Edmonton’s 2021 municipal election is fast approaching, and many candidates have put their names forward for our ward papastew. (Pronunciation: PAH-PAH-STAY-OH) . The name of this new Ward, along with the others, were gifted to the City by iyiniw iskwewak wihtwawin (Indigenous Ward Naming Knowledge Committee).

To help you make an informed decision, Ritchie Community League conducted a series of interviews with the candidates, with the goal of getting to know their experience, priorities, and approach to city governance. One candidate, James Cameron, did not respond to our attempt to contact and include him. To learn more about each candidate’s platform, visit their website:

Haruun Ali | James Cameron | Susan FIeld | Kirsten Goa | Michael Janz | Tarcy Schindelka | Byron Vass

The videos will be released starting September 29, with one question per day in a short, easily digestible format. Stay until the end of each video to learn a brief history of the Papaschase First Nation, that the ward has been named after.

Ritchie Community League is located on Treaty 6 territory. We honour the diverse Indigenous peoples whose ancestors’ footsteps have marked this land for centuries such as the Nêhiyawak including the Papaschase First Nation, Dene, Tsuut’ina, Anishnaabe, the Nakota Sioux, the Niitsitapi, as well as Métis and Inuit and now settlers from around the world. We extend our appreciation for the opportunity to live and build community on this territory.

To learn more about the Papaschase First Nation’s history visit the following resources:

Papaschase First Nation

Pasikôw - The Papaschase Cree and the Story of Edmonton - Interactive

City of Edmonton Ward Naming Info

The papastew history moments are sourced from these materials and every attempt has been made to cover this history in an accurate, but concise manner for the purposes of this video series.