Aaron Paquette
Paquette in 2021
Paquette in 2021
Born1974 (age 49–50)[1]
Edmonton, Alberta
OccupationWriter, artist, and politician
NationalityCanadian
Genrefantasy, young adult literature
Notable worksLightfinder
SpouseClarice Anderson[2]
Children4[3]
Website
aaronpaquette.ca

Aaron Paquette is a Canadian writer, artist, speaker[4] and politician who currently serves on the Edmonton City Council, representing Ward Dene in the city's northeast. He was first elected to the Edmonton City Council on October 16, 2017.

He was a winner of the Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature in 2015 for his debut young adult fantasy novel Lightfinder (Kegedonce Press).[5] As a painter, his most notable work is a public art mural at Edmonton's Government Centre station (formerly Grandin station.)[6] He also created several iconic images used in the Idle No More movement. His work[7] may also be found in the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.[8][9] His murals are also present the walls of many Edmonton schools and public locations.[10]

He is featured in the documentary program, "From the Spirit."[11]

Paquette is Métis of Cree (Nehiyaw), Cayuse[12] and Norwegian descent.[13]

Consulting work

Paquette is the president of Cree8 Success, a consulting firm.[14]

In 2012, Cree8 Success ran an Education Conference that hosted the following facilitators and presenters:[15] David Bouchard, Richard Wagamese, Ryan McMahon, ASANI (musical trio made up of Debbie Houle, Sarah Pocklington, and Sherryl Sewepagaham), K.A.S.P. (a.k.a. Paul Sawan),Dawn Marie Marchand, Amanda Woodward (traditional dancer), and Richard Van Camp, in addition to Aaron Paquette.

Paquette has recorded a podcast for Cree8 Success, which can be accessed through SoundCloud.

Politics

He ran as a New Democratic Party candidate in the riding of Edmonton Manning in the 2015 federal election,[14] defeated by candidate Ziad Aboultaif of the Conservative Party.

In 2017, Paquette ran for Edmonton City Council in Ward 4, which includes the neighbourhoods of Northeast Edmonton, Manning, and Clareview. Paquette defeated 11 other candidates for the seat with 23.79% of the vote.[16]

Paquette announced in March 2021 that he will seek re-election to the Edmonton City Council in October 2021.[17] He emphasized that as a City Councilor he has focused on improving services for Edmonton residents and ending what are known as "ward wars," wherein municipalities fight with each other for budgets and support services.[17] The 2021 municipal election saw changes to the ward names and boundaries,[18] and Paquette was re-elected in Ward Dene, which includes his former Ward 4.[19] He was among just a handful of councillors in the election to receive the majority of the vote in the ward involved - Paquette received 54 percent of the vote in his ward.[20]

Electoral record

2017 Edmonton city election elected as councillor

2021 Edmonton city election elected as councillor

2015 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Conservative Ziad Aboultaif 22,166 45.2 -10.25 –
Liberal Sukhdev Aujla 13,509 27.6 +18.5 –
New Democratic Aaron Paquette 11,582 23.6 -3.1 –
Green Chris Vallee 1,079 2.2 -0.68 –
Independent Mebreate Deres 540 1.1 – –
Marxist–Leninist André Vachon 125 0.3 – –
Total valid votes/Expense limit 49,001 100.0     $212,270.98
Total rejected ballots 185 – –
Turnout 49,186 61.3% –
Eligible voters 80,111
Conservative hold Swing -14.37%
Source: Elections Canada[21][22]

References

  1. ^ Paquette, Aaron. "Aaron Paquette - City Councillor - Ward 4 at City of Edmonton". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  2. ^ Hoang, Linda (2012-07-08). "Woman hit while jogging in northeast Edmonton talks about her recovery". CTV Edmonton. Archived from the original on 2012-07-11. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
  3. ^ "Ward 4 - Aaron Paquette". City of Edmonton. Archived from the original on 2014-02-26. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
  4. ^ "Artist Paquette pens his first novel; Fantasy tale not simply about 'being native'" Edmonton Journal, June 27, 2014.
  5. ^ "Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley win 2015 Burt Award" Archived 2015-11-18 at the Wayback Machine. Quill & Quire, October 26, 2015.
  6. ^ "Contentious Grandin Station mural to be revised". Edmonton Journal, February 27, 2014.
  7. ^ Toolkit, Web Experience. "We have received a spirit panel from @aaronpaquette a First Nations artist from #Edmonton! #CMHR #CMHRart". humanrights.ca. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  8. ^ Aaron Paquette Archived 2015-11-18 at the Wayback Machine's page at Idle No More website. Accessed 17 Nov 2015.
  9. ^ "Is There a Future for Idle No More? Archived 2015-11-18 at the Wayback Machine" by Aaron Paquette. November 30th, 2013. Accessed 17 Nov 2015
  10. ^ "Pop-up murals illustrate poverty on Edmonton's streets | Metro Edmonton". metronews.ca. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  11. ^ "Moving Images Distribution: Aaron Paquette • From the Spirit". movingimages.ca. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  12. ^ "Featured Artist for October 2014: Aaron Paquette". Alberta Native News. 2014-10-17. Archived from the original on 2018-01-13. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  13. ^ "Aaron Paquette: A journey of hope & healing". Edmonton Journal, August 7, 2004.
  14. ^ a b "Aaron Paquette, a high profile candidate running for the NDP in Edmonton" Archived November 18, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. APTN Investigates, August 18, 2015.
  15. ^ "Cree8 Success Conference 2012 | Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium". www.erlc.ca. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  16. ^ "2017 Official Results by Voting Station" (PDF). City of Edmonton. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved Oct 27, 2017.
  17. ^ a b "Edmonton Councillor Aaron Paquette will seek re-election". Global News. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  18. ^ "Interested in running for Edmonton's city council? Councillors have some advice". Global News. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  19. ^ "Aaron Paquette re-elected in Dene". Edmonton. 2021-10-18. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  20. ^ "2021 Election Results | City of Edmonton".
  21. ^ "Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Edmonton Manning, 30 September 2015". Archived from the original on 4 October 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  22. ^ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
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