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Jyoti Gondek

Mayor of Calgary, Alberta

Jyoti Gondek

On October 18, 2021, Jyoti Gondek made history as the first woman and woman of colour to be elected as Mayor of Calgary, Alberta. She ran on a platform of fairness, informed decision making, and collaboration, and promised to take meaningful action towards a more equitable future for all Calgarians. A week later, Jyoti made it clear she wouldn’t shy away from disrupting the status quo to achieve that goal, when she refused to swear in a municipal politician that had been found guilty of sexual misconduct with a 16 year old girl. 

And her first order of business as mayor? Getting the city of Calgary to officially declare a climate emergency, not just to lower greenhouse gas emissions, but also to attract investments and create jobs. So she’s not just Calgary’s first racialized woman mayor — she’s a leader using her power to make tangible progress towards equity.