A look at some of the mayors leading a ‘new way of thinking’ in the West

By The Canadian Press

WINNIPEG – Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman calls it “a wave from the West” — a cohort of hip, western big-city mayors who have risen to power on plans to rid the cobwebs from city hall and re-make the level of government that is closest to the people. “There’s a number of mayors that have brought in what I call new-generation leadership,” he says. “It’s really looking at a new way of thinking — long-term, more pragmatic, open and accessible and a little bit more technology literate.” Here’s a look at some of the mayor’s in major western Canadian cities:

Brian Bowman — Winnipeg

Age: 43

Family: He and his wife, Tracy, have two children.

Elected: Oct. 22, 2014

Background: Bowman is Metis and is known for being the first indigenous mayor of a major Canadian city. He beat front-runner Judy Wasylycia-Leis, a former MP. Before being elected he was lawyer with a background in privacy law and social media.

Twitter followers: 14,786

Don Iveson — Edmonton

Age: 36

Family: He and his wife, Sarah Chan, have two young children.

Elected: Oct. 21, 2013

Background: Iveson was elected to city council in 2007 and took a run at the mayor’s job when Stephen Mandel announced he wouldn’t seek another term in office. Prior to politics he held positions in the student media with Canadian University Press and the Gateway at the University of Alberta.

Twitter followers: 59,891

Naheed Nenshi — Calgary

Age: 43

Family: Single.

Elected: Oct. 18, 2010

Background: Nenshi was heralded as the first Muslim mayor of a large North American city when he was elected five years ago. Prior to politics he was a professor in the field of non-profit management at Mount Royal University’s Bissett School of Business.

Twitter followers: 247,957

Gregor Robertson — Vancouver

Age: 50

Family: He and his wife, Amy, have four children.

Elected: Nov. 15, 2008

Background: Robertson co-founded Happy Planet, a Vancouver-based socially organic juice and natural foods company, before being elected to the provincial legislature as a New Democrat in 2005.

Twitter followers: 53,635

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