Edmonton voters elected nine public school board and six Catholic school board trustees on Oct. 20. Some candidates won their races decisively, while others narrowly did so. Some were reelected, while others will be new to the role.
Before the vote, some suggested the stakes surrounding it were elevated in 2025. In early October, more than 50,000 teachers in Alberta went on strike. They remain out of classrooms, as negotiations with the Alberta government continue.
Edmonton's fast-paced population growth was also highlighted as adding importance to the vote.
"We hear constantly about the need for new schools in this city, and we're on the brink of potentially a teacher strike," former Edmonton Public Schools board chair Trisha Estabrooks told CTV about the upcoming election last month, before the strike was in effect. "We're hearing the autonomy of school boards has been stripped."
Michael Janz, who successfully ran for reelection in Ward papastew, also said before the Oct. 20 vote that there was a potential for culture-war politics to creep into the school board races. "The school trustee is a really important position in our democracy," Janz, who was an Edmonton Public School Board trustee for 11 years, told CTV. "You're seeing it right now with many of the culture wars across the U.S. and in North America. School boards have become a focal point."
For all results from the 2025 municipal election in Edmonton, go to the Taproot results dashboard.
A graphic of the nine winners from the Edmonton public school board election on Oct. 20. (Supplied)
Public school board trustee winners
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In Ward A, one-term trustee Sherri O'Keefe received just less than 36% of the vote.
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In Ward B, new candidate Linda Lindsay received just less than 70% of the vote.
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In Ward C, new candidate Holly Nichol received 84% of vote, the widest margin of victory across the both public and Catholic board races.
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In Ward D, new candidate Nickela Anderson received just more than 47% of vote.
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In Ward E, new candidate Sarah Doll received just less than 60% of the vote.
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In Ward F, one-term trustee Julie Kusiek received 65% of the vote. "It's an honour to serve as Ward F Trustee with Edmonton Public Schools for a second term," Kusiek posted on Instagram.
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In Ward G, one-term trustee Saadiq Sumar received just more than 44% of the vote.
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In Ward H, new candidate Melanie Hoffman received 61% of the vote.
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And in Ward I, one-term trustee Jan Sawyer received nearly 66% of the vote.
Edmonton Catholic school board trustee winners
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In Ward 71, new candidate Leah Fiorillo received about 58% of the vote.
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In Ward 72, Sandra Palazzo received just less than 76% of the vote. Palazzo was first elected in 2017.
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In Ward 73, new candidate Kara Pelech received just more than 51% of the vote.
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In Ward 74, Debbie Engel received about 78% of the vote. Engel has served as board chair 11 times.
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In Ward 76, Lisa Castell Turchansky received 58% of the vote. Castell Turchansky was first elected in 2021.
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And in Ward 77, Laura Thibert received about 74% of the vote. Thibert has been elected to the board several times in the past, the first being in 2010.