Longtime Mynarski Councillor Ross Eadie will not be returning to city hall, CTV News has declared. Natalie Smith has defeated the veteran councillor along with four other candidates. Smith, an environmental protection charity employee, ran in the ward in 2022 and placed second to Eadie by just under 20 percentage points. “People are excited about the candidacy. They remember me, they see my signs, and that goes a really long way in these municipal elections,” Smith told CTV News earlier this month. Smith’s campaign website links poor health outcomes to housing shortages, burnt-out buildings, food insecurity, and gaps in youth, addictions and mental health supports, which she says budget cuts have turned into a public health crisis. According to the website, Smith wants the city, the province and local businesses to revitalize Main Street and Selkirk Avenue through mixed-use development that brings housing and good jobs. An official North End Farmers’ Market modelled on St. Norbert’s is another idea she hopes to explore. Renewed investment in parks, community centres and preventative safety measures are also part of her platform, along with protecting the ward’s tree canopy and restoring several transit stops. Eadie was first elected to council in 2010, winning four back-to-back elections in the ward. He sat on the Executive Policy Committee during his latest term for the first time. Before his time as a city councillor, he was a school board trustee for the Seven Oaks School Division. With files from CTV News’ Jeff Keele
