WOMEN IN POLITICS

Edmonton City Politics

with KEREN TANG

Women are powerful agents of change, caretakers, and leaders in our communities, and Keren Tang is one of those women. Keren is a public health advocate, community organizer, city builder and mom. She merges her background in public health advocacy, community development and organization, human-centered design and social determinants of health. A Top 40 Under 40, Keren has also served on the boards of the Edmonton Community Foundation, the North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society, ASSIST Community Services Centre and the Edmonton Multicultural Coalition. This past year, with accomplishments in passing the budget and prioritizing climate action and housing, Keren is most proud of the Community-based Budgeting project in the Karhiio community. Looking ahead to 2023, Keren believes it is important to celebrate women because their perspectives, thoughts and experiences enrich the political landscape by making legislation, policies, programs, and services address many needs. Because Edmonton has such a diverse council, she is honoured to be part of it as one of the first visible minority women to be elected to the City Council in Edmonton’s history. She also believes that the council is on the right path to bring the community together to improve equity, end poverty, eliminate racism and make clear progress toward Truth and Reconciliation. Women play an integral role in creating momentum for this necessary change. While anti-racism and gender equality work is progressing, taking a holistic approach across policies will be slow to implement all recommendations. When Keren campaigned for her po- from 2022 with our Karhiio team, continuing to build connections with residents and businesses in the ward, and achieving more goals from the platform that I ran on. sition, she made commitments to her community. She provided updates at www.kerentang.ca/platform. Milestones she is incredibly proud of from her work on Council include funding climate action in the 20232026 plan, passing the Hate Symbols Ban and securing funding for local amenities like Ivor Dent Park. In the Karhiio community, Keren’s office has stimulated conversations about the Edmonton Research Park as part of the City of Edmonton’s Economic Development Strategy, highlighting how suburban communities can be instruments of 15-minute neighbourhoods and connecting with the local business community. Keren is also proud of the Community-based Budgeting work that Councillor Knack’s team and the Karhiio team partnered with, which facilitated a process that invited residents in those wards to bring ideas to improve those communities.

Keren’s priorities continue to be community, economy and climate. She feels it is “critically important that we have vibrant and inclusive neighbourhoods and a strong, diverse local economy while we continue to look for local solutions to climate change.”

Keren balances her roles as mother, wife and councilor effectively by having family meetings. Everyone in the household sets priorities. Planning well in advance with her spouse ensures that there are resources and support in place that she can lean on when she needs to. Because her Karhiio team values self-care and community care, she also balances her various responsibilities through scheduling, reminders and check-ins. Keren has overcome many challenges by forming connections and surrounding herself with great people. Her favourite quote at the moment exemplifies this: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. When she is alone, she plans on reading People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks, but her positive mental health is spending time with her family in the mountains. Overall, Keren will be effective in her role as an agent of change in her community.