Arts and culture form a foundation of defining who you are and what you’re about, and they create opportunities for people to express themselves. And those who don’t express themselves very well, like myself, enjoy that expression. A concert, play, art gallery or pow-wow – all these things are a part of our arts and culture. They make up the mosaic of our city. And that mosaic attracts and retains others, because they see that mosaic working. If you have a city that doesn’t have any arts and culture or cultural facilities, people tend to leave. Edmonton has more choices than people can shake a stick at.
Businessman, politician, philanthropist, volunteer, supporter of the arts and advocate for social issues, Stephen Mandel cares for people, causes and policies, and has enjoyed exceptional success in advancing each. As mayor of Edmonton, his leadership, engagement and strategic thinking led to one of the city’s greatest periods of growth and transformation.
Stephen Mandel was born in Windsor, ON, on July 18, 1945, to David and Bessie Mandel. David was a businessman who had immigrated from Romania with his family as a child. A schoolteacher before she married, Bessie taught her children, Miriam and Stephen, the importance of being open minded and fair, and treating everyone equally.
Windsor was a great place to grow up for young Stephen, with many family members in the city and nearby Detroit. As a child, he loved sports and played a lot of baseball, basketball, football – whatever type of game was happening at the time.
Given his family history, it was natural for Stephen to study business. After receiving an Associate of Arts Degree (1966) from Lincoln College in Lincoln, Illinois, he went on to complete his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (1968) at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Not as enamoured with the subject as he’d hoped, Stephen switched to political science at the University of Windsor and studied international relations.
It was there that he met Lynn Matheson, a professional dancer and teacher. “She was the most amazing person at the university,” Stephen says. He graduated with his master’s degree in political science in 1972. That same year, he moved to Edmonton so he could manage his father’s recreational vehicle business. Buoyed by the oil-boom city’s confidence, the two worked together building the Mandel Group. Stephen became president of the organization, which focused on residential and commercial real estate development, management and construction. The optimism continued in 1973 when Lynn moved to Edmonton, so they could marry.
But by the early 1980s, the world-wide economic recession hit the city hard. Stephen, now a father of two (Rachel and Adam), didn’t know where his next dollar would come from. “Interest rates were 18 per cent and higher. We almost didn’t make it. Those were tough times,” he says. Eventually, he made a “little more money than [he] lost,” so it was time to quit.
In 1999, now semi-retired at 55, Stephen passed his time golfing – and thinking. “We, as a city, had to be more aggressive, proactive and not afraid of some of the consequences,” he says. He ran for city council in 2001 and was elected to represent Ward 1, bringing 30 years of private sector experience to Edmonton City Hall. He was a tireless advocate for his ward and earned a reputation as a budget hawk, poring over City documents to challenge spending.
In 2004, Stephen ran for mayor. “I felt that the city had been treading water for too many years, and that we weren’t moving ahead and taking advantage of Alberta’s opportunities,” he says. On October 18, 2004, Edmontonians elected Stephen as the city’s first Jewish mayor. Defeating three-term mayor Bill Smith, Stephen would go on to serve as Edmonton’s 34th mayor from 2004 to 2013. He was called an “anti-politician” who brought an entrepreneurial lens to government. His strategic planning abilities were instrumental in setting and achieving many long-term goals, spurring investment in the city.
Stephen successfully built consensus among city councillors, so they could work as a team. “We really accomplished a great deal, because we worked together, not in conflict, with the goal of making Edmonton a better and more equitable place,” he says.
Under his leadership, Edmonton built and approved a record amount of infrastructure, including new and expanded light rail transit (LRT) lines, major roadway improvements, and the construction of the first community recreation centres in over 30 years. From libraries and affordable housing to the Blatchford and Quarters neighbourhoods, projects all over the city went forward. He played a pivotal role in bringing the controversial $480 million downtown arena project to fruition.
Working with other orders of government and the social sector, Stephen pulled the focus of the business, community and political spheres to the importance of social issues, including homelessness, safe communities, domestic spousal violence and youth in need. He actively supported the Indigenous, immigrant and LGBTQ2S+ communities.
Stephen credits his mother Bessie for his socially conscious side. “I inherited my desire to help others from her. I think the social issues give me way more satisfaction in helping people accomplish what they would like to accomplish. That’s our job, to be facilitators, to act as creators of opportunity for people. I think that’s probably the most satisfying part of the job,” he says.
Stephen was equally committed to important policy initiatives. He assisted Premier Ed Stelmach (AOE 2020) in developing the Municipal Sustainability Initiative and the Capital Region Board. He partnered with Mayor Naheed Nenshi of Calgary to create the Big City Charter. And he championed Edmonton’s post-secondary institutions as the Edmonton Advantage, believing they are essential to creating and developing new leaders and the reputation of the city.
A passionate advocate of the arts and culture, Stephen believes they are a foundation for creativity and renewal. As he says, “A city grows through its strength in the arts.” He invested stable, consistent funding through the Edmonton Arts Council. He created the Poet Laureate Program and launched the annual Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts. He drove a new vision for Fort Edmonton. And he enhanced the city’s vibrant downtown arts district by marshaling support to build the new Art Gallery of Alberta and to relocate the Royal Alberta Museum. It’s no wonder that some have referred to this period in Edmonton’s history as a renaissance following the economic downturn of the 1980s.
In their personal lives, Stephen and Lynn are major supporters of Ballet Edmonton. When Alberta Ballet moved from Edmonton to Calgary, Ballet Edmonton formed to fill the void, and Lynn was asked to serve on the board. “The company has evolved into being an outstanding professional company,” says Stephen. “We have really enjoyed watching the company grow and flourish.”
They also have a particular soft spot for the Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts. “It’s an amazing organization that uses various art forms to help people with developmental disabilities reach their potential as artists by unlocking their creativity,” says Stephen. “As donors, we have been strong supporters. This is one of those organizations that quietly does so much good.”
In 2013, Stephen chose not to run for a fourth term as mayor. When then premier Jim Prentice asked him in 2014 to serve as Minister of Health and lead reform of Alberta’s health care system, Stephen accepted the responsibility. He won a seat in a by-election along the way and held the role until the NDP swept to power in 2015.
From 2017 to 2023, Stephen served as the second Chancellor of Concordia University of Edmonton, as well as on the university’s board of directors. A long-time champion of the institution, he served as a highly engaged member of Concordia’s community and continues to support the university to this day.
Stephen was approached to run for leadership of the centrist Alberta Party in 2017. Wanting to build a solid future for his six-year-old grandson Chase, Stephen agreed. In 2018, he was elected Leader of the Alberta Party and led it into the 2019 provincial election. Public service once again came knocking in 2019 when then premier Jason Kenney appointed him to the Alberta Health Services Board.
Stephen has received honorary degrees from the University of Alberta (2016), Concordia University of Edmonton (2014) and MacEwan University (2013). He received the Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (Alberta) and Alberta Centennial Medal.
Stephen and Lynn continue to reside in Edmonton. He remains committed to the arts and social issues, volunteering, and supporting many organizations, so he may continue building the city for his grandson’s generation.