Former Edmonton Mayor says City Councillors should build bridges among local ethnic communities

By AJNews Staff

(AJNews) – Former Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel raised his voice this week to criticize Councillor Michael Janz for sharing a blatant misinformation trope about Israel on social media.

In an opinion piece published by the Edmonton Journal, the former mayor acknowledged that Janz responded to condemnation from Jewish Federation of Edmonton by removing the offensive post. However instead of apologizing for sharing it, he proceeded to criticize Israel and then question whether or not there should be an Israel pavilion at our city’s upcoming Heritage Festival.

Mandel wrote “Unprompted, Janz used his councillor’s platform to share dangerous and false rhetoric about Israel to his Edmonton-based constituency and then went further and questioned whether there should be an Israel pavilion at the Edmonton Heritage Festival – effectively suggesting punishment for a local community based on misinformation about a foreign conflict.”

The former mayor wrote that as a member of the Jewish Community he knows that inflammatory rhetoric increasingly impacts his own sense of safety.  And that instead of using his platform to encourage people to enjoy the Heritage Festival as an opportunity celebrate the cultural diversity found in Edmonton, Councillor Janz is using it “to selectively marginalize and exclude.”

Mandel writes, “Rather than acknowledging the very real risks of antisemitism in Canada and ensuring this festival is a place where Jewish Edmontonians, too, can celebrate a connection to an ancestral homeland, [Janz] seeks to forcibly separate Edmonton Jews from their cultural ties, vilifying anyone who dares to associate with their heritage. The message it sends to our community is chilling: Your culture is only welcome if it passes my political approval.”

Mandel believes that elected officials should be facilitating positive local Muslim and Jewish relations. “Both communities want peace, dignity, and an end to human suffering,” he writes.

“When an elected councillor acts as an agent of division rather than a bridge-builder, those vital relationships are fractured. Instead of encouraging constructive dialogue or empathy, Janz’s actions pit neighbours against each other and sow distrust. Edmonton city council exists to serve all Edmontonians and to protect the peace and unity of our local neighbourhoods.”

Mandel stated that “bringing foreign conflicts home to ostracize a local ethnic community does nothing to bring peace overseas — it only imports division and fear into our own backyard. And it distracts city hall from the responsibilities it has to make a difference on the ground to improve life for all Edmontonians,” he added.

“We deserve leaders who bring us together, who respect factual truth, and who uphold the principle that every citizen, regardless of their background or faith, belongs here. It is time for city council to reject this reckless rhetoric and get on with the job of restoring Edmonton as a place where everyone can thrive and live in safety.”