Key Influencer – Amarjeet Sohi – Mayor of the City of Edmonton

On October 18th, 2021, Amarjeet Sohi was elected as the 36th mayor in the City of Edmonton’s history. Mayor Sohi will succeed former Mayor Don Iveson who opted not to seek re-election after holding the position for two consecutive terms. He is also the first person of colour to hold the city’s top elected position.

Mayor Sohi was born in Punjab and immigrated to Canada when he was 18 years old with his family. Prior to entering civic politics, he worked as a bus driver with the Edmonton Transit System and launched the Mill Woods Crime Council. He won his first election to become the city councillor for Ward 12 and held his seat until 2015. Then, he ran a successful campaign to become the Member of Parliament for Edmonton Mill Woods under the Liberal Party banner.

During his time in Ottawa, Mayor Sohi was appointed as the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities. During his time as minister, he played an instrumental role in the development of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Plan (ICIP) and ensuring bilateral agreements were signed with the provinces. He would later go on to serve as the Minister of Natural Resources. He lost his seat during the 2019 federal election to Conservative MP, Tim Uppal.

After Iveson announced that he would not seek re-election, speculation arose that Sohi may campaign to take over the city’s top job. In what was considered the city’s worst kept secret of 2021, Sohi announced his intentions on May 17th. His campaign platform was built on six pillars: quality of life, environment and climate, equity, public services, economic development, and social support.