Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
Jasper鈥檚 new council was sworn in during a ceremony at the Lobstick Lodge on Oct. 22, four days after the 2021 municipal election.
Newly elected were joined by their friends and families, along with a limited number of representatives of community organizations including Parks Canada, the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Jasper.
The ceremony was not open to the general public this year due to COVID-19.
鈥淲e began a tradition here in Jasper of inviting the entire public to observe the oath of office administered to the community鈥檚 newly elected council,鈥� Ireland said during a brief speech.
鈥淭he oath of office is, after all, not a promise made to each other or to staff. It is a promise to the community, a very public promise.鈥�
As such, Ireland emphasized the importance of the community representatives in attendance.
On Oct. 18, Ireland was re-elected as mayor.
Incumbent councillors Rico Damota, Hellen Kelleher-Empey and Scott Wilson were also re-elected.
The three new councillors include Wendy Hall, Ralph Melnyk and Kathleen Waxer.
Former councillors Bert Journault and Jenna McGrath decided not to seek re-election, while former councillor Paul Butler opted to run for mayor instead but lost to Ireland.
Ireland congratulated those who took the oath of office.
鈥淎ll of you have or will, as have I, be compelled, I expect, to confront one of the great ironies of serving in public elected office: the more intensely public the issues become, the more isolated you are likely to be,鈥� Ireland said.
鈥淒ischarging the duties of elected public office can be a bit of a lonely occupation. You will necessarily lean on your council colleagues and draw strength from shared experience. More importantly and more constantly, you will draw strength and support from your spouses and your partners.鈥�
The newly elected council held its first meeting on Oct. 26 and will go through orientation this week, followed by budget presentations in November.
Editor's note: The story was updated to fix wording with the quotes.
