Edmonton-Mill Woods

Edmonton-Mill Woods is a provincial electoral district in southeast Edmonton, centred on the established Mill Woods community that has been one of Edmonton's most diverse and populous areas since its development began in the 1970s. The riding takes in neighbourhoods such as Tipaskan, Satoo, Tawa, Kameyosek, Weinlos, and the Mill Woods Town Centre commercial area. Mill Woods has long been a landing point for immigrant families from South Asia, East Africa, the Middle East, and the Philippines, giving the community a distinctly multicultural character. Christina Gray won the seat in the 2015 NDP wave and served as Minister of Labour in the Notley government, championing the increase of Alberta's minimum wage to $15 per hour.

Candidates

Christina Gray (NDP) — Born in 1978, Gray holds a bachelor of arts in psychology and a diploma in software development. Before entering politics, she worked as a senior consultant in software development. She served for three years as chair of the Edmonton Transit System Advisory Board and was recognized with a 2007 YWCA of Edmonton Woman of Distinction award. As Minister of Labour and Minister Responsible for Democratic Renewal from February 2016 onward, she led the implementation of the phased minimum wage increase to $15 per hour.

Heather Sworin (United Conservative) — Sworin ran as the UCP candidate in Edmonton-Mill Woods, seeking to unseat the incumbent NDP minister.

Anju Sharma (Alberta Party) — Sharma ran as the Alberta Party candidate in the riding under leader Stephen Mandel.

Abdi Bakal (Liberal) — Bakal ran as the Liberal candidate in the riding.

Dallas Price (Alberta Independence) — Price ran as the Alberta Independence Party's candidate in the riding.

Andrew J. Janewski (Communist) — Janewski ran as the Communist Party's candidate in the riding.

Local Issues

The Valley Line LRT construction was the most significant infrastructure project affecting the riding during the NDP government's term. The $1.8-billion southeast segment of the Valley Line, running from downtown Edmonton to the Mill Woods Town Centre, was under active construction from 2016 onward, with the province contributing $600 million in funding. The project was falling behind schedule — by mid-2019, the contractor had completed only 68 percent of expected work. The RioCan-owned Mill Woods Town Centre site saw plans announced in 2017 for a major mixed-use redevelopment that would include a transit station and residential towers, signalling the transformation the LRT was expected to bring.

The minimum wage increase to $15 per hour, which Gray championed as Labour Minister, was a particularly local issue in a riding with significant numbers of workers in retail, food service, and other lower-wage sectors. Supporters argued the increase gave working families a fairer wage, while some small business owners in the Mill Woods Town Centre commercial area expressed concerns about rising labour costs during a period of economic downturn.

Diversity and immigrant services were ongoing concerns in one of Edmonton's most multicultural communities. Mill Woods' large populations of Somali, Filipino, South Asian, and other immigrant communities relied on settlement services, language programs, and community organizations. The NDP government's approach to multiculturalism, human rights protections, and funding for community organizations was closely followed in a riding where newcomer integration was both a source of community pride and an area of ongoing need.