CHANTAL COOKNELL
My family and I moved to Edmonton in May of 2022 and we purchased our home in the Alberta Avenue Community a few months later. I was looking for an opportunity to contribute my skill set and time to a cause while also developing a sense of community and connection that I had sorely been missing since my move. Joining the Board at the Community League has given me purpose; an opportunity to learn new skills and to make new connections while serving my community in a meaningful way.
I am a professional in the non profit sector, specializing in fund development and community engagement and have worked predominately in the anti-violence sector. I went to university on Vancouver Island, graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with a dual concentration in both Marketing and Business Management. I have volunteered for most of my adult life, in some capacity, including as a Board member in different capacities.
Adjusting to our new life here in Alberta has not been easy - but moving to Alberta Avenue and being part of this lovely and vibrant community has been a true gift.
I am a professional in the non profit sector, specializing in fund development and community engagement and have worked predominately in the anti-violence sector. I went to university on Vancouver Island, graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with a dual concentration in both Marketing and Business Management. I have volunteered for most of my adult life, in some capacity, including as a Board member in different capacities.
Adjusting to our new life here in Alberta has not been easy - but moving to Alberta Avenue and being part of this lovely and vibrant community has been a true gift.
EDWIN SHALE
Hello, I am Edwin Shale. I go by He/Him but also answer to Buddy or Pal. I have lived in the Alberta Avenue neighbourhood for 10 years and joined the Alberta Avenue Board as a member in 2022. My community passion is Neighbourhood Safety and so I chair the AACL Safety Committee and am involved with the area District G initiatives as well. I love & live Alberta culture and music and groove best with temperatures between -4 and +22!
JAIDYN MAYAHI
Jaidyn is a fairly new resident of the Alberta Avenue community (spring 2022). The neighbourhood and community bring Jaidyn the same warm and lovely feelings as their missed Tkaronto (a.k.a. Toronto), which they left in 2021. In Tkaronto they held positions for Secretary and Treasurer (separately) for a few small groups. Child Care Provider turned Carpenter, Jaidyn enjoys writing and performing poetry, learning and playing music, playing games, and reading.
As a NBIPOC (non black or indigenous person of colour), neurodiverse and member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Jaidyn sees and approaches things through an equitable, anti-racist, justice lens. Jaidyn looks forward to engaging with and helping to strengthen our beautiful community.
As a NBIPOC (non black or indigenous person of colour), neurodiverse and member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Jaidyn sees and approaches things through an equitable, anti-racist, justice lens. Jaidyn looks forward to engaging with and helping to strengthen our beautiful community.
NATASHA RUSSELL
Over the past decade, Dr. Natasha Russell has served as an educator, facilitator and activist in many communities and is forever grateful for the many mentors that she has met along the way. Natasha’s current passions include: ideas for sustainable economies, balanced development focused on preservation and conservation of ecosystems, thought leadership, helping people and their animal families, volunteering in the community and tango dancing.
Now that she’s taken to partial retirement, she’s excited to prioritize her community connections and the well being of her beloved neighbours. Natasha strongly believes that in the heart of public service is the desire to improve the lives of those we serve (including our family, friends, neighbours and the greater community / city), it's with this drive that she hopes to display the situational awareness, advocacy, and foresight that will help serve our Alberta Avenue community for many years to come.
Now that she’s taken to partial retirement, she’s excited to prioritize her community connections and the well being of her beloved neighbours. Natasha strongly believes that in the heart of public service is the desire to improve the lives of those we serve (including our family, friends, neighbours and the greater community / city), it's with this drive that she hopes to display the situational awareness, advocacy, and foresight that will help serve our Alberta Avenue community for many years to come.
CHRIS NICHOL
In my life, I’ve been provided the luck to live, study, work, and play in both Europe and North America. A life experience that, looking back, I wouldn’t go back and change if I had the chance. Whether good or bad resulted from it. During that time, I navigated three major career changes, starting in the non-profit sector, then with my own consulting firm, and then on to the industrial trades. Apart from a couple years, I’ve found myself almost exclusively in leadership roles throughout my work life.
Born in the Okanagan of British Columbia, raised under the sun of Alberta's capital region and beyond, my intentions were always to set out into the world beyond Canada and experience as much as I could of its offerings. Now I find myself back in Edmonton, less worried about travel and adventure, and more invested in community and the joys of having happy neighbours. However, my wanderings, fortunes, failures, and encounters with the light and darkness of people have equipped me well for life in Alberta Avenue. My experiences have provided me with the hope, clarity and strength needed to build community together.
