7 minute read
Serving Edmonton — Lisa Holmes
issues that face the city of Calgary and collaborating on how to address these issues and challenges in the best way possible.
Using the energy, expertise and contributions of its members, The Stride offers programs, projects and events, and opportunities for community members to actively be a part of the granting process. The Stride Advisory Circle reviews project proposals and groups “pitch” their innovative ideas. The Legacy Projects are indicative of the types of projects where grant funding was used to build community connections, explore new possibilities, and create resources to support others. Two examples of these Legacy Projects are the TwoWheel View and Sankofa.
Two Wheel View was a project that provided programs for at-risk youth. They collect donated bikes and use them as a means to work on skill development and pre-employment opportunities for youth. Networks are The Stride is comprised of people from all backgrounds, the corporate world, government agencies...
created, the bikes are fixed, and are distributed to communities. The program’s aim is to increase youth’s likelihood for future success and lessen risk factors.
A primary focus for The Stride is racism and equity. Johanna Clark, Program Developmental Specialist, remarked that “change happens when people look at truth and the impact on others.” By having a clear understanding of Canada’s history, we can come to see where we are now by re-learning and un-learning history. Johanna also curates the monthly newsletter with guidance from the Advisory Circle, addressing various topics, recommending books, articles, or podcasts to support learning.
The Stride is comprised of people from all backgrounds, the corporate world, government agencies, small businesses, and a variety of sectors from the Calgary communities. Because of these meetings with others, people recognize the need for truth-telling, sharing innovative ideas and connecting with one another.
As The Stride’s platform grows, members continue to meet, in person or online to listen and learn. The goal is to create a community to lead us into a vibrant future. The young leaders of today will be the voices of tomorrow as they “stride” into the future.
To get connected, visit https:// thestride.ca/ and join the community-minded citizens of Calgary.
Lisa Holmes
Serving Edmonton
with LISA HOLMES
L
isa Holmes is the Chief of Staff to Major Amarjeet Sohi. She was the former Mayor of Morinville and the past President of Alberta Municipalities. She spent some time with LCCMedia recently.
How is life different as Chief of Staff than as Mayor of Morinville?
I loved serving the people of Morinville and focusing on local issues there. This position allows me to do similar meaningful work but on a larger scale and on work that impacts not just Edmonton but the entire Edmonton Metropolitan Region. It is unusual to have a retired politician in this role, but the experience (and thick skin) that I developed in my time offers a really unique perspective to the Mayor that I hope can be useful as we navigate through some of the challenges that come up.
May we ask what a chief of staff does? Can you share a glimpse into what your morning at work looks like?
It is definitely busy! We start each day with a full team virtual meeting that lets us check in on each other and discuss the events of the day. For the rest of the day, it can be a lot of stakeholder meetings, strategy discussions or internal team meetings. I communicate a lot with the Mayor, especially if he is participating in a Council or Committee meeting. My job is to offer the Mayor strategic advice, to be a sounding board, and in lots of cases to be a friend who understands the challenges of living a public life. I am also his main liaison with City Administration and oversee a team of incredible individuals who are also committed to doing this important and impactful work through the lens of kindness, equity, and empathy that the Mayor leads with.
The Mayor is working hard to be inclusive. What are his priorities around antiracism?
Mayor Sohi presented a desire in the election to build an Edmonton for all of us and that statement is at the heart of all of the work we do. We want to give space to have the difficult but necessary conversations around systemic and institutional racism and ending hate-based violence. The City of Edmonton, through the Anti-Racism report and the associated work, has a unique opportunity to invest in recommendations that will empower BIPOC communities as partners and leaders in anti-racism. The Mayor sees this as generational work that he as Mayor and the City of Edmonton is ready to tackle in a meaningful way.
You have had an amazing career so far - would you say we need more women in politics?
Absolutely! Our leadership bodies need to fully represent the people that they serve which means our local governments need the participation of more women, but more specifically more immigrant women, more Indigenous women, more racialized women, more young women. Generally speaking, our governments have a hard time reaching the minimum target set of 30% female participation and marginalized groups are even more underrepresented.
What are the Mayor’s legislative goals for 2022?
Our office is focused on working to ensure the Mayor’s platform commitments are moving forward. His first motion resulted in the co-creation of the Anti Racism Report and we are looking forward to supporting the imbrave enough to put their names forward. But we also need to support the women who are in leadership roles now. Celebrate local community leaders that show up and do the work - whether it is through schools, non-profits, community boards or organizations - these women are already city building and would be incredible assets as municipal leaders in the future.
How do you help the Mayor to be available to so many interests and groups who need him?
The Mayor and I both know what an incredible privilege it is to work for this short time to support the people of Edmonton. He loves to be out in the community, meeting with Edmontonians and our team is there to make sure that the work continues so that he can engage with people as much as possible. Our focus is to be accessible to those that we serve and to ensure that they feel valued and supported as we connect them to help and services they need.
Do you find time to read leisurely? May we ask what books are on your bedside table?
I love reading, especially books about history or by local authors. Right now I have a lot of reports and work briefings to get through but I’m trying to find time to read for fun and learning. I am currently re-reading a favourite, Rosina the Midwife by Jessica Kluth, and discovering a new perspective on how I view cities through Beth Saunder’s Nest City.
plementation of those recommendations. We will need to guide the community through our recovery from COVID-19, looking at our City’s economic health and our individual mental health challenges. We also want to ensure that we are building processes and entry points into our office and into the municipal systems for individuals and groups that feel like they have not been able to connect with the Mayor’s office in the past.
Volunteering is important- how can people reading this get involved in the community around them?
My journey through elected life and into this position started with volunteering. My parents always felt it was important to contribute to their local community with both their money and their time. As a young parent in a small town, I joined the local library board since it was a place that was integral to our daily lives and I wanted to support their work. Board work is a great way to gain experience if you are thinking about running for office. But there is also need in our home communities for the small actions, helping neighbours with snow removal, picking up trash along your walking path, filling out engagement surveys to ensure your perspective is heard - all of these contribute to a more vibrant and strong community.
International Women’s Day theme is Break the Bias. How can more women be supported to enter politics ?
To be truly supportive of increasing women’s participation in local government, we need to encourage, fund, and hustle for those who are
