Following 14 years in public service with the City of Edmonton, where he served consecutive terms first as a city councillor and then as mayor, Don Iveson deserved a break from politics. However, what has he been doing since leaving office at City Hall?
As both a federal election looms ahead and a municipal one is yet to come, politics appear to be everywhere these days—unless you're a retired mayor such as Iveson. After choosing not to contest the previous municipal elections, Iveson made a promise to himself to finally take some much-needed time off, which he indeed took. Despite stepping away from city politics, Iveson mentioned that his community involvement didn’t cease; it merely shifted form. Below is an overview of what he has undertaken since completing his final term as mayor in 2021.
The interview has been shortened and clarified for brevity.
What have you been doing since your time at City Hall ended?
I often struggle with answering this query. Over the years, I've become deeply involved in several areas that sparked my interest within civic engagement; these also had a broader national impact via organizations like the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Big City Mayors group. My focus has been divided among tackling issues related to climate change, addressing housing challenges, and resolving peculiar governance dilemmas.
Unusual governance issues encompass, to some extent, conducting experiments here with co-op governance And cooperative frameworks designed for community economic growth and profit distribution continue forward. Regional cooperation remains a focus as we strive towards a mutually beneficial collaborative result. This approach isn’t fading away; instead, it will adapt into new formats following the provincial decision to dismantle the regional board.
At my current position with Co-operators Insurance, I am involved with their Resilience Accelerator Lab. This initiative builds upon the stormwater management projects we undertook at the city level. Now, I collaborate with numerous communities nationwide to explore ways to attract private funding as an additional resource alongside limited public funds. Our aim is to develop and improve infrastructure that has increasingly proven inadequate for dealing with contemporary weather conditions.
I am involved in numerous activities within the housing sector, currently serving as the chairman of the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation board for the past nine months.
As a father, I wasn't able to spend as much time with my children during my tenure as mayor. Now, I'm cherishing the opportunity to be more involved in their lives compared to when I was actively engaged in public service.
What were your feelings once you stepped down from being the mayor?
At that time, I felt completely drained, really—especially due to the pandemic and because relations had become quite adversarial with the government of Alberta. This situation was very discouraging. For several months following, primarily because of the pandemic conditions, I focused mainly on unwinding and recovering.
I believe the cooling-off period served as a defense mechanism. It allowed me to focus on different tasks and concentrate on my work without distractions. At first, working with The Co-operators and some initial projects like setting up the downtown co-working space called Homestead provided chances to immerse myself in non-public-facing activities—efforts that didn’t rely on leveraging my reputation within the community. Honestly, I wasn’t interested in doing anything else at the time.
I lacked the vigor for it.
In what ways does your present role differ from your previous position as mayor?
When I chose not to run for office again, I often reminded myself that there are numerous avenues through which to contribute. I don’t consider my involvement in public service to have completely ceased; rather, I simply engage with it in a different manner nowadays.
The chance I have with this climate initiative is highly strategic and focused on communities. It involves leveraging business practices and investments alongside policies, regulations, and incentives from the public sector. These elements must be integrated to address significant issues such as homelessness, insufficient housing, climate adaptation, energy shifts, and urban sustainability. Thus, I continue to operate at the crossroads of these critical areas.
To be honest, I have the opportunity to concentrate a bit more compared to my previous position. For now, that has been quite a beneficial exchange.
Securing the position at the helm of Canada’s housing authority during this severe housing crisis offers me a perspective on the wide array of issues and varied approaches encountered throughout the nation.
I understand it wasn't widely accepted—the choices the city made regarding the zoning bylaw, infill development, and rapid transit expansion came with some issues. However, from a strategic standpoint, there was a significant overall plan in place.
These regulatory modifications have distinctly separated this city from much of the rest of the nation, which is now struggling to achieve within mere months or years what took us over a decade to accomplish systematically. It’s particularly satisfying to contribute our insights to the broader national dialogue on housing issues.
What are your thoughts on how the city is faring currently?
Despite some challenges, I'm glad that this council has enforced the zoning regulations and put the city plan into action. This means we're increasing the housing supply within the current urban area, which is transforming our neighborhoods.
In five decades, everything will likely be clear. By then, the trains will be fully operational, and regardless of how much time their construction took, it will seem like distant past. On a large scale, across generations, I feel a great sense of pride in the initiatives started by the councils I collaborated with.
The only concern I have, however, is the disappearance of the regional development council.
This approach succeeded because there was an acknowledgment in the area that Edmonton’s suburban and infill developments would become more densely populated, without succumbing to low-quality expansion into surrounding areas known as "bedroom communities." Should the reasoning behind the regional growth plan lose its influence—due to the absence of such a plan and the lack of a governing body to enforce accountability—the broader agreement supporting thoughtful development might weaken.
Only time will reveal the outcome. Let’s wait and observe — find out what the mayors manage to gather.