Ward tastawiyiniwak: Transit concerns in northern Edmonton take centre stage

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Ward tastawiyiniwak contains a significant portion of the former Ward 3 in Edmonton’s north but gained six neighbourhoods to the south and lost three to the west when the boundaries were redrawn ahead of this month’s election.

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tastawiyiniwak, pronounced TASS-TAW-WIN-EE-WOK, is a Cree word referring to the LGBTQ2S+ community. Its rough English translation is “in-between people.”

In tastawiyiniwak, nearly two-thirds of residents own their homes and 40 per cent have lived in their home for five years or more. Nearly five per cent of tastawiyiniwak residents consider themselves as Arabic speakers, making it the main language other than English in the ward.

Multiple candidates this election point to concerns over transit in the ward as one of the top issues they hear from voters at the door. Their ideas for transit range from improving accessibility, to giving free rides, to giving up their councillor vehicle allowance if elected.

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On Sept. 29 candidate Iannie Gerona suspended her campaign. In a post on social media, she stated that she did not want the vote to be split between candidates and that she was putting her support behind Ahmed ‘Knowmadic’ Ali.

Ali also received the endorsement of outgoing Mayor Don Iveson on Sept. 27, something current councillor Jon Dziadyk, who is running for re-election, called “the best news I could ask for.”

Who is running?

Ahmed ‘Knowmadic’ Ali

Ali, a former City of Edmonton poet laureate, is known as Knowmadic. As a community advocate, Ali has been involved with the Edmonton Arts Council and the Law Enforcement Review Board. He has an advisory position on the National Council of Canadian Muslims. If elected, Ali said he will advocate for better transit, ensuring that there are enough stops in high-traffic areas and making transit more accessible. He has also promised to establish a business association that specifically represents tastawiyiniwak and northside businesses.

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You can find more information about his campaign here.

Cody Bondarchuk

A former community league president and constituency manager for NDP MLA Deron Bilous, Bondarchuk said his experience means he’ll be able to work with others on council. When it comes to improving the transit system, Bondarchuk said if elected he would advocate for moving towards a fare-free transit system in Edmonton that would allow the city to not charge riders, therefore, increasing affordability and ridership. He also wants to implement a city-wide rent control policy on landlords renting out three or more residences and set an annual maximum rent increase for new and existing tenants.

You can find more information about his campaign here.

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Jon Dziadyk

Dziadyk, an urban planner and member of the military reserve with the rank of lieutenant (Navy), is the current sitting councillor for Ward 3. He said he has demonstrated competence over the past four years and achieved previous campaign promises including the rehabilitation of Beaumaris Lake. This election along with fixing potholes and improving transit, he promises to advocate to widen 66 Street and 167 Avenue and work with the community on local issues like the economy, crime, vehicle noise, and speeding.

You can find more information about his campaign here.

Zain Hafiz

Hafiz did not respond to requests from Postmedia to be interviewed for this story. He is a local business owner who runs his own donair shop. According to his campaign website, if elected, his priorities include pandemic recovery, improving community safety and empowering small and family-owned businesses.

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You can find more information about his campaign here.

Karen Principe

Principe is a registered dental hygienist who said she decided to run because she wanted to help the ward where she raised her three children. She said she is concerned about the way the area is densifying while losing services including transit. If elected, she said she would advocate for better transit options and has promised to donate $28,000 to community leagues in the ward, which is the equivalent of the approximately $600-a-month vehicle allowance councillors receive in one term. “City council’s encouraging us to use bikes, take public transit, but yet they themselves get a vehicle allowance of over $600 a month,” she said.

You can find more information about her campaign here

Current councillor: Jon Dziadyk

Population of the ward: 83,002

Eligible voters: 56,925

New neighbourhoods: Kildare, Northmount, Glengarry, Delwood, Killarney, Balwin

Neighbourhoods lost in re-districting: Dunluce, Rapperswill, Canossa