to go with a complaint.
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.
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.
Half of Canadians support TikTok ban, with U.S. concerns 'trickling' north: poll
A new poll indicates 51 per cent of Canadians support banning the social media app TikTok, after a U.S. bill aiming to do just that passed in the House of Representatives.
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.
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.