Born in the Okanagan of British Columbia, raised under the sun of Alberta's capital region and beyond, my intentions were always to set out into the world beyond Canada and experience as much as I could of its offerings. Now I find myself back in Edmonton, less worried about travel and adventure, and more invested in community and the joys of having happy neighbours. However, my wanderings, fortunes, failures, and encounters with the light and darkness of people have equipped me well for life in Alberta Avenue. My experiences have provided me with the hope, clarity and strength needed to build community together.
KATELYN WEBER
I grew up on the Sunshine coast in BC (where The Beachcombers was filmed). After highschool I participated in Katimavik, which afforded me the opportunity to visit many places throughout this wonderful country. During this time I discovered my passion for teaching and working with young children and children with special needs. When I returned back to BC I decided to get my bachelor's degree in Early childhood education at Capilano University. Soon after graduation, I followed my husband to Edmonton so that he could complete his Master's at the U of A.
We both fell in love with Edmonton and the people that live in this amazing city, so we decided to stay! We bought our house in the hood in August 2020, and are thrilled to be in such an amazing, vibrant community. We love the neighborhood so much we decided to showcase some of our favourite areas of the neighborhood for our wedding, ending the night right here at the league! I couldn't have asked for a better place to live and want to contribute to making this neighborhood a fantastic and fun place to live. Some of my other passions/interests include biking, gardening, karaoke with neighbours, Halloween, photography, sfx makeup and cats.
We both fell in love with Edmonton and the people that live in this amazing city, so we decided to stay! We bought our house in the hood in August 2020, and are thrilled to be in such an amazing, vibrant community. We love the neighborhood so much we decided to showcase some of our favourite areas of the neighborhood for our wedding, ending the night right here at the league! I couldn't have asked for a better place to live and want to contribute to making this neighborhood a fantastic and fun place to live. Some of my other passions/interests include biking, gardening, karaoke with neighbours, Halloween, photography, sfx makeup and cats.
LIZ JOHN-WEST
Liz has been on the board since 2018. She started off being a treasurer and now she is overseeing the MMEIP project called Kisêwâtisiwin ᑭᓭᐚᑎᓯᐏᐣ (A Cree term which speaks to how one strives to apply the principles of gentle, loving kindness into all areas of life). It's a land base project where 5 park spaces will be used to honour many people who have been taken from us who are either murdered or still missing. She loves living in the core of Edmonton and can be seen at many of the activities/festivals in the area.
ALLAN BOLSTAD
As you can see from my photo, my arrival on the Alberta Avenue Community League’s board of directors has bumped up the average age a bit. Okay, quite a bit. But on the positive side I have used many of those years to gain a good deal of experience with community leagues. For example, I served in a variety of capacities on league executives at both Sherbrooke and Ritchie community leagues, chairing playground projects, running social events and managing civic affairs. I also spent nine years as executive director of the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues (EFCL), before retiring in 2016. There I was involved in a number of initiatives, such as the development of community league day and the Living Local and cultural inclusion programs.
After leaving the EFCL I continued to chair its 100th Anniversary Project, which was the creation of a $4 million plaza next to the lake in Hawrelak Park. Designed to tell the story of community leagues in Edmonton, it was completed in October, 2021.
I also spent a good deal of time working with community leagues during my tenure on Edmonton City Council, where I represented Ward 2 (northwest Edmonton) from 1992 until 2004. During that time I made it a regular practice to sit down
with the executives of each of the ward’s 26 leagues and do what I could to work with them on local issues.
Prior to my time on council I worked as a newspaper reporter and columnist, which included eight years covering Edmonton’s city council. My wife Barb and I bought our house in Alberta Avenue in July, 2023 and I joined the board in December. I look forward to helping out wherever I can.
After leaving the EFCL I continued to chair its 100th Anniversary Project, which was the creation of a $4 million plaza next to the lake in Hawrelak Park. Designed to tell the story of community leagues in Edmonton, it was completed in October, 2021.
I also spent a good deal of time working with community leagues during my tenure on Edmonton City Council, where I represented Ward 2 (northwest Edmonton) from 1992 until 2004. During that time I made it a regular practice to sit down
with the executives of each of the ward’s 26 leagues and do what I could to work with them on local issues.
Prior to my time on council I worked as a newspaper reporter and columnist, which included eight years covering Edmonton’s city council. My wife Barb and I bought our house in Alberta Avenue in July, 2023 and I joined the board in December. I look forward to helping out wherever I can.