Outgoing Calgary mayor meets with incoming mayor as new city council takes shape
She's walked the halls of Calgary City Hall many times in her four years as a councillor, but Jyoti Gondek is no longer just a guest in the mayor's office.
The mayor-elect met with outgoing mayor Naheed Nenshi Tuesday, just hours after Gondek earned 45 per cent of the vote in the race to become Calgary's next mayor.
The pair spoke briefly in front of gathered media before a closed door meeting in the library across the hallway from Gondek's new office.
"There's two or three things we have to talk about today that just have to get done fast and then you can exhale," Nenshi said to Gondek.
"The keys are yours and you've got the opportunity to do amazing things," he said.
"Thank you for leaving it in good shape," Gondek responded.
Jyoti Gondek and Naheed Nenshi, Tuesday Oct. 19, 2021
According to unofficial results from Elections Calgary, Gondek received 58,907 more votes than runner up Jeromy Farkas. Twenty-seven candidates were running for the mayor's seat after Nenshi announced earlier this year he would not seek a fourth term in office.
Gondek won't have much time to acquaint herself with her new office and new council members. Deliberations for Calgary's $4 billion-plus budget are set to start in just a few weeks.
The mayor-elect is coming into office with a sluggish economy and a high downtown vacancy rate. Gondek has pledged to work with her new council colleagues and Calgary's business community to attract investment and reinvigorate the downtown core — and they'll need to do so as they continue to navigate through the pandemic.
Just three of the councillors Gondek worked with for the last four years were re-elected.
They'll all be officially sworn in on Monday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.