On December 12, 1921, Edmontonians went to the polls and elected their first female councillor — Izena Ross. In the past century, only 30 women have followed in her footsteps. And, only one has reached the mayor’s chair. Co-hosted by Stacey Brotzel and Kim-Ann Wilson, Searching For Izena: ‘Unwomanly’ Stories of Female Leadership at Edmonton City Hall tells the largely untold stories of trailblazers like Izena. It’s a political journey filled with many twist and turns that you won’t want to miss. A political journey that matters now more than ever. Join us as begin Searching For Izena.
Searching for Izena
Claim This Podcastby YWCA Edmonton
11 episodes
Updated Daily
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Podcast Overview
On December 12, 1921, Edmontonians went to the polls and elected their first female councillor — Izena Ross. In the past century, only 30 women have followed in her footsteps. And, only one has reached the mayor’s chair. Co-hosted by Stacey Brotzel and Kim-Ann Wilson, Searching For Izena: ‘Unwomanly’ Stories of Female Leadership at Edmonton City Hall tells the largely untold stories of trailblazers like Izena. It’s a political journey filled with many twist and turns that you won’t want to miss. A political journey that matters now more than ever. Join us as begin Searching For Izena.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
1/12/2021
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Recent Episodes
December 17, 2021
Part 10: Eight
What a finale! On the tenth and final episode of the Searching For Izena podcast, we hosted a live recording at the downtown Stanley A. Milner Library to celebrate the year-long campaign and the election of a record number of eight women to Edmonton City Council in October 2021. The event was attended by past and present female Edmonton City Councillors and new Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi. Several former council candidates also came to the celebration on December 12, 2021, the actual 100th anniversary of Izena’s historic win in 1921. The Searching For Izena Project started as a grassroots research campaign (during a pandemic!) by YWCA Edmonton and Parity YEG to mark a century of female leadership at Edmonton City Hall and to tell the long lost stories of these female political trailblazers. We also wanted to inspire more women to run and win, and our team is proud to be part of an historic year of firsts on Edmonton council. On this episode, our panelists look back at the project’s key findings and discuss what needs to be done next to ensure that the spirit of the Searching For Izena Project lives on long after the campaign officially wraps up. Guests: Katherine O’Neill, Rajah Maggay, Jan Reimer, Keren Tang, Bev Esslinger and Nafisa Bowen
September 28, 2021
Part 9: A Special “Searching For Izena” 2021 Election Guide
2021 is a big year for the Searching For Izena Project. Not only is it the 100th anniversary of the first woman (Izena Ross) being elected to Edmonton City Hall, but it's also a municipal election year. On October 18, 2021, Edmontonians will head to the polls -- in the middle of a pandemic -- and elect a new city council. On Part 9, Searching For Izena Project co-chairs Katherine O'Neill and Rajah Maggay chat about the upcoming election and the quest for gender parity at Edmonton City Hall (hint: the first and only time that ever happened in our city, Brian Mulroney was the Prime Minister and Love Shack ruled the charts). 86 people have registered to run in the 2021 election; of those, only 29 are women (10 are BIPOC). While that's a record number, we still have a long, long way to go. On this episode, we also break down the mayoral race and all 12 ward races and introduce you to the women running in each contest. Katherine and Rajah are joined on this episode by Searching For Izena podcast producer Sam Brooks. Correction: We mistakenly reported during Episode 9 that 113 people are running for a spot on Edmonton City Council on 2021; the number is 86. We regret the error. Guests: Sam Brooks, Rajah Maggay, Katherine O'Neill
August 17, 2021
Part 8: The “Lost” Stories
A lot happens in a century. There are so many rabbit holes you can fall down when you start asking questions about this relatively unknown and unexplored chapter of Edmonton’s history: female leadership at City Hall. On Part 8, The “Lost” Stories, you’ll learn more about women we want you to meet and know before the Searching For Izena Project wraps up in September. Women who have largely been footnotes in history until now. Women who both won and lost at the ballot box in Edmonton. From the two other women who were also on the ballot when Izena Ross made her historic political breakthrough in 1921 to Sherry McKibben, the first openly gay women to serve on council, there are many stories that we still need to tell. To help guide this tour through time, our hosts Kim-Ann Wilson and Stacey Brotzel will be joined by two Searching For Izena volunteers Lisa Holmes and Akanksha Bhatnagar. They will help walk us through the past as we learn more about these female political trailblazers. Some will inspire you. Some will frustrate you. But all will help you understand the important and transformative role women have played shaping our city over the last 100 years. Lastly, you will also meet the very first woman to ever hold public office in Edmonton (hint: it wasn’t Izena Ross!). This person was elected to be a school board trustee in 1912 – four years before most women in Alberta were even given the right to vote in 1916. Guests: Lisa Holmes, Akanksha Bhatnagar
11 total episodes available
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is Searching for Izena?
- How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
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This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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