Cynthia Block
Cynthia Block | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Saskatoon | |
| Assumed office November 20, 2024 | |
| Succeeded by | Charlie Clark |
| Saskatoon City Councillor for Ward 6 | |
| In office 2016–2024 | |
| Preceded by | Charlie Clark |
| Succeeded by | Jasmin Parker |
| Constituency | Ward 6 |
| Personal details | |
| Occupation | News anchor |
| Profession | Journalism |
Cynthia Marie Block is a Canadian politician and the current mayor of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Block was elected in the 2024 Saskatchewan municipal elections and is the city's 29th mayor. Block is the first woman to be elected mayor of Saskatoon.
Before politics
Block was raised in rural Saskatchewan, near Blackstrap Lake.[1] Block's father served as reeve of the local rural municipality.[2] Prior to entering politics, Block worked as a journalist and a news anchor for CTV News Saskatoon.[3]
Political career
Block's first political bid came in the 2015 federal election, when she stood for the Liberal Party in the riding of Saskatoon—University.[3] During the campaign, she spoke to the need for more collaborative relationships between governments at the federal and provincial levels.[4] Block finished third in the race.[5]
Saskatoon City Council
Block was first elected to Saskatoon City Council for Ward 6 in the 2016 municipal election, replacing former councillor Charlie Clark, who vacated the seat as part of a successful bid for mayor. Block was re-elected for Ward 6 in the 2020 municipal election.[6]
Mayor of Saskatoon
After eight years on city council, Block launched a bid for mayor in June 2024.[7] Clark, who served two terms as mayor, announced in January 2024 that he would not be seeking a third term.[8] Block was joined in the race by former city councillor and provincial cabinet minister Gordon Wyant, former four-term mayor Don Atchison, former mayoral challenger Cary Tarasoff, and newcomer Mike Harder.[3] Block campaigned on issues she supported as a councillor, such as increasing density in urban development, including through zoning changes and improved public transit, and revitalizing the downtown core of the city.[2] In addition, she argued for the need for Canadian municipalities to partner together and create more "economies of scale" to combat inflationary pressure, including through working directly with the federal government.[2]
On November 13, Block was elected mayor, receiving approximately 45% of the vote city-wide.[9] The victory made Block the first woman to be elected mayor in Saskatoon's history.[10] Block was inaugurated along with the new city council on November 20, 2024.[11]
Electoral results
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Cynthia Block | 30,412 | 44.7 |
| Gordon Wyant | 20,259 | 29.7 |
| Don Atchison | 10,460 | 15.4 |
| Cary Tarasoff | 6,386 | 9.4 |
| Mike Harder | 568 | 0.8 |
| Total | 68,085 | 100.00 |
| 2015 Canadian federal election: Saskatoon University | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||||
| Conservative | Brad Trost | 18,592 | 41.52 | |||||
| New Democratic | Claire Card | 14,115 | 31.53 | |||||
| Liberal | Cynthia Block | 11,287 | 25.21 | |||||
| Green | Valerie Harvey | 686 | 1.53 | |||||
| Rhinoceros | Eric Matthew Schalm | 93 | 0.21 | |||||
| Total | 44,773 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[13] | ||||||||
See also
References
- ^ Tank, Phil (2024-11-06). "Block feels some comments demeaning in Saskatoon mayoral race". Saskatoon StarPhoenix. Archived from the original on 2024-11-14. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ a b c Sorokan, Keenan (2024-11-06). "Meet Saskatoon mayoral candidate: Cynthia Block". CTV News. Saskatoon. Archived from the original on 2024-11-09. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ a b c Benson, Andrew (2024-11-08). "Here are your Saskatoon mayoral candidates". Global News. Archived from the original on 2024-11-09. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ Hill, Andrea (2015-09-19). "Saskatoon-University candidates spar in first debate". Saskatoon StarPhoenix. Archived from the original on 2017-03-03. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ Giles, David (2015-10-19). "CPC's Brad Trost wins in Saskatoon-University". Global News. Archived from the original on 2015-10-20. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ Modjeski, Morgan (2020-11-13). "Charlie Clark re-elected as mayor of Saskatoon". CBC News. Archived from the original on 2020-11-14. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
- ^ Levy, Bryn (2024-06-10). "Cynthia Block launches Saskatoon mayoral campaign". Saskatoon StarPhoenix. Archived from the original on 2024-06-12. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ Levy, Bryn (2024-01-24). "'Time for a new chapter': Mayor Charlie Clark won't seek reelection". Saskatoon StarPhoenix. Archived from the original on 2024-01-25. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
- ^ Warren, Jeremy (2024-11-13). "Cynthia Block elected as Saskatoon's next mayor". CBC News. Archived from the original on 2024-11-14. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ Langager, Brody (2024-11-13). "Cynthia Block makes history as city's first female mayor". Saskatoon StarPhoenix. Archived from the original on 2024-11-14. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ Brown, Alex (2024-11-21). "New Kids On The Block: Saskatoon's new mayor, council sworn in at city hall". CKOM. Archived from the original on 2024-11-21. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
- ^ "Saskatoon Civic Election Results 2024". City of Saskatoon. Archived from the original on 2024-11-17. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ "Forty-Second General Election 2015—Poll-by-poll results, Saskatoon-University". Elections Canada. Retrieved 2024-11-14.