Jyoti Gondek Makes History as Calgary’s First Female Mayor

Jyoti Gondek wins the 2021 election to become Calgary’s first female mayor

By: Maha Altamimi

Prabjhote Kaur, mostly known as “Jyoti Gondek,” was born in London, England 1969. She is a Canadian politician who was elected as Calgary’s first female mayor on October 18, 2021. 

In this context, she is replacing Naheed Nenshi, who has been mayor of the city for almost a decade. 

“History. Made,” he tweeted, congratulating Gondek on her win as the city’s first female mayor. 

Ms. Gondek graduated from the University of British Columbia with a bachelor’s degree in criminology/sociology, and from the University of Manitoba with a master’s degree in organizational sociology. She was also awarded a Ph.D. in urban sociology from the University of Calgary.

She was the Director of the Westman Centre for Real Estate Studies at the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. After that, Since 2017, she served as a councilor in Ward3, which covers the communities of Country Hills, Country Hills Village, Coventry Hills, Harvest Hills, and Panorama Hills. 

Ms. Gondek campaigned on rebuilding the economy by transforming Calgary into an “energy transition” center and encouraging innovation. “I will ensure that we stay focused on a recovery that is rooted in economic, social, and environmental resiliency,” she said. 

Jyoti has also stated that she would enhance facilities and services such as public transportation to help make the city a more appealing place to live in. 

Moreover, she will continue to work on Calgary’s Greater Downtown Plan, which she supported while on the council. The plan consists in turning the city center into a mixed-use neighborhood, in part by turning certain office towers into rental flats in order to minimize the quantity of idle office space.