20 Questions with Sarah Chan, wife of Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson

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Sarah Chan, wife of Mayor Don Iveson

1) It’s Sunday morning, what are you having for breakfast?
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A Cappuccino, made with full fat milk.
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2) If you didn’t do what you do for a living, what would you be?
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4 R. ~6 r# F# E0 l6 kI love my students, so it’s difficult to imagine life without teaching and music. I would probably get paid meagerly for all the not-for-profit work I am currently doing for free?
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+ z+ V' ]# \: w& _* j4 a3) Who’s your hero?
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+ G  n! H4 p6 X. cMy Parents. I would be nothing without them. Literally and figuratively!

4) Last book you couldn’t put down?

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I also love the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. After my English degree, it has been difficult for me to look at words on a page without falling asleep immediately.

5) Who was your childhood celebrity crush?
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Bon Jovi.

+ @. s2 w- r: B2 N6) What’s playing in your iPod (CD, cassette or eight-track) right now?

Recently, lots of AC/DC, Kansas, and Aerosmith. Nostalgic tunes that make up the soundtrack to my summer trips to the lake. Also, Chromeo and Robyn when it’s time for a dance party.

7) If you could see one concert, what would it be?

" m: d- X5 u$ s$ m9 ?6 yRolling Stones. Everybody tells me that the Stones are better than the Beatles (I am a huge Beatles fan) and follows up by stating I can’t make an accurate assessment of the Stones because I haven’t seen them live. I would consider it a part of my research.
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8) What’s the best thing about Edmonton?

The people. I am quite fond of our current mayor.

9) What’s your weirdest habit?
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& }  o2 Y. S$ wHow about my most irksome habit? Saying what I think. It routinely gets me into trouble and makes it difficult to make friends.

10) What’s your biggest pet peeve?
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Can I have two? Inefficiency and insincerity. Though the latter is just a different version of the prior.

. _' P4 i" ?1 D11) What’s your fast-food guilty pleasure?
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Teen combo at A&W, with root beer.

! v& _) s% S! A! b) l/ R& G12) What was your most embarrassing moment?

$ U- h  o# j: H; q8 k# C: qToo many to count! I have the habit of embarrassing myself almost daily. Everything from forgetting having previously meeting people, to spilling coffee on myself, and always putting my foot in my mouth. I run the gamut of embarrassing moments.
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13) Which person, alive or dead, would you like to have dinner with?
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My Grandma, at one of the Chinese diners in Vancouver’s Chinatown of the 90s. I miss her so much.

$ v% @' t$ m* D: B" I14) What’s your favourite vacation destination?

6 `. N+ A6 A9 r4 F" z2 IHong Kong. The transit system is phenomenal.
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15) What is your favourite TV show?
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The Wire and Buffy if we’re going way back. Also love Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead.
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16) What’s your dream car?

# C9 U/ F! W. V1 E* a2 DMy dream transportation is a completed LRT network in tandem with my bike!
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17) If you could have one super power, what would it be?
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! a& L  c4 b& Q8 v( Z1 H# C! F$ ZBe two places at once.
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18) What’s the one thing you haven’t done that you’d love to do?
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- C& g; V6 q  c+ l/ n' BSee my kids grow up to be awesome adults.
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19) If we’re buying, you’re having....

7 u' u7 r) u% G# Y# \/ eChampagne and french fries.

7 j3 @: \- K+ a0 P9 X5 }! D20) What are your words to live by?
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7 @6 \1 e/ O% w" aWhat’s next?

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! e9 D2 T. A6 k, G/ _# CFIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, JANUARY 03, 2015
! ~. z' u) H: [+ T: D& rhttp://www.edmontonsun.com/2014/ ... on-mayor-don-iveson

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Sarah Chan
Piano Teacher, Co-chair of United Way’s Campaign Cabinet and First Lady of Edmonton
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9 L1 r. a- X) gAge: 34 （in 2015）
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' N% T2 w1 E' z: @* G9 lWhy She’s Top 40: She uses her influence, passion and energy to support various charitable causes throughout Edmonton, ensuring that the future of the city is brighter for those less fortunate.
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If you could change one thing about Edmonton, what would it be? “I would like for the United Way to not have to exist. I would like literacy rates to go up; I would like to see child care addressed and public transportation completed. I would like to see hunger and homelessness eradicated, and I’m OK with that taking a really long time. I’m a pragmatist.”

* X' F5 R2 P* e$ B# b: L# @( P: HWhen Sarah Chan introduces herself at an Edmonton school, she’ll open with why she’s there, and close with: “And I’m the mayor’s wife.”
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. f! |* z. b/ Y+ O$ i“Nooooo,” the children often reply.
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“Yeeeess,” says Chan, playing along.
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“Nooooo, it’s not true,” they’ll reply.

“Yes, it’s sooooo true.”
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It’s a jolly back-and-forth that Chan — there as project lead on the United Way’s youth initiative to end homelessness — can transition into a discussion.

“I ask, ‘What do you expect the mayor’s wife to look like?’” The answers differ, but can range from “You’re so small” to “But, you’re not white.”
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“One kid in Grade 6 said that he thought the mayor’s wife would always be wearing a tuxedo,” laughs Chan, “which is awesome."
"But the point is, leadership doesn’t always look like what you think it’s going to look like. It’s not just some really busy dynamic person bossing people around; collaboration and teamwork is a big deal.”
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It’s solid advice coming from Edmonton’s First Lady, who, in her 20s, was part of a team that propelled her husband, Don Iveson, to public office. But the message she hopes to convey is that, to end poverty, the creativity, hopefulness and energy of the next generation will be needed.
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The speaking tours are just one of the many ways Chan makes a difference. She serves as an honorary patron for Youth Empowerment & Support Services (YESS), a co-chair for The Works Gala, a director on the board of Apricity — a local group dedicated to “refreshing the spirit of philanthropy” — and an ambassador for the Edmonton Literacy Coalition. The notably high-energy city darling is also a longtime piano instructor and has been a Big Sister for two years. It’s her love for mentorship that puts her near-full-time volunteering into perspective.

1 h/ Q; l8 o+ k! h+ }6 u0 BChan’s speaking tour is to culminate in a student- and teacher-led symposium in 2017. So, her goal for Edmonton’s students could come sooner rather than later. “When the United Way asked me to volunteer, I thought, ‘Who is speaking to people 18 and under?’” says Chan. “The answer was nobody, and I thought that was completely ridiculous. If we want to get this done, it won’t be possible without their assistance.”