Ms. Edmonton 2005

I'd never jigged before, and I don't think Mayor Mandel had ever jigged before, and here we are, jigging across the stage. It was quite an experience. And it was totally unplanned.

You're required to do 6 public appearances. I did 296 appearances. I did 2 or 3 a day. I went to different schools. I never said no to anything. If I could fit it in, I did it.

I was the emcee at the Legislature on National Aboriginal Day. It was probably 35 degrees out. It was very hot. As Ms. Edmonton I had to wear a suit, closed-toe heels, stuff like that. It was very hot. I came home and I was sunburned so bad. Even my scalp was sunburned. It was a great experience though.

Mayor Mandel, myself and the representative for the Métis Nation of Alberta were jigging on the stage. There were probably 300 people there that afternoon. I'd never jigged before, and I don't think Mayor Mandel had ever jigged before, and here we are, you know, Ms. Edmonton, the Edmonton mayor, the Métis Nation of Alberta representative jigging across the stage. It was quite an experience. And it was totally unplanned. She asked if I would jig and if he would jig and there we went.

The experiences I had as Ms. Edmonton are the fondest of my 32 years: the people I've met, the places I've gone. You know, just being involved. Everyone was so welcoming at every event, every festival. The whole experience really opened my eyes to the needs of the city - there're so many cultures here, that's what makes it such a great city - and anywhere you go you can have a taste of those different cultural communities. Edmonton is changing and it's for the better. It's exciting to see the diversity of our city.

Where Next?

Leila Houle

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Leila Houle was born on the Whitefish First Nation reserve east of Edmonton. She's the owner of Platinum Public Relations, which helped launch the River Cree Resort and Casino in Enoch, Alberta, in 2005. She also ran federally for the Liberals in Westlock-St. Paul in 2008. In the next election, Leila hopes to run in Edmonton Centre.

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