Sherwood Park Minute: Issue 83

Sherwood Park Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Sherwood Park politics

📅 This Week In Sherwood Park: 📅

• There will be a Council Organizational Meeting on Thursday at 1:30 pm. The newly elected Council will approve the appointments of the Deputy Mayor and Acting Mayor, approve the Council Chamber Seating Arrangement for the 2025-2029 Council Term, and establish regularly scheduled Council, Council Public Hearing, Council Budget, and Priorities Committee meeting dates and times for the 2026 calendar year.
  
  
• Rod Frank has been re-elected as Mayor of Strathcona County for a third term, securing nearly 77% of the vote in the 2025 Municipal Election. Frank thanked supporters and his opponent Benjamin Biel for participating. In Ward 2, Mike Derbyshire won a contested seat with 64.44% support. All other incumbent Councillors retained their seats. Voter turnout was the lowest in almost four decades at just 26.14%.
  
  
• The 2025 municipal election brought significant changes to the Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) and Elk Island Catholic Schools (EICS) boards of trustees. For EIPS, only two incumbents retained their positions, while several newcomers, including Kaye Schindeler, Dave Anderson, Leah Canning, Jessica Boyden, and Krista Scott, were elected. Incumbent trustees Ralph Sorochan, Colleen Holowaychuk, and Bryan Butler also retained or were acclaimed to their positions. On the EICS side, a veteran team largely returned, with Board Chair Le-Ann Ewaskiw, Dean Sarnecki, Ted Paszek, and Al Stewart re-elected, while newcomers Brad Koshka and Raymond Cyre also joined the board. The newly elected EIPS trustees will be sworn in on October 30th, and EICS trustees on October 29th, with both boards set to begin public meetings shortly after.
  
  
• Strathcona County recently unveiled a new poppy sculpture at Cenotaph Park in front of County Hall to honour fallen service members from the Boer War through Afghanistan. Created by Revelstoke artist and blacksmith Kyle Thornley, the steel sculpture features stylized botanical details and vivid colours, inspired by his grandfather, a World War II veteran. The piece was chosen instead of a poppy crosswalk to maintain the dignity and respectful use of the symbol, as recommended by the Royal Canadian Legion and National Poppy Foundation. The sculpture, part of Council-approved initiatives including Veterans Memorial Park, aims to invite reflection on the cost of war, the fragility of life, and hope for peace.
  
  
• Nate Glubish, Alberta’s Minister of Technology and Innovation, and MLA for Strathcona-Sherwood Park, pitched the province as a prime destination for Bitcoin mining during the North American Blockchain Summit in Dallas. Highlighting Alberta’s abundant natural gas, pro-business regulations, and skilled workforce, he noted Bitdeer Technologies’ recent 101-megawatt gas-fired power project near Fox Creek as an example that could attract more crypto companies. Glubish also emphasized Alberta’s low taxes, reduced red tape, and ATB Financial’s openness to crypto businesses as key advantages. Drawing comparisons to Texas, he argued Alberta is well-positioned to become a leading hub for digital asset mining and international investment.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

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