'No worship needed': Gondek asks to be referred to simply as mayor
Calgary's mayor is asking members of the public, administration and her fellow councillors to no longer refer to her as 'your worship.'
Mayor Jyoti Gondek made the request at the start of Tuesday morning's council session.
"It has traditionally been practised to refer to the mayor as 'your worship, his worship, her worship,'" said Gondek during her opening remarks. "I find that to be clunky and colonial, quite frankly, and so in my efforts to practise some personal responsibility when it comes to reconciliation, I would greatly appreciate if members of council, members of administration and members of the public if, for me, you were just comfortable using Mayor Gondek.
"The worship title, at this point, is not something that I need from any of you. If it a formality that needs to be used, I understand that. It is a practise that has been brought down by the federal government. It's something that we've traditionally used. I'm not breaking any customs or traditions by asking that we not use it."
Gondek acknowledged Mayor Sandra Masters of Regina, Sask., who made a similar request to end the use of 'your worship' back in 2020 during one of her first council meetings.
"Call me Mayor Gondek. No worship needed. I know there's going to be a little bit of a time to get past that but thank you very much."
Gondek was elected as mayor in October 2021, replacing Naheed Nenshi who did not seek a fourth term as mayor. She previously served as Ward 3 councillor.
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.